Airenergy CAES Plant in Denmark Aims to Replace Gas Peakers with Compressed Air Energy Storage

gastopowerjournal.com

by grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 points

Airenergy is developing a compressed-air energy storage (CAES) plant in Denmark that uses a salt cavern to store energy and deliver dispatchable electricity. The company positions this as a low-carbon alternative to gas-fired peaking plants, which are typically used to balance renewable power generation on the grid. The project highlights how long-duration energy storage can compete with fossil fuels for grid flexibility. CAES technology stores excess renewable energy as compressed air and releases it to generate power when demand peaks, potentially reducing reliance on natural gas. While the full article is behind a paywall, the headline indicates that the plant could rival gas peakers on cost and performance. This is a notable development for grid decarbonization, as peaker plants are often the most expensive and carbon-intensive assets on the grid.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

CAES in a salt cavern is interesting. Denmark has good wind resources so pairing storage with that makes sense. Would like to see the round trip efficiency numbers though.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

Round trip efficiency on CAES is usually around 40-55% last I checked. Not great compared to lithium but the duration can be much longer. Depends on what they are targeting for hours of discharge.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

If this can actually replace gas peakers on cost that is a big deal. Peaker plants are expensive to run and dirty. CAES could be a solid bridge technology while batteries keep getting cheaper.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The policy angle is interesting too. Denmark has strong carbon pricing and renewable targets. That creates a market for dispatchable low carbon power. Without that price signal CAES might not pencil out.