China has connected its first 100 MW compressed carbon dioxide energy storage facility to the grid in Mori Kazakh Autonomous County, Xinjiang. The plant stores excess power during off-peak hours and releases it during peak demand. It uses a closed loop system that compresses CO2 into liquid and expands it to drive turbines, without needing mountains or underground caverns like pumped hydro or compressed air storage. The project is designed to store 290 million kWh and discharge 180 million kWh per year. Developers say it can save 50,000 tons of standard coal and avoid about 170,000 tons of CO2 annually. The technology could make long-duration storage easier to site close to renewable generation, though round trip efficiency and cost details will determine how far it scales.
