Compressed energy storage in abandoned mines

Can abandoned mines be used for energy storage?

Closed mines can be used for the implementation of plants of energy generation with low environmental impact. This paper explores the use of abandoned mines for Underground Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage (UPHES), Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) plants and geothermal applications.

What are the patterns of energy storage in abandoned mines?

The patterns of energy storage in underground space of abandoned mines include mainly pumped hydro storage (PHS) and compressed air energy storage (CAES) [, , , ].

How can abandoned mine facilities be used to generate energy?

Finally, a CAES plant could be established, using the upper mine galleries for underground air storage; the fact that Lieres is a “dry mine” is ideal for this type of system. Thus, the abandoned mine facilities are efficiently used to generate both electrical and thermal renewable energy. Fig. 5.

Can abandoned coal mines be used as compressed air storage space?

Fan et al. proposed a hybrid wind energy-CAES system using roadways of abandoned coal mines as compressed air storage space, and conducted service potential analyses of roadway for various roadway depths and different permeability of concrete lining and surrounding rock .

Do abandoned oil/gas wells & coal mines provide adequate reservoir volume?

Thus, abandoned oil/gas wells and coal mines can provide ample reservoir volume and appropriate stability for compressed air energy. Regarding cost, the capital costs of compressed air energy storage are generally driven by the storage vessel itself.

Can ibcaes improve the performance of energy storage in abandoned mines?

To improve the performance of energy storage in underground space of abandoned mines, a novel scheme of isobaric compressed air energy storage (IBCAES) is proposed (as shown in Fig. 1) [, , , , ].