RWE Power And GE To Develop New Power Storage System
Fairfield, CT - RWE Power has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GE for the joint development and validation of a zero-emission storage technology (Advanced Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (AA-CAES) with higher efficiency than current available solutions. The memorandum is aimed at finding alternative paths for large-scale energy storage in an effort to better align distribution of supply and demand currently within the electricity market.
"The highly fluctuating power input is expected to increase in the future, if only because of the planned massive expansion of wind energy. Therefore it is important to address this challenge and develop concepts for efficient storage in due time," explains Dr. Johannes Lambertz, CEO of RWE Power AG, Fossil-Fired Power Plants portfolio. "Hence, RWE Power and GE will initially conduct a joint feasibility study to be completed by end of 2008. Based on the findings of this study, a first demonstration plant is scheduled for 2012."
AA-CAES is a zero-emission storage technology with higher efficiency with respect to current available energy storage solutions. A major challenge will be to develop a compressor technology that can withstand high temperatures during compression and ensure high availability of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) power plants. To prevent this heat from being lost, it is extracted from the compressed air before the latter is stored in a cavern, and directed to a separate thermal energy storage.
"We're excited about this project because we believe that thanks to GE's vast experience in compressor technology, we have the capability to study and propose unique solutions as an alternative to the current state of art," said Claudi Santiago, president and CEO of GE Oil & Gas, which will study the compressor technology required.
The most interesting sites for CAES power plants are regions where caverns of worked-out salt mines are present. "This is an important project for GE. We are pleased to be partnering once again with RWE Power, a long time collaborator of ours," said Ricardo Cordoba, president of GE Energy, Western Europe and Northern Africa.
SOURCE: RWE Power