Offshore wind giant Ørsted turns to liquid air energy storage

Danish offshore wind energy giant Ørsted is planning to test the value of co-locating offshore wind farms with long-term liquid air energy storage systems.

Ørsted and British long-duration energy storage company Highview Power say integrating the two technologies may help to deliver a stronger investment case for future offshore wind projects, reducing curtailment, increasing productivity, and help to provide a more flexible and resilient grid.

Highview Power says its technology is able to store energy for longer with greater efficiency, and can deliver efficient storage capabilities from 4-hours to multi-day duration.

The technology uses electricity to cool air until it liquefies. The air is then further compressed and stored in a so-called “cryogenic energy storage” tank at  -196°C.

To discharge, the liquid air is exposed to ambient air or with waste heat from an industrial process, wherein it becomes pressurised gas that operates a turbine to generate electricity.

“Our storage and stability technology, combined with Ørsted’s wind technology, will play a critical role in creating a more sustainable and self-sufficient energy system for the UK,” said Richard Butland, CEO of Highview Power.

“By unleashing the full potential of renewable energy and enabling it to be stored and used on-demand, this collaboration will help to accelerate the UK’s journey towards energy independence and net-zero emissions.”

Highview is already preparing to deploy its technology at a number of locations, including a 50MW/300MWh project near Manchester in England.

Smaller demonstration pilots have been installed and tested at the University of Birmingham and at the Pilsworth Landfill facility in Greater Manchester. A second commercial project will be built in Yorkshire, a 200MW/2.5GWh facility which will be the first of 18 sites for wider UK deployment.

According to Ørsted, the lack of enough renewable energy storage during peak conditions during the recently concluded Northern Winter meant that the UK was unable to store as much as 1.35TWh of wind energy – at a time when UK had to spend £60 billion on gas power.

“We believe that energy storage will play a pivotal role in a world that runs entirely on green energy,” said Duncan Clark, managing director of offshore and country chair UK & Ireland for Ørsted.

“Our collaboration with Highview Power is an important step in creating effective energy storage solutions that unlock greater value from next generation wind farms and support the evolution of our power grid.