Wind Storage

[AP's sock puppet]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7814736&BRD=2041&PAG=461&dept_id=338006&rfi=6

Here's an odd energy plant proposal. Apparently they want to pump compressed air into the ground during periods of off-peak energy use, then use it to turn turbines during peak use hours. I would have to wonder about the efficiency of this.

There are several other odd features as well; they also want to pump natural gas into the aquifer, and they want to make & burn fuel from corn.

Just to round it off, they will be burning some natural gas, and put up some wind turbines.

 

[Andonyx]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7814736&BRD=2041&PAG=461&dept_id=338006&rfi=6

Here's an odd energy plant proposal. Apparently they want to pump compressed air into the ground during periods of off-peak energy use, then use it to turn turbines during peak use hours. I would have to wonder about the efficiency of this.

There are several other odd features as well; they also want to pump natural gas into the aquifer, and they want to make & burn fuel from corn.

Just to round it off, they will be burning some natural gas, and put up some wind turbines.

Hmm, in another article it said they will also be having convicts turn treadmills at the prison, but those convicts will be fed by the leftover corn that was not turned into gas.......

 

[hlehmann]

In California's Southern Sierra, water is pumped from Wishone Reservoir to the higher Courtright Reservoir during the night, to be released, through turbines, back into Wishone Reservoir during the day. Not very efficient, but it reduces peak demand on other power plants.

 

[Badger]

This just begs for a snide comment about harnessing the power of the windbags in government.

The energy business, now adays, is quite competitive, with many traditional petrochemical companies exploring alternative energy scenarios. They are "scrubbing" heat from exhaust stacks to run power generators, and looking to wind power.

The key to it all is what will make a buck. Air is free, and off peak power can be up to 1/1000 th the price of peak power, so maybe this makes economic sense in that particular area.

It may sound wierd, but if there's money to be made doing it, they'll do it.

 

[Dymanic]

I remember reading (but I don't remember where) that two things wind power is most efficient at are pumping water and compressing air.

 

[arcticpenguin]

I remember reading (but I don't remember where) that two things wind power is most efficient at are pumping water and compressing air.

Prsumably because these tasks do not have to be done on a strict timetable.

Still, when you compress air some of the energy goes into heating it up, and that heat would be lost to the ground. And how much air would be lost by pumping it down into the ground?

 

[arcticpenguin]

In California's Southern Sierra, water is pumped from Wishone Reservoir to the higher Courtright Reservoir during the night, to be released, through turbines, back into Wishone Reservoir during the day. Not very efficient, but it reduces peak demand on other power plants.

This sounds similar to Taum Sauk mountain, which used to be the highest mountain in Missouri (!!!). I think there are all sorts of leaks and efficiency is low, but who's gonna admit that blowing the top off your highest mountain was a mistake?

 

[Crossbow]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7814736&BRD=2041&PAG=461&dept_id=338006&rfi=6

Here's an odd energy plant proposal. Apparently they want to pump compressed air into the ground during periods of off-peak energy use, then use it to turn turbines during peak use hours. I would have to wonder about the efficiency of this.

...

Well, I suppose such a system could work, but I did a few rough calculations and I think that such a system will only add a few percent to the peak-energy production.

However, if the compressed air system was not terribly costly to install and to maintain, increasing the peak-production by a few percent may be enough to offset the costs. Indeed, I would expect that such a system could be implemented using existing technology with minimal enviromental impact and owing to the fact that many areas are allowed to charge more during peak demand periods, therefore the system may actually be practical.

In any case, this goes to show one of the real problems with the production of electrical energy, that is there is no way to store the energy produced.

 

[swellman]

This sounds similar to Taum Sauk mountain, which used to be the highest mountain in Missouri (!!!). I think there are all sorts of leaks and efficiency is low, but who's gonna admit that blowing the top off your highest mountain was a mistake?

AP, you had me scared on this. I've hiked Taum Sauk several times in the past when I was in the area, and to hear the news about them blowing the top off this statehighpoint saddened me.

Fortunately, Taum Sauk is unscathed. The Taum Sauk Pumped Storage Power Plant is located on nearby Proffit Mountain. So the Missouri highpoint is safe.

Of course, Proffit Mountain looks like hell.

There was a plan to build another reservoir on top of nearby Church Mountain, but it seems cooler heads prevailed and the proposal was withdrawn.

Overall, it seems a horribly inefficent energy storage technique.

 

[arcticpenguin]

AP, you had me scared on this. I've hiked Taum Sauk several times in the past when I was in the area, and to hear the news about them blowing the top off this statehighpoint saddened me.

Fortunately, Taum Sauk is unscathed. The Taum Sauk Pumped Storage Power Plant is located on nearby Proffit Mountain. So the Missouri highpoint is safe.

Sorry, guess I got some bad information. Someone took me to see the reservoir a couple decades ago.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

Re: Re: Wind Storage

Hmm, in another article it said they will also be having convicts turn treadmills at the prison, but those convicts will be fed by the leftover corn that was not turned into gas.......

Actually, I read that they'll be using the convicts to turn the corn into gas. Ok, maybe not corn, it was beans.