Technical, environmental and economic assessment of liquid air energy storage method : exploring the future potential through circular economy principle

Abstract

Energy storage technologies perform a leading role in electric power networks because they have the potential capability facilitating them to be broadly used and meet the electricity demand supply. Among all technologies, more recently, there has been growing interest in considering Liquid air energy storage (LAES) as a practical alternative for large-scale electrical energy storage solutions such as compressed air (CAES) and pumped hydro energy storage (PHES). The fundamental concept of LAES contains liquefying and storing air to employ in electricity generation. The LAES system effectively addresses the time and space imbalance between energy and demand. In the LAES technology, there are no geographical restrictions. Additionally, being flexible in operation, which makes it applicable and convenient to integrate with other industrial processes, and having high energy storage density, low maintenance cost and environmental impact are other significant advantages of the LAES. The aim of this thesis is reviewing the characteristics and different aspects of LAES comprehensively. In this study, working principles, performance methods such as integration of LAES, technical, economic, and environmental assessments of LAES have been emphasized. Finally, further research on environmental impacts, and circular economy principles and effects on the LAES system is highly recommended.