The world’s first commercial compressed air energy storage (CAES) project has been completed in Canada by developers Hydrostor in partnership with NRStor Incorporated.
The 1.75MW/10+MWh Goderich A-CAES facility is contracted to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).
The system will deliver long-duration energy storage and grid ancillary services including peaking capacity, and allow full participation in the merchant energy market to support grid reliability.
Hydrostor CEO, Curtis VanWalleghem said: “This facility serves as an important proof point for A-CAES on the global stage, enabling the build-out of our full-scale project pipeline in Canada, the US, Chile, Australia and other markets.”
Hydrostor’s A-CAES technology will use power from the grid to produce heated compressed air. The heat is extracted from the air stream and the cooled compressed air stored in an underground cavern.
When the grid requires dispatchable energy capacity, the air is brought back to the surface, re-collects the stored heat, and is expanded through an air turbine to generate power on demand.
“The partnership between NRStor and Hydrostor has brought to life the world’s first commercialized facility for fuel-free compressed air energy storage – a major breakthrough,” said Leah Lawrence, president & COE, of Sustainable Development Technology Canada.
The Goderich milestone comes on the heels of Hydrostor closing $37 million (C$49 million) in growth financing.
Hydrostor is advancing a pipeline of large-scale A-CAES projects, representing over 2GW/16GWh of deployment potential.