Liquefied Air Could Power Cars and Store Energy from Sun and Wind [View all]

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http://www.technologyreview.com/news/514936/liquefied-air-could-power-cars-and-store-energy-from-sun-and-wind/

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Liquefied Air Could Power Cars and Store Energy from Sun and Wind[/font]

[font size=4]A 19th-century idea might lead to cleaner cars, larger-scale renewable energy.[/font]

By Kevin Bullis on May 20, 2013

[font size=3]Some engineers are dusting off an old idea for storing energy—using electricity to liquefy air by cooling it down to nearly 200 °C below zero. When power is needed, the liquefied air is allowed to warm up and expand to drive a steam turbine and generator.

The concept is being evaluated by a handful of companies that produce liquefied nitrogen as a way to store energy from intermittent renewable energy sources. Liquefied air might also be used to drive pistons in the engines of low-emission vehicles.

One company, Highview Power Storage of London, has raised $18 million and built a pilot plant that will use liquid air to store power from the grid. Highview has teamed up with Messer, the large industrial gas company, to help develop the technology. If all goes well, the U.K. government may fund the development of a larger plant that could establish its commercial viability. Meanwhile, the engineering consultancy Ricardo is developing two types of engines that could use liquid nitrogen, based on technology from a Highview Power spinoff called Dearman Engine.

Storage for the power grid is becoming more important as use of renewable energy increases. In the near term, natural-gas power plants and fast-responding storage technologies such as batteries can keep the grid stable (see “Wind Turbines, Battery Included, Can Keep Power Supplies Stable”). But if renewables are to reach a very large scale, or if we want to reduce the use of fossil-fuel backup power plants, technologies that can store hours’ or days’ worth of power will be needed.

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