longer.blue

“ China has switched on the world’s largest liquid-air energy storage plant, a promising new way to store renewable power. The system uses renewable electricity to cool air to about minus 310 degrees Fahrenheit until it turns into liquid. When power is needed, the liquid air is warmed, expands back into gas and spins a turbine that sends electricity back to the grid. The plant in Qinghai Province can store 600 megawatt-hours, enough to supply power for 10 hours when the sun and wind drop off, and it comes with its own 250-megawatt solar farm. It also captures excess heat and cold from the process and reuses them, cutting energy waste. A similar but smaller 400-megawatt-hour project has been planned in northern Vermont. Analysts say the technology could be cheaper than standard lithium-ion battery storage.” from Aaron Parnas newsletter