Liquid-air energy storage firm Highview Power Storage and project developer Encore Renewable Energy have announced plans to deliver a 50MW/400MWh system in the US— a first for the country.
This facility in northern Vermont will store excess power from renewables and resolve energy transmission challenges surrounding the state’s Sheffield-Highgate Export Interface (SHEI).
The facility will integrate renewable energy, deliver grid stabilisation and security-of-supply services to the area’s transmission system during storms and disruptions.
The facility can also deliver market arbitrage, frequency management, reserve, and grid constraint management services.
Chad Farrell, founder and CEO of the Vermont, US, firm Encore, said the project would allow for fewer curtailments and provide important energy balancing services for the rapidly evolving modern grid.
In Highview Power’s liquid air energy storage solution, excess or off-peak electricity is used to clean and compress air, which is stored in liquid form in insulated tanks at temperatures approaching 320 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (-196oC).
During high demand the gas is allowed to warm, turning a turbine as it expands to generate energy.
