Bangui Compressed Air Energy Storage Project

What is a compressed air energy storage project?

A compressed air energy storage (CAES) project in Hubei, China, has come online, with 300MW/1,500MWh of capacity. The 5-hour duration project, called Hubei Yingchang, was built in two years with a total investment of CNY1.95 billion (US$270 million) and uses abandoned salt mines in the Yingcheng area of Hubei, China’s sixth-most populous province.

What is compressed air energy storage (CAES)?

1. Introduction Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) has emerged as one of the most promising large-scale energy storage technologies for balancing electricity supply and demand in modern power grids. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, despite their many benefits, are inherently intermittent.

What is a 300 MW energy storage plant?

The $207.8 million energy storage power station has a capacity of 300 MW/1,800 MWh and uses an underground salt cave. Chinese developer ZCGN has completed the construction of a 300 MW compressed air energy storage (CAES) facility in Feicheng, China's Shandong province. The company said the storage plant is the world's largest CAES system to date.

Is CAES a long-term energy storage solution?

By 2012, with the Gaines, Texas, project (500 MW capacity) and other pilot programs, the idea of CAES as a large-scale, long-duration energy storage solution gained traction.

Is large-scale storage a viable source of peak power and ancillary grid services?

Over the years, it has proven a stable source of peak power and ancillary grid services for the region. Completed in 2012, the Gaines CAES project in Texas (500 MW) further demonstrated the viability of large-scale storage in salt formations.

How much power does a new energy storage facility provide?

The $207.8 million facility boasts an energy storage capacity of 300 MW/1,800 MWh and occupies an area of approximately 100,000 m2. According to ZCGN, it is capable of providing uninterrupted power discharge for up to six hours, ensuring power supplies to between 200,000 and 300,000 local homes during peak consumption periods.