Project description
Searching for stable long-term energy storage solutions through CAES
With intermittent renewable energy production on the rise, the need for stable long-term energy storage solutions has become imperative. Current options, predominantly Pumped-Storage Hydroelectricity (PSH), fall short in stabilising fluctuating renewable energy outputs. Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) offers potential, but faces challenges including poor efficiency and reliance on fossil fuels. In this context, the EU-funded Air4NRG project aims to improve long-term energy storage. Specifically, it targets over 70 % round-trip efficiency, sustainability, and integration with the grid. Its innovative CAES prototype promises robustness and safety, while prioritising circular economy principles. The project aims for a plug-and-play solution, fitting into a standard container with over ten hours of storage duration, without rare materials.
Objective
Recognizing that current storage solutions are unable to stabilize enough the intermintent renewable energy production, new long term energy storage solutions are becoming mandatory.
Current long-term energy storage is mainly provided by Pumped-Storage Hydroelectricity (PSH). Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) has appeared for decades as a credible alternative but its poor energy efficiency, the need of fossil fuels and the use of existing underground cavities as storage reservoirs have limited its development. Variations to CAES have shown low efficiency, losing a big percentage of energy as heat and mechanical losses. Since the 2010s, there is a strong revival of scientific and industrial interest on CAES, led by China and the European Union (EU). For the EU, leading the new generation of high-efficient, low climate-impact and long-term energy storage research, is key to increase its energy independency.
In this context, the main objective of Air4NRG is the development of an innovative, efficient (over 70% RTE), long-term, and sustainable CAES prototype, which can enhance renewable energy availability and offers robustness and safety while increasing cost effectiveness and improving the environmental footprint. At the same time, it will promote innovation and competitiveness in the European energy storage industry, while prioritizing the principles of circular economy and environmental sustainability. Another key factor of the solution is the integrability to the electrical grid system and their intelligent EMS, which will be proven by the end of the project through end user integration activities (TRL5). The project will result in a plug and play prototype, fitting into a standard 40ft container with an over ten-hours storage duration. The developed system is a rare material-free solution with simple industrial infrastructure needs, allowing its full development within the EU, strengthening Europe’s position in the energy storage system sector.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpower engineeringelectric power distribution
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturesustainable agriculture
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energyhydroelectricity
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsenergy conversion
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
1040 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.