Re: Iowa to Combine Wind Energy with Compressed Air Storage



Pluto wrote:

The proposed project, known as the Iowa Stored Energy Park (IESP), will use
low-cost, off-peak electricity -- and wind energy that is not being sold on the grid at
that time -- to store air in an underground geologic structure of porous rock located
3,000 feet underground, beneath layers of impermeable cap rock. The air will be injected
under pressure, pushing back water stored in the rock.

The rock will hold air much like a sponge holds water. Then, as demand for electricity
rises, the stored air will be released, heated, and used to drive generators -- in turn
producing electricity for residents in Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Although CAES has been in use for over 20 years -- and similar methods are used to store
natural gas underground in numerous parts of the world -- currently cavern air storage
is only used in two other locations.

The first CAES plant, a 290 MW facility, was started up in Huntorf, Germany in 1978, and
a 110 MW plant commenced operation in McIntosh, Alabama in 1991. Several underground
rock structures in Iowa were investigated, and within the past six weeks, studies
confirmed that a site in Dallas Center, Iowa, has the adequate size, depth, and cap rock
structure - all necessary geologic features - to allow development of the project to
proceed. The cost of the storage infrastructure, generating facility, and associated
components is estimated at $200,000-225,000. This does not include any wind facilities,
said Holst.

$200,000 ? That's either a joke or a misprint !

Graham


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