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The growing concern about the role of man-made CO2 emissions with respect to global arming, in combination with the large increase in energy demand spurred by developing nations and a growing global population that is foreseen over the next 15 years have recently turned attention to potential CO2-neutral energy supply solutions.
Grid-compatible integration of typically fluctuating electrical energy sources, like wind and solar power, will be important in order to support the goal to reduce CO2 emissions. However, this will require substantial adjustments to the grids and power plant systems in order to cope with the upcoming new boundary conditions imposed by substantially increased utilization of renewable energies.
To respond to this imperative, GE and RWE Power have started to investigate new technologies for large-scale storage of electrical energy in Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage power plants.
This concept offers efficient, local zero-emission storage based on compressed air held in underground caverns. The compression and expansion of air with turbomachinery help to balance power generation peaks that are not demand-driven on the one hand and consumption-induced load peaks on the other, allowing the optimal use of both traditional fossil fuels and renewables.
Before this concept can be implemented, however, numerous technical issues must be addressed, mainly in the field of turbomachinery and the heat storage device. This paper describes today’s technical capabilities of turbomachinery equipment, and evaluates the need for further development based on the requirements of advanced CAES technology. Ongoing development activities are described and initial results presented.