Submerged Air Tanks to Store Energy

[concept_fusion]

Originally Posted by DCforever

Too much loss.

I'm no physicist but believe it may be cheaper (and less expensive) to pump water uphill to harness that potential energy for hydroelectric power.

[GregW]

There is a method (name currently escapes my memory) that uses low head hydro power, as low as fifteen feet, to compress air to moderately high pressure. The compressed air has been used on old hard rock mining districts to feed a compressed air utility to powwer the drills, hoists and similar equipment. It could now bwe used to replace most of a Gas turbine engine's compressor section which would allow the engine to produce more usable power for the same amount of fuel.

[SETI_listener]

Thermodynamics states a volume of gas maintains all its heat when compressed. Example: a room full of 75F air compressed into a mason jar gets pretty toasty. A common exercise in thermo coursework disregards the temperature change in gas in compression using volumes large enough the temperature change is negligible. As mentioned above, this is the basis low pressure storage in large caverns. Forget air powered cars. Too much heat loss.

[my54ford]

Originally Posted by concept_fusion

I'm no physicist but believe it may be cheaper (and less expensive) to pump water uphill to harness that potential energy for hydroelectric power.

It's called Pump Storage and is a relativly old technology. While I agree that it is one of the best means to store power some people don't like it...We actually spent a couple million on PS project development but thwarted by Minnesota law......


Pumped-storage hydroelectricity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia