GE, Europe’s major utility RWE, the German National Aerospace Institute, and other partners today announced the start of a development program called “ADELE,” which has the potential to revolutionize the way energy can be efficiently stored on a large scale. In the simplest of terms, the idea is to store inexpensive power generated during off-peak periods in the form of compressed air — as if in a giant battery — and then deliver this power at a later time during peak demand. “It’s very exciting news,” says Matthias Finkenrath, a research engineer working on the project with GE Global Research in Germany. “GE today took an important step in bringing the future of large scale energy storage closer.” The animation below explains how the complex system would work, which involves compressing air into underground caverns — likely in regions with geological salt structures, such as those currently used for natural gas storage — and then extracting it later to drive turbines to generate electricity.
With the use of renewable energy sources such as wind power on a sharp rise, there’s a growing need for solutions that ensure a non-stop, continuous electricity supply to consumers and businesses when the wind isn’t blowing, or the need at a particular hour is low. Unlike other compressed air concepts, this one stores and then uses the immense amount of heat that’s generated during the air compression process to later help produce the electricity. With temperatures soaring to over 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit in the process, a key challenge for the GE team will be to develop compressor technologies that can withstand the high demands.
Dr. Jurgen Grossman, CEO of RWE, explains the importance of the project in the clip above.
ADELE gets its name from the German acronym for “adiabatic compressed air energy storage” — which is the technical name for the system.
GE Global Research Europe in Munich will be responsible for the overall system optimization and will be working jointly with GE Oil & Gas in the development of the advanced compressor and turbine — which are critical elements of the concept.
The three-year project is a direct follow-up activity of a successful feasibility study between GE and RWE in 2008 and 2009.
* Read today’s announcement
* Read Matthias Finkenrath’s blog post about ADELE
* Learn more about the concept on the GE Global Research blog
* Read more Global Research stories on GE Reports
* Read more Oil & Gas stories on GE Reports
* Read “New York powers up with new GE battery plant” on GE Reports