Hydrostor, in partnership with NRStor Incorporated, has completed the Goderich A-CAES Facility, located in Goderich, Ontario, Canada.
The Goderich A-CAES Facility is commercially contracted to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) for peaking capacity, ancillary services and full participation in the merchant energy market to support grid reliability. Entirely fuel-free, the plant produces zero greenhouse gas emissions and helps enable a cleaner, more affordable, and more flexible electricity grid.
The project has 1.75 megawatts (MW) of peak power output; a 2.2 MW charge rating; and 10+ megawatt-hours (MWh) of storage capacity.
Hydrostor’s A-CAES technology works by using electricity from the grid to run an air compressor, producing heated compressed air. The heat is extracted from the air stream and stored for later use on discharge. The cooled compressed air is then sent underground and stored in a cavern, which can be either pre-existing or purpose-built to suit system requirements. When the grid requires dispatchable energy capacity, the air is brought back to the surface, re-collects the stored heat, and is expanded through an air turbine to generate power on demand.
