immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Wind

  • AirBattery and CAES as the key to the energy transition

    AirBattery and CAES as the key to the energy transition

    When wind and sun fail, reliable reserves are needed. Conventional battery systems reach their limits with large amounts of energy and long storage times. This is precisely where compressed air storage systems come in. They convert surplus energy into compressed air and store it in underground caverns for days, weeks or even months. When required, the air is expanded again and electricity is generated. The AirBattery and modernised CAES systems represent a turning point in storage technology.

    Innovative combination of compressed air and water
    The AirBattery uses salt caverns to store compressed air at up to 200 bar. The expansion of the air displaces water, which drives a turbine. A closed water circuit ensures high efficiency with low use of resources. Initial pilot projects show efficiencies of 47%, and the first industrial plant is due to be built in Germany in 2027/2028.

    CAESwith over 70% efficiency
    While older CAES systems were 40-55 %, new developments such as those at the North China Electric Power University show that thermal recovery and hybridisation can now achieve up to 70 %. This innovation makes CAES economically attractive for the first time, with electricity generation costs of between €55 and €120/MWh. At the same time, the consumption of raw materials is drastically reduced as no rare metals are required.

    The potential is huge
    In Europe alone, there are many suitable salt caverns with a storage potential of two thirds of annual electricity consumption. In Switzerland, granite formations, old fortresses and strategic cavities offer comparable opportunities. Utilising existing infrastructure makes CAES particularly sustainable and cost-efficient.

    Cost-effectiveness and market potential
    CAES scores with economies of scale and a long service life. Investments are particularly worthwhile for large systems with storage times of over 8 hours. The amortisation period is 6 to 11 years and the ROI can be up to 12 %. By 2030, 10-20% of global storage requirements could be covered by CAES, which corresponds to a market with a capacity of over 100 GW.

    China shows what Europe can learn
    China is demonstrating how targeted political control can advance storage technologies. Clear regulations, state subsidies and green credit lines are massively driving expansion there. A comparable framework is still lacking in Europe. In order to realise the potential, we need funding instruments that are open to all technologies, faster approvals and incentives for grid services.

    Carbon footprint and sustainability
    CAES achieves life cycle emissions of just 20-50 g CO₂/kWh, far below gas-fired power plants and often better than battery systems. Thanks to durable components, low space requirements and resource-saving design, CAES is becoming a building block for a climate-neutral energy future. The combination with power-to-gas or battery systems offers additional flexibility.

    Compressed air storage systems are becoming a strategic success factor
    AirBattery and modern CAES systems could become the backbone of tomorrow’s energy supply. Their ability to efficiently store renewable energy over long periods of time makes them a real alternative, both economically and ecologically. Now is the time for suppliers, municipal utilities and investors to realise pilot projects and create the regulatory conditions. The next few years will decide whether CAES will go from being a niche product to a system component of the energy transition.

  • Study sees significantly higher potential for wind energy

    Study sees significantly higher potential for wind energy

    Switzerland could generate significantly more electricity from wind energy than previously assumed. According to a study by the Bern-based company Meteotest on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ), wind turbines could produce 19 terawatt hours in the winter months alone, according to a press release from the SFOE. In a previous study from 2012, the scientists had assumed 3.7 terawatt hours per year. For comparison: Switzerland consumed a total of 58.11 terawatt hours of electricity in 2021.

    With 17.5 terawatt hours, most of the potential lies in the Central Plateau. In the Jura arc and in the large Alpine valleys together, more than 7.8 terawatt hours could be produced per year, in the Alpine region over 4.2 terawatt hours.

    Both political conditions and technology have evolved since the last study. Today's wind turbines are taller, have larger rotors and produce much more than older systems. In addition, more areas such as forests and areas in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments ( BLN ) are eligible "with the recognition of national interest for wind farms". However, they are subject to higher demands on wind energy production.

    "Even a partial expansion of 30 percent of the total wind energy potential – which corresponds to around 1000 wind turbines – could make a significant contribution to a more secure electricity supply in Switzerland and to reducing dependence on foreign countries," says the press release.

    Inhabited areas with a buffer of 300 meters, protected landscapes such as moors, national parks and biotopes as well as secret facilities of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport were excluded from the calculation.

  • Surselva gets a test facility for wind and solar energy

    Surselva gets a test facility for wind and solar energy

    The Federal Office for Armaments wants to set up one of the first small wind and solar systems in Switzerland in the Alpine region next to the middle station of the former military transport cableway above Medel, armasuisse informs in a press release . The test system is intended to test “the suitability of a hybrid system for generating sustainable energy in alpine terrain”, it says there.armasuisse Immobilien has now submitted a corresponding planning application. It can be viewed from August 29th to September 28th at the Municipality of Medel.

    The planned small wind turbine with bifacial solar panels is scheduled to go into test operation next autumn. Armasuisse expects a yield of 27 megawatt hours per year for the wind turbine, for the wind flower the estimated annual yield is 35 megawatt hours. Based on the evaluations of the actual results planned for the fourth quarter of 2024, armasuisse wants to decide whether a total of nine hybrid systems will be installed in the La Stadrea area in Surselva. The location offers "good conditions both in terms of existing and no longer used infrastructure, as well as in terms of wind conditions and solar radiation," writes the Federal Office.