15-05-2014, 10:33 AM
COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY STORAGE (CAES)
COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY.pdf (Size: 788.46 KB / Downloads: 57)
From CAES Pioneer
to CAES Leader
Dresser-Rand is uniquely
qualified to deliver total
demand management and
power generation using
Compressed Air Energy
Storage (CAES) solutions. We
designed and supplied the
entire turbomachinery train
and controls for the first CAES
plant in North America. Only
the second of its type in the
world, Power South’s McIntosh,
Alabama, USA facility has
been building an impressive
record of starting reliably more
than 90 percent of the time,
and demonstrating greater
than 95 percent reliable
operation since 1991.
CAES Plant Builds
Impressive Record
Since 1991, a CAES plant in McIntosh,
Alabama has been producing up to
110 MW of electrical power during
periods of high peak demand. The
plant’s owner, Power South, uses it to
boost its power capabilities during the
peak daytime periods when demand for
electric energy skyrockets. “Our load is
primarily residential,” says plant manager
Lee Davis. “CAES fits well with our load
shape. Basically, I’m very much for the
CAES concept.”
The facility uses excess electricity
generated by a Power South coal-fired
plant during off-peak hours (when
electricity costs are lowest) to compress
air for storage. It then uses that air to
generate electricity and sell it at a higher
price during peak periods. “We buy low
and sell high,” Davis says.