UK energy storage player Highview Power has won a Regen Green Energy Award for its liquid air energy storage (LAES) pilot plant, beating a record number of entries for the award.
Highview Power president and chief executive Javier Cavada said: “We are thrilled to have won a Regen Green Energy Award and would like to offer our congratulations to our fellow finalists and thanks to the judges that selected us for this honour.
The 5MW/15MWh Pilsworth LAES plant, near Manchester, is built on a site operated by waste management company Viridor.
LAES technology makes use of a freely available resource – air – which is stored as a liquid and then converted back to a gas in a process that involves a 700-fold expansion in volume and produces zero emissions.
The expansion releases stored energy, which drives a turbine to generate electricity. In addition to providing energy storage, the LAES plant converts waste heat to power using heat from the on-site landfill gas engines.
Cavada said: “It is now time for liquid air energy storage and we are ready to increase the momentum towards a world that is 100 percent powered by clean energy. Our Viridor Pilsworth project is proving how effective LAES systems can be at balancing the grid and providing revenue streams for utilities, particularly when integrated with renewables.”
Regen, a not-for-profit centre of energy expertise, set up the Green Energy Awards to celebrate businesses, public sector organisations, community groups, and individuals from across the UK leading the transition to a more decentralised, decarbonised, and democratic energy system.
“We received a record number of entries across all categories and the awards evening was a celebration of the exciting projects and great companies, communities, and individuals driving the smart and sustainable energy revolution across the UK. Congratulations to all of the winners,” said Regen chief executive Merlin Hyman.
Navigant Research sees the growing need for long duration energy storage, which it defines as four hours and longer. Navigant Research senior research analyst Alex Eller said: “Long duration energy storage is expected to be increasingly necessary for an electricity system to transition from a primary reliance on conventional fossil fuel generation to a grid dominated by variable renewable generation such as solar and wind.
According to Eller many forms of energy storage will be required to meet the needs of a renewable energy-based grid.
“Technologies such as Highview Power’s liquid air energy storage can play an important role in this transition by providing large-scale and long duration storage that can be tailored to meet the needs of utilities and grid operators,” Eller said.
LAES plants can be located at the point of demand. The plant comprises mostly steel which has a lifespan of between 30 to 40 years. At the end of life, an LAES plant can be decommissioned and the steel recycled.