Highview Power and Carlton Power have broken ground on a 50MW energy storage facility near Manchester in England.
The CryoBattery is scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2023.
It will use existing substation and transmission infrastructure, with its income derived from several markets, including arbitrage – buying electricity when prices are low and selling it when prices are high – grid balancing, the capacity market, and ancillary services such as frequency response and voltage support.
Highview Power’s proprietary cryogenic energy storage technology utilises air liquefaction, in which ambient air is cooled and turned to liquid at -196 degrees Celsius.
The liquid air is stored at low pressure and later heated and expanded to drive a turbine and generate power.
Highview Power chief executive Javier Cavada said: “Our facility will deliver much needed clean, reliable and cost-efficient long duration energy storage to the National Grid.
“The CryoBattery will help the UK to integrate renewable energy and stabilize the regional electrical grid to ensure future energy security during blackouts and other disruptions.”
In June, Highview Power was awarded a £10m grant from the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to build the facility at Trafford Energy Park.
A visitor center will be located adjacent to the plant and will be open in the first quarter of 2021.