{"id":98,"date":"2025-07-12T07:49:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T07:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/?p=98"},"modified":"2025-07-12T09:19:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T09:19:48","slug":"new-salt-and-air-based-bess-being-commercially-developed-in-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/?p=98","title":{"rendered":"New salt and air based BESS being commercially developed in Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Germany is developing both salt-based thermal energy storage and air-based energy storage technologies.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The salt-based systems use molten salt to store heat, which can then be used for heating or electricity generation.&nbsp;Air-based systems, like those developed by Augwind Energy, compress air and store it, often in underground salt caverns, for later use in power generation.&nbsp;These technologies aim to provide long-duration, large-scale energy storage to support the transition to renewable energy sources.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udf2c\ufe0f Germany to Host World\u2019s First Commercial-Scale AirBattery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.modernpowersystems.com\/news\/worlds-first-commercial-scale-air-battery-will-be-in-germany\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Augwind\u2019s Compressed Air Storage System Aims to Solve Renewable Energy\u2019s Biggest Challenge<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>July 2025 \u2014 Germany<\/strong>&nbsp;will become home to the world\u2019s first commercial-scale&nbsp;<strong>AirBattery<\/strong>, a long-duration energy storage system developed by Israeli company&nbsp;<strong>Augwind Energy<\/strong>. The facility will use&nbsp;<strong>Hydraulic Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES)<\/strong>&nbsp;technology to store excess renewable electricity by compressing air into&nbsp;<strong>underground salt caverns<\/strong>, then releasing it to generate power when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;Key Features:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\ud83e\uddc2&nbsp;<strong>Storage Medium<\/strong>: Mined salt caverns, which are abundant in Germany and geologically ideal for high-pressure air storage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u26a1&nbsp;<strong>Capacity<\/strong>: Each cavern can store&nbsp;<strong>3\u20138 GWh<\/strong>&nbsp;of energy \u2014 enough to power tens of thousands of homes for days or even weeks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83d\udd01&nbsp;<strong>Efficiency<\/strong>: Demonstrated&nbsp;<strong>47% round-trip efficiency<\/strong>&nbsp;in pilot tests; commercial systems expected to exceed&nbsp;<strong>60%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d&nbsp;<strong>Environmental Impact<\/strong>: Uses local materials, avoids lithium or rare earths, and has minimal hardware degradation over a&nbsp;<strong>40-year lifespan<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83d\udd70\ufe0f&nbsp;<strong>Commissioning<\/strong>: Expected between&nbsp;<strong>2027 and 2028<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why It Matters:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The AirBattery is designed to address \u201c<strong>Dunkelflautes<\/strong>\u201d \u2014 prolonged periods of low wind and solar output that challenge grid stability in Europe. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which typically store energy for only a few hours, the AirBattery can store energy for&nbsp;<strong>weeks or even months<\/strong>, making it a potential game-changer for renewable energy integration and grid resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThis is more than a project; it\u2019s a milestone for achieving net zero,\u201d said&nbsp;<strong>Or Yogev<\/strong>, CEO of Augwind.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Germany\u2019s vast network of over&nbsp;<strong>400 salt caverns<\/strong>&nbsp;offers a total theoretical storage potential of&nbsp;<strong>330 TWh<\/strong>, positioning the country as a leader in scalable, long-duration energy storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Salt-Based Thermal Energy Storage:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mechanism:<\/strong>These systems heat a molten salt mixture (often a combination of sodium and potassium nitrates) to high temperatures (over 1,000\u00b0C) using excess electricity, usually from renewable sources.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Storage:<\/strong>The heated salt is stored in insulated tanks, where it can retain heat for weeks or even months with minimal loss.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Discharge:<\/strong>When energy is needed, the stored heat is transferred to a working fluid (like air or oil) to generate steam or provide direct heat.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Advantages:<\/strong>They offer long-duration storage, can be scaled up, and use readily available materials, minimizing environmental impact.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Air-Based Energy Storage (Compressed Air Energy Storage &#8211; CAES):<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mechanism:<\/strong>During periods of low energy demand, electricity is used to compress air and store it in underground salt caverns.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Discharge:<\/strong>When energy is needed, the compressed air is released, mixed with fuel (like natural gas), and used to drive a turbine for electricity generation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Advantages:<\/strong>Can provide large-scale, long-duration storage, and the Huntorf plant in Germany has been operating since 1978.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Other Applications:<\/strong>Augwind Energy is developing a technology that uses salt caverns for direct storage of compressed air, without the need for combustion, potentially reducing reliance on fossil fuels.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Benefits for Energy Transition:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Long-duration storage:<\/strong>Both salt-based thermal and air-based systems can store energy for extended periods, addressing the intermittency of renewable energy sources like solar and wind.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grid stability:<\/strong>These technologies can help stabilize the electricity grid by providing a reliable source of backup power when renewable sources are unavailable.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Decarbonization:<\/strong>By enabling the use of more renewable energy, these technologies contribute to reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reduced reliance on fossil fuels:<\/strong>These systems can potentially replace or reduce the need for fossil fuel-based power plants for both electricity generation and industrial heating.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ctif.org\/news\/new-salt-and-air-based-bess-being-commercially-developed-germany\">New salt and air based BESS being commercially developed in Germany | CTIF &#8211; International Association of Fire Services for Safer Citizens through Skilled Firefighters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Germany is developing both salt-based thermal energy storage and air-based energy storage technologies.&nbsp; The salt-based systems use molten salt to store heat, which can then be used for heating or electricity generation.&nbsp;Air-based systems, like those developed by Augwind Energy, compress air and store it, often in underground salt caverns, for later use in power generation.&nbsp;These [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[4],"class_list":["post-98","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-gossip"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/patrasocial.gr\/@patragossips\/114839163683853127","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=98"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102,"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions\/102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/99"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=98"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=98"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patragossips.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}