Leaper Qube - Compressed Air Energy Storage

What is Power Storage?

A method by which Electrical Energy is kept for future use

Why do we need it?
To balance demand and/or supply backup power

The Solution!

LiGE Air battery was created to address the following concerns: -

Renewable Energy Integration: Energy storage plays a crucial role in integrating renewable energy sources such as solar and wind into the grid. These sources are intermittent, and energy storage helps to store excess energy when production is high and release it when production is low, thus ensuring a more stable and reliable energy supply

Grid Stability and Resilience: Energy storage systems contribute to grid stability and resilience by providing backup power during outages and balancing supply and demand fluctuations. This helps prevent blackouts and brownouts, especially during peak demand periods.

Peak Shaving: Energy storage helps to reduce strain on the grid during peak demand hours by storing excess energy during off-peak times and releasing it during high-demand periods, thus reducing the need for additional power plants.

Electrification of Transportation: As the world moves towards electrification of transportation, energy storage becomes vital for storing and managing the large amounts of energy required for electric vehicles. Battery storage systems enable efficient charging and discharging of electric vehicle batteries.

Energy Cost Savings: By storing energy during off-peak times when electricity prices are lower and using it during peak times when prices are higher, energy storage can help consumers save on their energy costs.

Reduction of Carbon Emissions: Energy storage can facilitate the increased use of renewable energy, which in turn helps reduce reliance on fossil fuels and lowers overall carbon emissions, contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.

Microgrid and Remote Area Power: In areas with unreliable or no access to the main grid, energy storage allows for the creation of microgrids and provides a reliable power supply for remote communities, improving energy access and reliability.

In summary, energy storage is crucial for enabling the transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy system, integrating renewable energy, enhancing grid stability, and supporting the electrification of various sectors, all of which are essential in addressing current and future energy challenges.

50Kwh Air Battery System: -

Designed for the micro grid application for both solar and grid linked or islanding applications, 15Kwp 380V single or three phase. Can be parcelled with other units to create a larger modular system.

150Kwh  Air Battery System: -

Designed for the micro grid application for both solar and grid linked or islanding applications 35Kwp 380V single or three phase.  Can be parcelled with other units to create a larger modular system.

500Kwh Air Battery System: -

Designed for the mini and micro grid application for both solar and grid linked or islanding applications 125Kwp 380V three phase.  Can be parcelled with other units to create a larger modular system.

1Mwh Air Battery System: -

Designed for the grid storage, grid stabilisation, mini grid application for both solar and grid linked or islanding applications 250Kwp 380V three phase.  Can be parcelled with other units to create a larger modular system.

Risk Analysis

Swot Analyses:  ICAES LiGE Air Battery

Strengths:

Environmentally friendly  - LiGE Air Battery is a clean energy storage technology that helps reduce carbon emissions.

Scalability - LiGE Air Battery systems can be scaled up or down to meet the energy storage needs of different applications.

Long lifespan - LiGE Air Battery Systems have along operational life, providing a reliability energy storage solution.

Grid stability - LiGE Air Battery can help stabilize the electrical grid by balancing supply and demand fluctuations.

Weaknesses:

High upfront costs - The initial investment required to build a LiGE Air Battery Storage system can be significant.

Energy efficiency - The LiGE Air Battery Systems have lower round-trip efficiency compared to some other energy storage technologies.   However, the LiGE Air Battery system has a 75% round trip efficiency.

Opportunities:

Renewable energy integration – LiGE Air Battery can be used to store excess energy generated from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, for later use.

Grid support services – LiGE Air Battery can provide grid support services, such a frequency regulation and peak shaving, which are increasingly valuable in the evolving energy landscape.

Energy market participation:  LiGE Air Battery business can participate in energy markets by providing energy storage services and earning revenue.

Threats:

Competition - LiGE Air Battery faces competition from other energy storage technologies, such a lithium-ion batteries, Flow batteries, Gravity fed generators, Flywheel storage and pumped hydro storage.   Hydrogen storage has taken centre stage in the storage field with many new projects and funding emerging, however, the difficulty and danger of explosion is still a very real threat for this market.   The cost, however, is many times that of The LiGE Air Battery and requires input costs to operate and that at large scale, small storage systems do not use onsite generation.

Policy and Regulatory Changes – changes in government policies and regulations can impact the incentives and market conditions for LiGE Air Battery businesses.

Technological advancements – Advancements in energy storage technologies may pose a threat to the competitiveness of LiGE Air Battery in the future.

Technology

Introduction

The innovation project, LiGE, is an innovative electrical peak load management solution that has a promising value proposition to commercial and industrial energy users. The solution uses compressed air energy storage (AI-CAES) to store power from Solar PV for release during peak times via a hybrid system generator. This is a robust solution that has several economic advantages over traditional deep cycle batteries as a storage medium.

Novelty

Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is of course an ancient concept. However, the main novelty is in the configuration of the electro-mechanical system to create a very robust method of compressing air.

The use of air storage as a medium for renewable energy makes a more mature case now that intrinsically safe high-pressure, high-volume storage is now available. The solution uses German sourced carbon fiber/fiberglass composite 350L, 250bar pressure vessels that are TUV, CE, TEPD and ISO11120 certified.

The main novelty of the system is the benefits of an electro driven pneumatic storage system over deep cycle batteries. In summary, the main benefits are twofold.  Firstly, the system’s efficiency does not suffer from a reduction in performance over time as a battery does and secondly the system has a much longer usable lifespan (30 000 vs 3000 charge/discharge cycles). These two benefits are especially pertinent in a peak load management system where there are two charge/discharge cycles every day.

Technical Appraisal and Challenges

In brief, the containerized system will be located at a client’s site where it will be integrated with the client’s electrical distribution and installed in conjunction with solar PV cells. It will monitor the sites, energy load profile and manage the store of Solar PV to compressed air storage. During peak demand charge times, the system will convert the compressed air storage back into electrical energy via the alternator/inverter thus reducing the client’s peak energy usage. This can result in significant savings to the end-user as municipalities migrate to time-of-use billing.

Power input phase drives the linear motor and the compressor. The heat and the water are removed, and the compressed air is stored in the tanks, the heat in heat-storage and the water is available for use. 

The power derived from: -

Solar P.V. as a dc input

Three phase AC

Other.

Charging Sequence

Compressed air passes through the heat exchanger the heat is removed and stored.

The water is removed and stored.

Compressed air is stored in specialised tanks for use as the driving force in the generation mode.

The system remains Isothermal at 25°C to 40°C.

Storage of the compressed air is 250Bar.

The average storage capacity in Kwh at 350L water volume is 9.5Kwh at 25°C

Compressor ratio 6:1, 20:1, 50:1 (may vary due to ideal point calculation)

Energy of the Version 5.2 unit at 750 rpm 250Kwh

Round trip efficiencies 72 to 75%

The entire system is controlled via Valves and automation controller.

In terms of system design, the system is very cleverly designed.  Compressing air through a reciprocating double acting cylinder is an efficient and robust method with long life, and low wear components.  The heat generated from the compression phase is removed and stored separately into long term heat storage.   This significantly aids in the efficiency performance.

Required outputs from the system: -

• Heat to storage (for use during power generation and cooling)
• Water extraction (and provision to utilize as a water generator)
• Power storage (into compressed air tanks above ground)
• Air cleaning (as a by-product of the air utilisation of atmospheric air)

Application of: -

• Reciprocating piston compressor three stage.
• Electric permanent magnet linear motor with variable frequency drive.
• Direct contact heat exchanger / compressor body / compress air system.
• Water removal at the first and second compressor.
• Heat reintroduction at expander.
• Maintenance of isothermal in the range 25 to 40deg C.
• Stainless steel compressor cylinders.
• Autonomous system operation.

 CONTACT US:

+27 (0)116646471

info@lige.co.za

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