Solar Energy Storage
SolAgra® has done a study on Ryer Island looking into crating a Solar Power Plant with an energy storage capacity of 320 MW on site, using compressed air energy storage.
The depleted natural gas wells on the site of the Ryer Island Solar Power Plant provide the perfect opportunity to use Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES), an efficient and cost effective energy storage technology. For more on CAES, see the Dresser-Rand website or the or the Hydrostor website. “CAES, A proven technology, ready to use now, for economical storage of massive amounts of renewable power.” – Scientific American |
Energy Storage at the SolAgra® Ryer Island Solar Power Plant
A energy storage facility on Ryer Island could store a minimum of 160 MW, but could store as much as 320 MW on site, thus contributing to the balancing of surges and needs of the grid. On site storage gives us the flexibility to store any power that is generated that is not needed at the moment of generation. Unlike all other intermittent power producers (conventional wind and PV solar projects), that must "use it ... or lose it", our plant will have the ability to convert generated power that is not needed on the grid at that moment into stored energy that can retrieved later when the energy is needed. This storage ability extends to other nearby renewable energy projects like the wind farms in the Montezuma Hills, which generate more energy at night when its windier but when less energy is needed. |