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ENERGY STORAGE

A porous medium for all seasons

Nature Energy volume 4, pages 97–98 (2019)Cite this article

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The answer to seasonal energy storage and security to support highly renewable power systems could lie deep under the seabed, where compressed air energy storage offers a route to long-term storage at large scales. Now, research models the potential for this in porous rock and finds a large capacity in saline aquifers offshore in the UK.

Writing in Nature Energy, Julien Mouli-Castillo and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Strathclyde4 suggest that offshore porous rock formations or saline aquifers already assessed for their potential to store carbon dioxide in the United Kingdom could be examined in the context of PM-CAES. The researchers present a PM-CAES system defined by three simple predictive-model components: a geological model to examine the pressures within the PM-CAES cycle; an analytical well model to examine pressure changes from the surface to the subsurface; and a surface numerical plant model to understand power consumption, production and process efficiency. The modelling work identifies geological characteristics, such as a minimum store thickness and maximum depth of the store, that are essential for the long-term production of energy for up to 61 days without borehole stability or pressure build-up issues. The research team then screened a reference database (www.co2stored.co.uk) for potential storage locations with favourable geological characteristics suitable for PM-CAES. Using the storage sites from the screening, a Monte Carlo approach was then used to calculate their energy capacity.

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Fig. 1: The PM-CAES process offshore.

References

  1. Lott, M. C. & Kim, S.-I. Technology Roadmap: Energy Storage (International Energy Agency, 2014); https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/TechnologyRoadmapEnergystorage.pdf

  2. GridWatchUK (GridWatchUK, accessed 13 December 2018); http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/index.php

  3. Succar, S. & Williams, R. Compressed Air Energy Storage: Theory, Resources, and Applications for Wind Power (Princeton Environmental Institute, 2008); https://acee.princeton.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SuccarWilliams_PEI_CAES_2008April8.pdf

  4. Mouli-Castillo, J. et al. Nat. Energy https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-018-0311-0 (2019).

  5. Evans, D. et al. Initial studies to derive estimates of potential UK salt cavern volumes and exergy storage (CAES). Energy Superstore http://energysuperstore.org/esrn/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/UKES2016_David-Evans-Initial-Studies-to-Derive-Estimates-of-Potential-UK-Salt-Cavern-Volumes-and-Exergy-Storage.pdf (2016).

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  1. British Geological Survey, Nottingham, UK

    Michelle Bentham

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  1. Michelle Bentham
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Correspondence to Michelle Bentham.

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Bentham, M. A porous medium for all seasons. Nat Energy 4, 97–98 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-019-0331-4

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