The world’s leading build-anywhere long-duration energy storage (LDES) company, Highview Power, has announced it is developing seven new liquid-air projects in Spain totalling 350MW/2.1GWh at a cost of about $1bn, taking its global project pipeline to more than 5GWh.
The 50MW/300MWh projects will “support the grid [in areas] where fossil-fuel power plants have been shut down”, namely in the provinces of Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla y Leon and the Canary Islands, the company said.
The announcement shows that Highview — the only build-anywhere LDES technology developer to have completed a commercial-scale project — is making rapid progress. Highview chief executive Javier Cavada had told Recharge in March that its global pipeline of “firm” projects added up to roughly 400MW/4GWh.
Its firm project pipeline — defined by Highview as facilities that will definitely be built — includes plants in the UK, US and Chile.
“Highview Power’s cryogenic energy storage technology is… the only long duration energy storage solution available today that is locatable and delivers multiple gigawatt-hours of storage. Grid operators are turning to long duration energy storage to help improve power generation economics, balance the grid, and increase reliability,” the company said.
Highview uses largely off-the-shelf equipment to freeze and therefore condense air. When this condensed ultra-cold liquid air — which can be stored for days or weeks at a time — is allowed to warm up, it rapidly expands to turn an electricity-generating turbine.
Cavada told Recharge in March that eight liquid-air projects will enter the execution phase in 2021 or 2022, in addition to the 50MW/250MWh project under construction in Manchester, England. Its first US facility will be a 50MW/400MWh plant in Vermont.
Highview completed its 5MW/15MWh commercial pilot plant near Manchester back in 2018.
