Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this Nation, and it can also be the standard around which we rally. On the battlefield of energy we can win for our Nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny.
~ President Jimmy Carter
CAES System - Harnessing Wind to create a better tomorrow!
A Renewable Alternative
Among different renewable sources of power, wind energy enjoys a superior advantage of being simple, inexpensive, readily available and most importantly, does not require sunlight. A significant amount of wind energy can be harvested even during the times when the energy demand is at its minimum. The surplus energy, unfortunately, cannot be stored by conventional means. It is important to find alternative energy storage concepts to harvest surplus wind energy.
CAES Solution
One of these alternative energy storage concepts, the compresses air energy storage (CAES) system is attracting much attention in technology and energy communities. Compressing air to a higher pressure is one of the least efficient processes in engineering. However, the applications of compressed air are far from limited. They include chemical plants, electronics, workshops, paper mills, pharmaceuticals, textiles, painting, demolition, drilling, construction and most significantly in producing electric power by running air and gas turbines. It is very important to find alternative means of compressing air instead of using the energy from fossil fuels.
Innovation
The CAES systems combined with wind turbines is a very innovative notion that couples the high energy demand concept to a surplus energy concept. In this design, wind farms connected to external power grids will supply power when the energy demand is normal or high. In low energy demand conditions, the wind energy is used to compress air and store them in pressure vessels. The compressed air in turn is used in air turbines to produce electricity when the demand is at peak. The primary challenge in this project is to identify the capacity of different systems and overall system integration to achieve maximum efficiency.
