Wind-turbine plan envisions switch to nuclear

[FBaggins]

Tiny nuclear reactors originally designed to power mini-submarines could eventually replace wind power in a local firm's plans for storing energy as compressed gas in pipelines across North America.

Dave McConnell, president and CEO of Niskubased Lancaster Wind Systems, said Tuesday the additional details of his project can now be discussed after provisional patent protection was gained in the U.S. late last week. McConnell said he already has a patented wind turbine that will be going into further trials this summer in southern Alberta.

Instead of generating electricity from a turning propeller shaft, like all other turbines on the market, Lancaster's version resembles a hydraulic pump much like a windmill. A closed system circulates fluid up and down the mast, with the energy being used at the base to compress nitrogen gas in a large cylinder as a means of storage.

But the heart of Lancaster's scheme, which the firm says has attracted millions of dollars from private investors in Canada and the United States, is energy storage with compressed gas, making wind power a constant source of energy instead of one totally dependent on variable winds.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/Wind+turbine+plan+envisions+switch+nuclear/2574159/story.html

[Dead_Parrot]

1. ...

[phantom power]

2. Huh. Like a "compressed gas" grid? Wonder about non-adiabatic heat loss.

[FBaggins]

3. These are existing pipelines well underground.

(and thus pretty well insulated by mother nature)

I'm not sure that heat loss would be any more substantial than similar losses in other forms of generation.

Take the loss (as heat) of electricity distribution. This technology (in theory) would involve lots of small local generators within communities. So large transmission lines and substations are largely unnecessary.

I have no idea how plausible the idea is, but it's certainly worth a look. Anything that can make wind power more consistent/reliable would be a MAJOR step in the right direction.

[kristopher]

4. Without the nuclear - General Compression since 2006

The OP sounds like another dirty technology trying to greenwash itself...


http://www.generalcompression.com/

Expanding Clean Power

Wind is the fastest growing source of new power on the grid. It is clean, inexpensive, and widely available. But wind energy is generated at the convenience of nature. Utilities that buy conventional firm power have been reluctant purchasers of renewable intermittent power.

General Compression (“GC”) has designed a system to make wind energy fully dispatchable. Our 1.5MW compressor/expander absorbs and releases energy from conventional wind farms. When the wind blows too hard, wind energy is stored as compressed air. When the wind doesn’t blow hard enough, compressed air is expanded to generate power. GC’s innovation is that we burn no fuel in this process.

GC’s technology uses a near-isothermal compression/expansion cycle, giving us a round-trip efficiency of 70-75%. The modular units feature a response time of under 30 seconds, and can be rapidly cycled between compression and expansion to closely follow the output of a wind farm. Compressed air is stored in the same types of geologies that are used to store natural gas.

GCAES™ Projects

Multiple modules are linked together in a General Compression Advanced Energy Storage (“GCAES™”) project. The projects shape power from the wind farm so that it arrives to the customer 5 days a week for 8 hours (Peaking), 5-7 days a week for 16 hours (Intermediate) or 7 days a week for 24 hours (Baseload), or any other demand curve that a customer provides. Projects are designed to bid into firm power contracts, and to have enough storage duration, from 20-300 hours, to meet contracted delivery commitments.

GCAES™ projects are designed to make wind energy reliable, and to deliver it to customers on their schedule at costs that are competitive with conventional generators. We are working in partnership with major utilities, gas storage providers, and wind developers. GC begins construction on its first commercial project in the Fall of 2011.

Renewable generators are becoming mainstream energy sources globally. GCAES™ projects can transform that power to make it available on demand.

General Compression...expanding clean power.

...The company's system is to have three components: special proprietary compressed air wind turbines, a pipeline network that collects and stores compressed air and a power plant of expanders and generators.

General Compression intends to put its compressors in conventional-type wind turbines, high in the air.

"If you're going to compress air, you've got two choices: either make electricity in the turbine and put the compressors in the ground, or put compressors in the turbine and pump the air into the ground," said General Compression CEO David Marcus today to the Cleantech Group.

"We've found it's much cheaper and efficient to put compressors in the turbine."

When the wind blows, General Compression compressors inside turbines are to pump air to over 100 atmospheres of pressure and send the air down the towers into an underground network of high-pressure pipes.

The pipeline network is to collect and store 6-12 hours of energy. If the project is sited near a geologic feature such as a salt dome, aquifer, limestone cavern, or depleted gas field, the company projects energy storage times of weeks, or even months...

http://cleantech.com/news/910/general-compression-aims-to-double-wind

[FBaggins]

5. Really? Were they a green company up until yesterday?

And then somehow changed?

I've seen them mentioned for a couple years now and nobody mentioned that they were really "dirty technology in disguise" (though I think the founder used to be an oil/gas man).

General Compression's concept should be investigated as well. Anything that can smooth out wind's most significant hurdle would be welcome.

Where this concept could be superior is in the use of distributed storage and generation. Potentially a significant savings.

But hey! Full points for a legitimate post. A little outside the posting guidelines but progress is progress. Congratulations!