A new 'waterless' hydroelectric power system that is claimed to be able to transform the energy storage sector by turning even low-lying hills into green power stores is to undergo its first full-scale trial run. There is.
British start-up RheEnergise has agreed to build a “first of its kind” demonstration project for its system at a mine in Cornwall, south-west England.
RheEnergise plans to have a demonstrator ready in September that will help decarbonize mining operations.
Leh Energy said the project was supported by the UK government's Long Term Energy Storage Demonstration Programme.
This demonstrator is a “pioneering project'' in the long-term energy storage sector and will put RheEnergise in a strong position to build commercial-scale projects domestically and internationally,'' said company CEO Stephen Crosher. Ta.
“We have global interest in our technology, from Australia to Chile. We hope to have our first 10MW grid-scale project up and running within two years.”
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RheEnergise has developed a high-density (HD) hydro energy storage system that can harness surplus power from wind and solar power.
When energy demand is low, the HD Hydro system pumps a patented fluid that is 2.5 times as dense as water to an underground storage tank larger than an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
When energy demand and prices rise, the fluid is released downhill and passes through turbines to generate electricity and power the grid.
The project has a power range of 5MW to 100MW and can operate at altitudes below 100 meters.
This means the system can also be used in hills rather than in steep mountainous areas as required by traditional hydropower systems. It is then limited to very specific regions.
This is said to free up thousands of potential sites in the UK, where large parts of the country lack mountains, and also in Europe, Africa, North America and Australia, where RheEnergise has carried out geographic analysis. There are potentially more than 100,000 locations.
RheEnergise says its system could also be used in mines and quarries that are located at high altitudes and require large amounts of power.
While traditional hydropower facilities take an average of five to 10 years to build, HD hydropower systems can be built in just a few years.
RheEnergise also says that because its facility's footprint will be dramatically smaller than traditional pumped storage facilities that require valley flooding, it will be able to gain planning consent in months rather than years. I'm proud.
