High Pressure Water Energy Storage Coming To San Antonio - CleanTechnica

2022-03-24 03:36:51 By : Ms. Kelly Li

Hi, what are you looking for?

The History Of Solar Power Has Many Lessons For Today

Electric Regional Air Mobility Discussion With NASA Report Lead Author Kevin Antcliff

Deep Red Alabama Dives Headlong Into Green Energy

California Solar Energy — Attacks on Solar Net Metering, Rooftop Solar’s Many Benefits

Opinion: ‘Drill Baby Drill’ Oil Policy Won’t Lower Gas Prices

USMC Seeks Wind Energy From The Skies

Opinion: ‘Drill Baby Drill’ Oil Policy Won’t Lower Gas Prices

EIA Reference Case: Renewable Generation Will Supply 44% of U.S. Electricity by 2050

We Need Humans To Achieve A Just Energy Transition: A Human Transition (Video)

Renewable Electricity + Electric Motors Will Decarbonise Transport In Europe

NREL Celebrates the Powerful Women of Water Power

The Salton Sea Geothermal Field In California — Quantifying California’s Lithium Valley: Can It Power Our EV Revolution?

Geothermal Drilling: U.S. DOE Announces $20 Million to Lower Costs of Geothermal Drilling

Chapter 2: Geothermal Takes The Stage

Innovative Financing Helps Developers Meet Rising Demand for Residential Geothermal

CATL Plans $5 Billion Battery Factory In North America, But Where?

Suzuki Will Invest $1.3 Billion To Manufacture EVs + Batteries In India

BEV Market Share 50% in 2030 — How Stupid Do They Think Americans Are?

Deep Red Alabama Dives Headlong Into Green Energy

The EV Battery Production Chain — Insights from Deep in the Industry

Bill Nussey of Freeing Energy Talks About His Chart-Topping New Book on Local Energy

How A Smart Electric Grid Will Power Our Future

The Unknown Unknowns of Vehicle-to-Grid Tech

Aligning Utilities & Electric Vehicles, for the Greater Grid

Microsoft, Schneider Electric, & LG Solar USA Come Together For The Footprint Project

Aviation Demand Forecasting Expert Challenges 2100 Aviation Refueling Scenario

Scientists Show Controlling Humidity Has Big Impact of on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Heat Pumps vs. Russia: EU Looks To Cut Reliance On Gas With New Investment

A Battery-Powered Air Compressor Saves The Day

Castles & Cars — Cash Savings In The Suburbs

Shell Is Offering Tesla & Other EV Subscriptions In Germany

Elon Musk: Tesla Giga Berlin Will Be A Gem For Germany, Europe, & The World

Opinion: A Centralized Power Focus Failed Legacy Automakers

We Can Get To 30% Electric Heavy-Duty Trucks by 2030 — Here’s How

USPS Inspector General Study Favors Electric Vehicles

Long-Distance Tesla Servicing in Australia

Mathematics & The EV — How Much Money Does My Tesla Model 3 Save On Fuel?

E-Bike Review: CleanTechnica Rides The Snapcycle R1

Tesla Redesigns Its User Interface – Do You Love It Or Hate It?

CleanTechnica Tested: Travor YesMeta Portable Power Station

Interview With Arcimoto CEO Mark Frohnmayer (Part Two)

BEV Market Share 50% in 2030 — How Stupid Do They Think Americans Are?

The EV Battery Production Chain — Insights from Deep in the Industry

California Solar Energy — Attacks on Solar Net Metering, Rooftop Solar’s Many Benefits

Tesla Model 3 & Model Y Top EV Sales In Germany In February

BEV Market Share 50% in 2030 — How Stupid Do They Think Americans Are?

Tesla Model 3 & Model Y Top EV Sales In Germany In February

Plugin Vehicles = 20% Of New Car Sales In France

28% of New Cars Sold in Netherlands Now Plugin Cars, Lynk & Co #1

Germany Plugin EV Share 25% In February, Tesla Gigafactory Boosts Hiring

Long-Distance Tesla Servicing in Australia

Mathematics & The EV — How Much Money Does My Tesla Model 3 Save On Fuel?

E-Bike Review: CleanTechnica Rides The Snapcycle R1

Tesla Redesigns Its User Interface – Do You Love It Or Hate It?

CleanTechnica Tested: Travor YesMeta Portable Power Station

Tesla Q4 Shareholder Conference Call — Watch & Listen Here

Volkswagen Group — In-Depth Conference Call Highlights Company’s Focus On Transition

Bill McKibben On Unions, Tesla, & Elon Musk — CleanTechnica Interview

How To Watch & Listen To Tesla Q3 Earnings Call — Most Useful Livestream

Tesla Sales & Future of Tesla Discussion with Ride the Lightning, Starman, & EVANNEX

A “battery” is any device that stores electrical energy so it can be used later. To Elon Musk, a battery is cylindrical device with an anode and a cathode inside. It is a pretty effective energy storage device, but but can only supply power for about 4 hours.

Pumped hydro is another energy storage solution. Pump water uphill when demand is low; let it flow downhill to spin turbines when demand is high. In theory, the water can remain in the upper storage area for weeks or even months, but the total energy available is limited by how large a volume of water is stored.

Quidnet Energy is one of many companies being backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the energy innovation organization founded by Bill Gates. It takes the fracking technology developed by the oil and gas industries and repurposes it to store energy. Here’s how the company describes the process, which it calls “geomechanical pumped storage” or GPS.

“Geomechanical pumped storage uses the rock beneath our feet as a sustainable natural resource. Quidnet’s patented GPS technology utilizes excess renewable energy to store water beneath ground under pressure. When renewable energy is not producing, this pressurized water drives hydroelectric turbines producing electricity to support the grid at a fraction of the cost of Li-ion and for much longer duration. Quidnet’s technology is an adaptation of centuries-old gravity-powered “pumped storage,” but without the massive land requirements and reliance on elevated terrain.”

Here’s a video that explains how the Quidnet GPS system works.

CPS Energy, which serves nearly a million utility customers in and around San Antonio, is committed to lowering its carbon emissions 80% by 2040. It is one of the largest users of electricity from wind and solar in Texas, but needs long term energy storage to complete its renewable energy portfolio. This week, it announced a 15-year agreement with Quidnet Energy to use the company’s GPS technology to store excess electricity.

In a press release, CPS Energy says the project will be developed in two phases, starting with an initial 1-megawatt, 10-hour storage facility. The 15-year agreement will allow time for both parties to explore and refine the new technology, which pumps water underground and stores it between impermeable rock layers. The rock acts like a natural spring to hold the water under pressure. When called upon to supply electricity, the pressurized water is released to power a hydroelectric turbine that generates emission free electricity. The entire process is closed loop to conserve water resources. CPS Energy will have the option to expand the project to provide 15 MW as the project matures.

Quidnet say its GPS technology “unlocks the constraints of traditional pumped hydro to fundamentally change the economics and deployment profile of long duration storage.” A GPS system costs half of what traditional battery storage costs and is suitable for many locations where pumped hydro storage is not practical. Because it relies on fracking technology that is common in the oil and gas industry, it provides new employment opportunities for workers in those industries. Quidnet is developing energy storage sites in several parts of Texas as well as in Ohio, New York, and Alberta, Canada.

Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his homes in Florida and Connecticut or anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. You can follow him on Twitter but not on any social media platforms run by evil overlords like Facebook.

#1 most loved electric vehicle, solar energy, and battery news & analysis site in the world.   Support our work today!

Advertise with CleanTechnica to get your company in front of millions of monthly readers.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar sent numerous letters to financial firms this week. It's part of a bigger attempt to uphold a state law that...

The VW CEO Talks American Feedback On ID BUZZ, Tesla Giga Texas, & His Trip To Austin

Russia continues its murderous rampage through Ukraine, but renewable energy and green hydrogen hubs will eventually carve a path around the oil and gas...

Green hydrogen hubs powered by renewables can decarbonize and de-risk the global economy, replacing nuclear power plants as well as gas, oil, and coal.

Copyright © 2021 CleanTechnica. The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by and do not necessarily represent the views of CleanTechnica, its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.