The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials made a breakthrough that may have a profound impact on energy storage and the transition to clean energy sources.
The liquid air energy storage system “uses surplus electricity to chill air into liquid, store it, and later release it to generate power,” Interesting Engineering explained.
Now that the machine can produce 10 tons of liquid air per day, it is on the cusp of commercial viability.
The outlet noted that this technology can be used anywhere, avoiding issues with other storage methods that require certain geographical features to use pumped water or compressed air. This also makes liquid air energy storage viable for industrial hubs and cities. Since such low temperatures are necessary to create the liquid, it can also be used for cooling.
“This is an essential step for Korea’s renewable future,” principal researcher Dr. Jun Young Park said, per IE. “Large-scale energy storage is the missing piece, and our work shows LAES can deliver it without geographical limits.”
Interesting Engineering noted that the scientists designed two components — “a turbo expander that spins faster than 100,000 revolutions per minute and a cold box equipped with multilayer insulation and a powerful vacuum to keep air at cryogenic temperatures” — that led to the first successful air liquefaction test in the country.
This should help diversify clean energy sources and reduce pollution, which is raising global temperatures and threatening to upend societies around the world. In addition to rising sea levels and more frequent and intense extreme weather events, the changing climate is harming human health and wildlife.
Hotter weather increases demand for air conditioning and strains the electric grid, which in the United States is still powered mostly by dirty energy sources. Homeowners and renters alike, however, can take advantage of technology to save money and mitigate the effects of pollutive power.
The best way to do so is by installing solar panels or signing up for community solar. This harnesses the free power of the sun and can reduce monthly bills to or near $0 while eliminating the production of heat-trapping gases.
You can make an even bigger impact by choosing behaviors that lessen the pollution being added to the atmosphere. Use public transportation, upgrade your wardrobe sustainably, and avoid plastic like the plague
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