Isothermal Deep Ocean Compressed Air Energy Storage: An Affordable Solution for Seasonal Energy Storage
Julian David Hunt,
Behnam Zakeri,
Andreas Nascimento,
Diego Augusto de Jesus Pacheco,
Epari Ritesh Patro,
Bojan Đurin,
Márcio Giannini Pereira,
Walter Leal Filho,
Yoshihide Wada
Affiliations
Julian David Hunt
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Behnam Zakeri
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Andreas Nascimento
Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Itajuba (UNIFEI), Av. BPS n. 1303, Itajubá 37500-903, Brazil
Diego Augusto de Jesus Pacheco
Department of Business Development and Technology, Aarhus University, Birk Centerpark 15, 8001/1301, 7400 Herning, Denmark
Epari Ritesh Patro
Water, Energy, and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu, 90570 Oulu, Finland
Bojan Đurin
Department of Civil Engineering, University North, 48000 Koprivnica, Croatia
Márcio Giannini Pereira
Electrical Power Research Center, Eletrobras, Av. Horácio Macedo, 354, Rio de Janeiro 21941-911, Brazil
Walter Leal Filho
Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, 20999 Hamburg, Germany
Yoshihide Wada
Climate and Livability Initiative, Center for Desert Agriculture, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
There is a significant energy transition in progress globally. This is mainly driven by the insertion of variable sources of energy, such as wind and solar power. To guarantee that the supply of energy meets its demand, energy storage technologies will play an important role in integrating these intermittent energy sources. Daily energy storage can be provided by batteries. However, there is still no technology that can provide weekly, monthly and seasonal energy storage services where pumped hydro storage is not a viable solution. Herein, we introduce an innovative energy storage proposal based on isothermal air compression/decompression and storage of the compressed air in the deep sea. Isothermal deep ocean compressed air energy storage (IDO-CAES) is estimated to cost from 1500 to 3000 USD/kW for installed capacity and 1 to 10 USD/kWh for energy storage. IDO-CAES should complement batteries, providing weekly, monthly and seasonal energy storage cycles in future sustainable energy grids, particularly in coastal areas, islands and offshore and floating wind power plants, as well as deep-sea mining activities.
