Air storage system energy transfer (ASSET) plants

Energy storage is becoming increasingly important, especially in view of the fast-escalated prices of the petroleum products, because it provides the capability of using off-peak power generated by highly efficient base-load nuclear or coal-fired units to Supply peak-period demands. Peaking power is usually generated by those units on a utility system that are least efficient and more costly to operate; also, they are mostly fired by natural gas or oil. So far, only pumped-hydro energy storage has been able to satisfy the high-capacity requirements of the electric utilities. But sites for such plants are becoming increasingly scarce or are being ruled out by environmental considerations, so other energy storage methods are being actively considered. Air storage plants have been discussed for almost two decades, but they have not been used because no suitable machine has ever been specifically developed for this unique application. The advent of high-pressure machines made the Air Storage System Energy Transfer (ASSET) plants a commercial feasibility.