The capital compressed air energy storage power plant is in operation

What is a compressed air energy storage project?

A compressed air energy storage (CAES) project in Hubei, China, has come online, with 300MW/1,500MWh of capacity. The 5-hour duration project, called Hubei Yingchang, was built in two years with a total investment of CNY1.95 billion (US$270 million) and uses abandoned salt mines in the Yingcheng area of Hubei, China’s sixth-most populous province.

What is advanced compressed air energy storage (a-CAES)?

The Hydrostor facilities were said to use an updated version of the CAES technology called Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) that incorporates components from existing energy systems to produce an advanced, emissions-free storage system.

What is a 300 MW energy storage plant?

The $207.8 million energy storage power station has a capacity of 300 MW/1,800 MWh and uses an underground salt cave. Chinese developer ZCGN has completed the construction of a 300 MW compressed air energy storage (CAES) facility in Feicheng, China's Shandong province. The company said the storage plant is the world's largest CAES system to date.

How efficient is China's new compressed air plant?

According to China Energy Storage Alliance, the new plant can store and release up to 400 MWh, at a system design efficiency of 70.4%. That's huge; current compressed air systems are only around 40-52% efficient, and even the two larger Hydrostor CAES plants scheduled to open in California in 2026 are only reported to be around 60% efficient.

Is China planning to use compressed air for energy storage?

But according to Asia Times, China is planning to lean heavily on compressed air energy storage (CAES) as well, to handle nearly a quarter of all the country's energy storage by 2030.

Is the Academy's 'advanced' CAES plant a green energy storage solution?

By designating it as "advanced," the Academy is distinguishing it from the McIntosh Plant that's been online since 1991 in Alabama – a 110-MW CAES facility that burns its stored air with natural gas to recover energy, and is thus not a green energy storage solution.