Cryo-Energy Systems By Highview Power Storage

As the non-conventional energy production systems are gaining more and more importance, a Britain based company Highview Power Storage has recently devised a new way to store the energy produced by such non-conventional power resources. Under the name of cryo-energy systems the engineers have managed to use liquefied air to store the energy.  As the name suggests, this technology employs the cryogenic techniques to cool down the natural air and use it as a power storage medium. The company has been recently under the spotlight because of this new invention.

At the temperature of -320.8 Fahrenheit that is approximately 190 degree celsius, the natural air liquefies. The greatest disadvantage of electrical power is that it can not be stored for long efficiently. So we have to utilize it as soon as it is produced. During the night hours or those hours of a day when the load on the power systems is not at its peak, we are left with excess power production which is otherwise waste. So if somehow we manage to store this energy efficiently (for later use), then we can definitely save this energy from being wasted. The CES systems provide an aid to this function. The ECS uses this excess energy to run refrigeration units to cool down the natural air till it liquefies. Then such liquefied air is stored into large storage tanks. At the demand of power or during the peak load hours, this air is utilized to produce electricity. The stored air on demand is then allowed to expand in a confined space, however arrangements are done to maintain the temperature just above   -190 (degree Celsius). On increase in temperature and expansion, the liquid air again gets converted into gaseous. This air is then used to drive turbines which are in turn connected to electrical generators.



This energy storage system has several remarkable advantages –

[*]The by-product, cold air, can be very well used for other refrigeration purposes.
[*]The system can save up to $3000 / kW of power capacity which is substantial.
[*]The system is eco-friendly and involves no emission of harmful gases.
[*]The system is portable and less complicated as compared to other storage systems such as pumped water plants and SMES.

However, there are a few challenges in the system. First and foremost is to maintain a continuous low temperature of  -190 (degree Celsius) which is quite difficult and costly. The second challenge is making these systems economically feasible keeping in the mind the cost of refrigeration.  The company claims to achieve 70% efficiency with some improvisation is systems. The company is already checking the feasibility of the system in a prototype plant in Scotland and aims to start two 8 (MW) and 10 (MW) storage plants by the end of year 2014.

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