The Anonymous Widower

The Liquid Air Alternative To Fossil Fuels

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC Future Web Site.

It is also one of the best articles, I’ve read on the economics of liquid-air energy storage.

This is the sub-heading.

An overlooked technology for nearly 50 years, the world’s largest liquid air energy storage facility is finally set to power up in 2026. It’s hoping to compete with grid-scale lithium batteries and hydro to store clean power, and reduce the need to fall back on fossil fuels.

These three introductory paragraphs add detail to the project.

As the world’s use of renewable electricity soars, surpassing coal for the first time, the need to store that energy when the Sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing is growing in step. While some turn to grid-scale lithium batteries and others to pumped hydro, a small but growing industry is convinced there’s a better solution still: batteries that rely on air.

Near the village of Carrington in north-west England, the foundations are being laid for the world’s largest commercial-scale liquid air energy storage facility, one of the first of its kind. The site will eventually become an array of industrial machinery and a number of large storage tanks, filled with air that has been compressed and cooled so much it has become a liquid, using renewable energy surplus to demand. The stored energy can be discharged later when demand exceeds supply.

If the project succeeds, more will follow. The site’s developers Highview Power are confident that liquid air energy storage will make it easier for countries to replace fossil fuels with clean renewable energy – though at present, the technology is expensive. But as the need for clean energy storage surges, they’re betting the balance will tip in favour of liquid air.

The BBC article, seems to have been written with input from Shaylin Cetegen, a chemical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who studies energy storage systems.

Topics discussed include.

  • The intermittency problem of renewables and how this gives problems for the stability of electricity grids.
  • The switchable nature of fossil-fuel power generation.
  • A big part of the solution is to store the surplus energy so that it can be released when it’s needed. Think of it like an electricity deposit account!
  • For decades, the main form of energy storage has been pumped hydro. In 2021, the world had 160 GW of pumped hydro capacity. The UK has a total of just 3 GW in Scotland and Wales! But more is on the way!
  • Recently, large-scale battery storage systems have risen to the challenge and installed capacity has risen from 55.7 GW in 2023 to 150 GW / 348 GWh in 2025.
  • The liquid air solution is then explained.
  • A grid-scale stop-gap, that is the 30 MW/300 MWh Manchester hybrid liquid-air battery, is then described.
  • In August 2026, the battery is set to begin operating.
  • An alternative way of stabilising the grid will be provided.
  • It will come online in two stages, says Highview Power CEO Richard Butland.
  • Then in 2027 the liquid air storage is expected to begin fully operating.

Highview Power will make money by trading electricity, as pumped storage operators do.

The penultimate section of the article looks at the bottom line and comes to these conclusions.

Instead, she says governments could support the technology. In her study, subsidising the initial capital costs to set up the systems “could be a viable approach to achieve economic viability in the short term”, she says.

Furthermore, faster uptake of renewables would increase energy price volatility, making energy storage more economically viable.

Cetegen makes a final point in favour of liquid air energy storage: it’s cheap. Energy storage technologies are often assessed using a metric called the “levelised cost of storage”, which estimates how much each unit of stored energy costs over the lifespan of the project. For liquid air, this can be as low as $45 (£34) per megawatt-hour – compared to $120 (£89) for pumped hydro and $175 (£130) for lithium-ion batteries.

“While none of these storage methods are likely economically viable right now without policy support, liquid air energy storage stands out as a particularly cost-effective option for large-scale storage,” Cotegen says.

Ultimately, Butland expects electricity grids to rely on a mix of storage technologies. Pumped hydro is extremely effective and works for decades, but it’s location-dependent because it needs a water supply. Meanwhile, batteries are highly efficient and can be placed anywhere, but need to be replaced after about 10 years. Liquid air has the advantage that it can store energy for longer than batteries, with minimal losses.

As any country enters the green transition, its electricity grid needs to be remodelled to cope. “We’re rebuilding all grids globally, based on new generation,” says Butland. And that could well mean a lot of liquid air energy storage.

 

March 21, 2026 Posted by | Energy Storage, Energy | , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

MoU Signed To Develop Scottish Highlands As Offshore Wind And Renewables Hub

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

The Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK and Scottish governments and The Highland Council, creating a formal framework for cooperation in developing the Highlands as a major international hub for the offshore wind and renewable energy sector

This is the first paragraph.

The agreement is said to unlock GBP 25 million (approximately EUR 29 million) in funding from the UK government, which ICFGF plans to use to support the delivery of significant infrastructure projects and its partner ports.

These are some points from the rest of the article.

  • Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport aims to bring up to 11,300 jobs to the Highlands.
  • Significant investments we’ve already include the Sumitomo subsea cable plant at Nigg and the Haventus energy transition facility at Ardersier.
  • Over the next 25 years, ICFGF is expected to attract over GBP 6.5 billion of investment.
  • The Green Freeport includes three tax sites: Cromarty Firth, which includes Port of Nigg, Port of Cromarty Firth, and Highland Deephaven.
  • Ardersier Energy Transition Facility has secured a GBP 100 million joint credit facility to create nationally significant infrastructure for industrial-scale deployment of fixed and floating offshore wind.
  • It has placed contracts with more than 110 local firms as part of the development.

These investments will setup the long-term future of Inverness and the Highlands of Scotland.

The Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF) has this web site, with these messages on the home page.

Europe’s strategic hub for renewable energy

Transforming the Highland economy and delivering national energy security

Conclusion

This area will become one of the most vibrant places in Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

September 29, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Finance & Investment, Hydrogen | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Three Baltic Countries Sign The Largest Railway Electrification Agreement In History

The title of this post, is the same as that as this news item on the LTG Group web site.

This is the sub-heading.

Today in Vilnius, the institutions of the three Baltic countries responsible for implementing the Rail Baltica project signed a historic agreement on railway electrification. The contract, valued at €1.77 billion (excluding VAT), has been awarded to COBELEC Rail Baltica – a consortium formed by the Spanish companies Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios S.A. and Elecnor Servicios y Proyectos S.A.U.

These three paragraphs add more detail.

The electrification of the Rail Baltica European railway is considered the largest cross-border railway electrification initiative in Europe, implemented as a single, joint project.

“Rail Baltica is more than just infrastructure – it is an economic and security link to the West. This contract is particularly important for our integration into the European railway network, enabling smooth passenger and freight transport while strengthening the resilience of the Baltic region. It is our strategic pathway to the future,” said Eugenijus Sabutis, Acting Minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania.

One of the largest contracts in the history of the Baltic States was signed by the institutions responsible for implementing the project: LTG Infra, the infrastructure company of the LTG Group; Eiropas Dzelzceļa Līnijas in Latvia; and Rail Baltic Estonia in Estonia. Representatives from the ministries of transport and communications of all three countries also gathered in Vilnius for the occasion.

Note.

  1. The electrification will be to the European standard of 25 KVAC overhead.
  2. There will be a total of 2,400 km. of electrification.
  3. High-speed passenger and freight trains will operate on the full length of the route.
  4. It is planned that the electricity used will be generated from renewable energy sources.
  5. I feel everybody will be pleased except Putin.

The Russian dictator and war-monger won’t like it, as the railway will not be built to Russian standards.

 

September 27, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Permission Granted For Ayrshire Renewables Hub

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Scottish Construction Now.

This is the sub-heading.

Planning consent has been granted for a £150 million upgrade to an Ayrshire marine yard, paving the way for increased offshore wind power off the UK’s west coast.

These are the first three paragraphs.

Peel Ports Clydeport has secured permission for the complete redevelopment of the Hunterston marine yard as it prepares the site for major renewables infrastructure. The redevelopment works – which are expected to start in early 2025 and last for around two years – will include substantial upgrades to the marine yard, including infilling the current dry-dock basin and the creation of a new quay wall.

Highview Power recently announced it is to construct the world’s largest Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) facility at Hunterston, the latest in a string of renewables projects that are either underway, or in the pipeline, at the site.

The overall redevelopment of Hunterston is expected to attract £3.5 billion in inward investment and create over 5,000 jobs.

Note.

  1. The Highview Power battery will be 200 MW/3.25 GWh.
  2. There is also a 400 MW/400 MWh BESS being built at Hunterston.
  3. The 2 GW MacHairWind project is planned off the coast of Islay.
  4. According to their web site, MacHairWind will export its first power in the early 2030s.

More renewable infrastructure will surely follow.

December 5, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ill Wind For Renewable Energy In US To Boost UK Projects

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.

This is the sub-heading.

SSE boss Alistair Phillips-Davies says Trump is expected to put oil and gas ahead of renewables, easing supply chain shortages for UK wind power shortages

These are the first two paragraphs.

A likely push towards more oil and gas drilling under President Trump could help ease supply chain shortages that have hampered a faster rollout of renewables on the UK system, but weaken the availability of parts for gas-fired plants, the boss of electricity supplier SSE has said.

Donald Trump’s election win is expected to boost the American oil and gas industries and diminish the buildout of renewables, which had been accelerated by President Biden’s $369 billion stimulus package for clean power and transport.

SSE’s offshore wind farms under construction or planning in the UK, that are likely to be delivered before the end of Trump’s second term are.

  • Dogger Bank A – 1235 MW – GE-Haliade X – 2025
  • Dogger Bank B – 1235 MW – GE-Haliade X – 2025
  • Dogger Bank C – 1218 MW – GE-Haliade X – 2025
  • Dogger Bank D – 1320 MW
  • Berwick Bank  4100 MW – 2028
  • Seagreen Phase 1A – 500 MW

Note.

  1. The date is the expected commissioning date.
  2. GE is an American company, that are heavily into renewables and electrical gubbins to connect them to the grid.
  3. Trump is unlikely to have much effect on the delivery of Dogger Bank A-C.
  4. If Trump is stopping US wind farm projects, then if SSE has the finance, they will surely be able to take advantage of a lack of turbine orders.
  5. If you could handle a 4100 MW order, it would keep your company going for at least three years.

Given that SSE are investing billions in renewable energy and because of  their past record, I would expect that the SSE boss has called this one right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 18, 2024 Posted by | Energy | , , | 2 Comments

Centrica Completes Work On 20MW Hydrogen-Ready Peaker In Redditch

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Centrica.

This is the sub-heading.

Construction is complete on Centrica’s new 20MW hydrogen-blend-ready gas-fired peaking plant in Worcestershire, transforming the previously decommissioned Redditch power plant.

These paragraphs give more details of the project.

The plant is designed to support times of high or peak demand for electricity. Peaking plants only operate when production from renewables can’t meet demand, supporting the energy transition by maintaining a stable electricity supply. The Redditch site can power the equivalent of 2,000 homes for a full day, helping to maintain stability and reliability on the grid.

The plant is capable of using a blend of natural gas and hydrogen, futureproofing the site and supporting the UK’s transition towards a decarbonised energy system.

The Redditch peaking plant forms part of Centrica’s plans to invest between £600m – £800m a year until 2028 in renewable generation, security of supply, and its customers, including building out a portfolio of flexible energy assets. That includes the redevelopment of several legacy power stations, including the Brigg Energy Park in to a power generation and battery storage asset, and the first power station in the UK to be part-fuelled by hydrogen.

I also wrote Centrica Business Solutions Begins Work On 20MW Hydrogen-Ready Peaker In Redditch, about this project.

HiiROC

I wonder if this power station will be fitted with a HiiROC system, which will split the natural gas into two useful products; hydrogen and carbon black.

I wrote about HiiROC in Centrica Partners With Hull-Based HiiRoc For Hydrogen Fuel Switch Trial At Humber Power Plant.

I can see lots of HiiROC systems creating a hydrogen feed, to decarbonise various processes.

Whose Engines Are Used At Redditch?

Centrica still haven’t disclosed, whose engines they are using.

 

March 6, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Hydrogen | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Japanese Offshore Wind And Battery Storage Project Begins Commercial Operation

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

On 1 January 2024, JERA and Green Power Investment Corporation (GPI) began commercial operations at the 112 MW Ishikari Bay New Port Offshore Wind Farm in Japan, which they own through Green Power Ishikari GK, a special-purpose corporation (SPC).

The most significant thing about this wind farm, is that it has been designed from Day One to operate with a battery, which is detailed in the last paragraph.

The project also features a battery storage component with 100 MW x 180 MWh of capacity.

Note that the output of the battery is 89 % of that of the wind farm. Is that the ideal ratio between battery and wind farm capacities?

Conclusion

Because of my training, as an Electronics and Control Engineer, I belief that most renewable energy can be smoothed with the adding of a battery.

January 4, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , , , | Leave a comment

UK Sees Cleanest Power Grid In Q3 As Renewables Grow, Drax Report Says

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Renewables Now.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Renewables supplied over 40% of Britain’s electricity demand, the highest ever for the third quarter, helping the country achieve its cleanest power grid on record, according to the Drax Electric Insights report.

In the third quarter carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the generation mix were an average of 143 grams per kWh, for the first time below 150 g per kWh over the quarter, says the report, which is commissioned by biomass power generator Drax and prepared by a team from Imperial College London.

We’re certainly getting somewhere!

December 11, 2023 Posted by | Energy | , , | 1 Comment

Vertical Farming Consortium Secures UK Government Funding To Advance Low-Emission Food Production Using Energy Storage

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Renewable Energy Magazine.

This is the sub-heading.

A consortium of four British companies, comprising UK Urban AgriTech (UKUAT), Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltd, RheEnergise and James Hutton Institute has received a grant from the UK Government to advance the development of low-carbon and low-cost food production by co-locating renewable energy with vertical farms.

These paragraphs outline the project.

The V-FAST consortium’s £488,000 project will explore how co-locating RheEnergise’s HD Hydro Energy Storage system with vertical farms can support a low-emission route to growing protein-rich crops in a controlled environment.

Last year, V-FAST – Vertical Farming And Storage Technologies – started investigating sites in Scotland’s Central Belt for the location of Scotland’s next generation of hectare+ scale vertical farms, powered by 100 percent renewables and using RheEnergise’s High-Density Hydro energy storage system. These farms would provide locally produced fresh foods (salads and fruits) to over 60 percent of the Scottish population and help meet the Scottish Government’s ambitions to produce more homegrown fruit and vegetables. These site investigations in Scotland continue.

Now, with the Innovate UK and BBSRC funding as part of the Novel Low Emission Food Production Systems competition, V-FAST will broaden the area for its site feasibility studies to across the UK, using GIS to identify and rate suitable locations for vertical farms that are co-located with renewables and High-Density Hydro energy storage. As part of the project, V-FAST will also undertake crop trials to establish optimal climate recipes in terms of their energy efficiency relative to produce metrics (e.g. protein per kWh or kg of CO2e).

It certainly sounds unusual to pair vertical farming with energy storage, but if it works, why knock it?

RheEnergise’s HD Hydro Energy Storage system is effectively pumped storage hydroelectricity using a fluid with a specific gravity of 2.5.

So instead of needing mountains to store energy, it can use medium-sized hills.

The Wikipedia entry for vertical farming, introduces the concept like this.

Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It often incorporates controlled-environment agriculture, which aims to optimize plant growth, and soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics. Some common choices of structures to house vertical farming systems include buildings, shipping containers, tunnels, and abandoned mine shafts.

As both HD Hydro Energy Storage system and vertical farming seem to need some form of vertical space, can colocation be advantageous in terms of cost?

Wikipedia also says that vertical farms also face large energy demands due to the use of supplementary light like LEDs.

So could V-FAST be an unusal marriage made in heaven of plant science and energy storage?

 

 

 

December 7, 2023 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, Food | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Phantom’ Power Projects Are Holding Back The UK’s Energy Security – Centrica Report

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Centrica.

These are the three bullet points.

  • New report shows queue for new energy projects is blocked by developers that may not even have land rights and haven’t applied for planning consents
  • Estimated size of these power projects in the queue is 62GW, roughly one fifth of all power in the queue
  • Centrica CEO argues such ‘phantom’ projects should have Construction Agreements terminated if developers miss key milestones – and urges Ofgem to give National Grid ESO the power to remove projects from the existing grid queue

This is the first two paragraphs.

A new independent report, commissioned by Centrica, has revealed the extent of the power projects holding back the UK’s energy security and creating risk around hitting net zero.

The report examined the UK’s existing queue for Transmission Entry Capacity (TEC) – the queue for connecting new projects to the transmission grid – and discovered that it is up to four times oversubscribed. Not only that, but this oversubscription has become significantly worse in the last few years.

The report found these three totals.

  • There are currently 371GW of projects in the queue, enough to significantly improve the UK’s energy security.
  • Around 114GW worth of projects have listed their connection date as before 2029.
  • But around 62GW of these projects are only in the scoping phase and developers may not even have secured land rights or applied for planning consent.

This is both good and bad news!

Here Is The Good News!

Currently, the UK is using 37 GW of electricity, of which 32 GW are generated in the UK, 5 GW is being imported through interconnectors and around 6 GW are coming from renewables.

So this means that when we build all the 371 GW in the queue, we’ll have around eleven times the electricity we are using today.

Of the 114 GW of projects listed for connection before 2029, it looks like 62 GW won’t be delivered, as they haven’t secured land rights or applied for planning consent.

But that still means that as much as 52 GW could be delivered by 2029.

Even this reduced level of new projects still increases the amount of electricity that can be generated by nearly 150 %.

If I’m being ultra pessimistic, I would say that the average capacity factor of the extra capacity was 50 %, so we’d only be adding 26 GW, so the electricity, that can be generated would only rise by around 70 %.

I suspect all in the UK can live with these paltry increases.

Here Is The Bad News!

This is a paragraph from the report.

The report suggests that the oversubscribed queue, and longer wait for connections. has a damaging effect on the investments that could drive the UK’s energy transition and energy security.

Developers and investors will decamp to countries, where they be sure of getting a return on their time and money.

Think of having two supermarkets close to you live, where one is professional and one is chaotic. Where would you shop?

The congestion caused by phantom projects must be solved.

Ofgem’s Solution

This is the solution in the press release.

Ofgem is exploring rule changes (CMP376) to address queue issues and is expected to decide these before 10 November. These rule changes would grant the ESO the ability to remove projects from the queue if they miss key milestones. Ofgem is currently considering whether to apply this rule change to just new projects entering the queue, or whether the rule change should also be applied to projects already in the queue.

They can probably come up with a solution.

An Alternative Method From My Past

In 1969, I worked for ICI, where one of my jobs was building specialist instruments for chemical plants.

Most instruments, that were designed by the group I belonged to, included a chassis on which the components and electronics were mounted. So we had a workshop and about seven or eight staff at our disposal to build the chassis and the parts outside of our skills. As they were used by several groups in the building, where we were all based, the workshop was very busy and everything was delivered late.

Eventually, a manager decided to get a grip on the situation.

He insisted, that the workshop would not do what you wanted if your delivery date was as soon as possible, rather than a date agreed by both parties.

The results were amazing and everything was delivered on the agreed date.

With the renewable energy connection queue, I am sure, that if a procedure was developed, that only allowed fully-planned projects with an agreed completion date to enter the queue, then the problems of phantom projects would be solved.

It might also reduce the cost of developing these renewable projects.

 

 

 

October 25, 2023 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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