China powers up world's largest liquid-air battery
What's the story
China has unveiled the world's largest liquid-air energy storage plant, also known as the Super Air Power Bank. Built by China Green Development Investment Group and developed with the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (TIPC-CAS), this innovative facility is located in the Gobi Desert outside Golmud city. The plant works by compressing and cooling air to -194°C before liquefying it. When released, this liquid expands over 750 times, driving turbines to generate electricity.
Capacity
Super Air Power Bank: A giant in energy storage
The Super Air Power Bank is a massive facility with the capacity to deliver up to 600,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per discharge cycle. It can run continuously for 10 hours, generating some 180 million kWh annually. This amount of energy is enough to power around 30,000 homes every year. The plant will be instrumental in balancing the fluctuations of renewable energy sources.