Toronto-based energy storage firm Hydrostor and WEB Aruba N.V. have signed a power purchase agreement for an underwater compressed air energy storage facility at a wind park on Aruba’s southeastern coast.
The storage system will be based on Hydrostor’s proprietary technology for a project that is expected to begin in 2014. It will support the island’s transition to sustainable energy.
Hydrostor’s technology works by anchoring a low-cost air cavity to the bottom of a lake or sea floor, and store energy in it by filling it with compressed air created using surplus renewable energy. When the stored air is released it drives a turbine to create electricity.
The partnership between Hydrostor and WEB Aruba – an innovative electrical utility provider – aims to demonstrate the benefits of storage paired with renewable generation as a safe, reliable and cost effective alternative to fossil fuels.
“Envisioning green, clean and fuel oil free water and energy production by 2020, WEB Aruba is very happy with this innovative energy storage solution,” said WEB Aruba General Manager Oslin Boekhoudt. “It enables us to continue our efforts to introduce more sustainable forms of energy in the near future.”