Compressed-air energy storage systems for stand-alone off-grid photovoltaic modules

In this work, a low-cost, low-volume, low-maintenance, small-scale compressed-air energy storage system (SS-CAES) is proposed, which can be used in conjunction with off-grid stand-alone photo-voltaic panels, for powering appliances and residential units in order to minimize the dependency on centralized power system grids. As a first step towards achieving this objective, we have designed and examined the compression efficiency of a single-stage, isothermal compression system that utilizes a fluid piston. Preliminary results clearly establish that the prototype holds enormous promise as energy storage systems that are compatible with renewable energy sources such as solar.