Liquid air energy storage

The growth core "Offshore Wind Solution" (OWS) is one of the largest since the beginning of this funding program. The growth core is generally engaged with the broadening as well as the increase of technical and economic efficiency of offshore wind energy as a key part of the exit from nuclear and fossil-fuel energy in Germany and Europe. Within the project an energy storage system adapted to the requirements of offshore wind farms has to be developed. This energy storage is based on the principle of liquefied air, in which the existing processes for the liquefaction and regasification have to be adapted to the requirements of the electricity storage to achieve significant efficiency gains and to utilize synergies in the process chain. Within the project, the partial processes are transformed in such a way that the energy losses of the process chain are as low as possible. This also means that all processes must be adapted and optimized to the available cooling and heat flows, with regard to their energy requirements and thermal benefit. The major components within this procedure are different accumulators for cold, heat and pressure and a flexible electrical energy storage. Currently, the identified and evaluated subcomponents are coordinated with respect to their performance and size and the regulatory process chain is matched, whereby the dynamic control processes require the biggest part of project work. Subsequently, the details of the most important subcomponents are designed and developed or enhanced for increasing efficiency.