Underwater gravity energy storage has been proposed as an ideal solution for weekly energy storage, by an international group of scientists. The novel technology is considered an alternative to pumped-hydro storage for coasts and islands without mountains that are located close to deep waters, and m Contact online >>
Underwater gravity energy storage has been proposed as an ideal solution for weekly energy storage, by an international group of scientists. The novel technology is considered an alternative to pumped-hydro storage for coasts and islands without mountains that are located close to deep waters, and may also be interesting for PV if used to store green hydrogen.
An international research team has developed a novel concept of gravitational energy storage based on buoyancy, that can be used in locations with deep sea floors and applied to both the storage of offshore wind power and compressed hydrogen.
Called Buoyancy Energy Storage Technology (BEST), the proposed technology is defined as an alternative to pumped-hydro storage for coasts and islands without mountains that are close to deep waters. It consists of using stored renewable electricity to power a motor that lowers a compressed gas recipient and then generating electricity by releasing the compressed gas recipient to rise back to the surface through the water.
"The system is a low-cost, long-term solution for storing compressed green hydrogen produced with solar power or renewable electricity generated by large scale offshore wind facilities," research co-author, Julian David Hunt, told pv magazine, noting that the use of BEST is interesting for offshore wind power plants, as these should operate in weekly energy circles and be able to store energy for four days and then generate electricity for another four days.
"Regarding the use of buoyancy energy storage for floating solar panels, even though there might be potential for this technology, as it is located close to the deep sea, it would be cheaper to store energy with batteries, as it only requires daily energy storage," he further explained. "In other words, BEST systems are expensive for storing energy for 12 hours but are cheap to store energy for four days."
The cost of the cable is pointed out as a possible limiting factor for the technology at this, initial stage, due to its long length and the robustness it has to show. The anchor, on the other hand, must also be built with extreme robustness, as it must sustain the high buoyancy forces created by the gas recipient. "The anchor would be made of steel and screwed to the bottom of the ocean with a system similar to an oil rig," the group explained. "The weight of the ground where the forces are applied should be larger than the buoyancy force of the recipient."
The system can operate at a maximum depth of around 10,000m and pressure of 1,000 bars and a minimum depth of around 3,000m and pressure of 300 bars. "If the designed minimum pressure of the system is smaller, the volume of the gas will reduce substantially, reducing the energy storage potential of the system," the academics emphasized. "If the designed minimum pressure increases, the altitude variation in which the system can operate reduces, reducing the energy storage potential."
The scientists recognized that this kind of storage has so far been studied on a theoretical level and that only small, lab-scale experiments were conducted. Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, the USA, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, Brazil, Portugal, Oman, South Africa, Madagascar and Somalia, Ivory Coast and Ghana were pointed out as the most suitable locations for this storage technology.
It was presented in the paper Buoyancy Energy Storage Technology: An energy storage solution for islands, coastal regions, offshore wind power and hydrogen compression, published in the Journal of Energy Storage. The research team included scientists from Brazil''s Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), in Austria; and the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, in Germany.
Very clever idea to use deep water as infrastructure to store energy. I can think of mechanically simpler ways to do it. There is a company working on storing compressed air in caverns, under a column of water. Thermodynamically very similar. Using the ocean, you avoid having to drill 1000 feet into the ground and dig out caverns. All you need is a bladder anchored to the bottom.
A similar option that could be applied is to fill up similar pipes with H2 in the bottom of the of the ocean at 600 bar for seasonal H2 storage. Alternatively, these light and cheap HDPE pipes can be transported to other continents attaching a submarine like structure to the pipes. Note that some material, like sand should be added to the submarine to reduce the buoyancy of the pipe-submarines. These pipe-submarines can be an alternative for a global network for transporting H2.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
About Underwater energy storage
As the photovoltaic (PV) industry continues to evolve, advancements in Underwater energy storage have become critical to optimizing the utilization of renewable energy sources. From innovative battery technologies to intelligent energy management systems, these solutions are transforming the way we store and distribute solar-generated electricity.
When you're looking for the latest and most efficient Underwater energy storage for your PV project, our website offers a comprehensive selection of cutting-edge products designed to meet your specific requirements. Whether you're a renewable energy developer, utility company, or commercial enterprise looking to reduce your carbon footprint, we have the solutions to help you harness the full potential of solar energy.
By interacting with our online customer service, you'll gain a deep understanding of the various Underwater energy storage featured in our extensive catalog, such as high-efficiency storage batteries and intelligent energy management systems, and how they work together to provide a stable and reliable power supply for your PV projects.
