I ran across this on another list. I won't mention the list name as it does
tend to be somewhat "fanatical" and could be described as less than
reliable. Anyway, I did some research online and this is an authentic
alternative energy resource that is in use, and they are about to build
another plant about an hour north of me.
Compressed Air Energy Storage A Viable Alternative
The idea of storing energy by compressing air in underground mines may sound
like science fiction, but it's already being done in Alabama and within a
few years residents in Ohio will have their own compressed air plant.
"The world's first compressed air energy storage plant was in Germany," says
Lee Davis, plant manager for the Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) Power
Plant in McIntosh, Alabama. "The Alabama CAES plant was the first in the
United States when it opened in 1991."
The Alabama Electric Cooperative CAES plant works like this: On nights and
weekends, air is pumped underground and compressed, using low-cost
electricity, at pressures up to 1,078 pounds per square inch. (Average air
pressure at sea level is 14.7 pounds per square inch.)
During the day, at peak times, air is released and heated using a small
amount of natural gas. The heated air flows through a turbine generator to
produce electricity.
In conventional gas-turbine power generation, the air that drives the
turbine is compressed and heated using natural gas. On the other hand, CAES
technology needs less gas to produce power during periods of peak demand
because it uses air that has already been compressed and stored underground.
With the success of the Alabama plant, developers began to look for other
suitable locations. "We looked at several other states before we decided on
an abandoned limestone mine in Ohio, but soon we hope to explore some of the
other promising CAES sites around the country and begin constructing," says
Michael McGill, Vice President of business development at Norton Energy
Storage.
"The proposed plant in Norton, OH, about 35 miles south of Cleveland, will
be the world's largest CAES plant," he says. "At peak operation, the plant
will store enough electricity to provide 675,000 homes with electricity for
just over two days."
While the idea of compressed air energy storage has been in existence for
the last decade, it is only now gaining popularity and support as
researchers look for energy alternatives.
"I think that it is important for all states to look at their alternative
energy generation resources and ways of storing energy," says John Turner, a
researcher at National Renewable Energy Laboratory. "Compressed air energy
storage is definitely one."
[Contact: Lee Davis, John Turner, Emilie Lorditch]
http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2001/norton.htm
http://www.you.com.au/news/530.htm
