The dawn of 2026 first shines on the Gobi Desert in Golmud, Qinghai, where an "invisible power plant" quietly stands. The world's largest liquid air energy storage power station has officially been put into operation, turning the concept of "turning air into green electricity" into reality. This marks a milestone breakthrough in China's long-term energy storage technology, providing a new large-scale solution to the intermittent problem of renewable energy and contributing Chinese wisdom to the global energy transition.

Black technology of air energy storage

The core of liquid air energy storage is to use physical phase transitions to achieve energy storage and release. During the period of surplus electricity, the system drives the compressor to compress the air to a high pressure state, and then uses deep cooling technology to reduce the gas temperature to about minus 194 degrees Celsius, liquefying the air and storing it in a specially designed low-temperature storage tank, achieving the conversion of electrical energy to cold energy. During peak electricity demand, liquid air undergoes pressurized gasification, resulting in a rapid expansion of nearly 750 times in volume, which drives the turbine generator set to generate electricity efficiently and complete the reverse release of energy. The entire process is like creating a "time capsule" for clean electricity, which can flexibly achieve energy adjustment across time periods and seasons.

The Chinese Plan for Independent Innovation

The project has an installed power of 60 megawatts and an energy storage capacity of 600 megawatt hours, making it the world's first 100 megawatt level liquid air energy storage project to enter commercial operation. The technical team has overcome three core challenges: developing a new atmospheric and low-temperature storage and transportation system, solving the technical bottleneck of large-scale safe storage of liquefied air; We have achieved 100% localization of key equipment, including high-efficiency compressors, low-temperature turbines, and large storage tanks; We have innovatively developed a multi energy complementary system that operates in conjunction with a 250 MW photovoltaic power station, forming a green energy base that integrates light and storage. The project has obtained a total of 7 international patents and established a complete independent intellectual property system. Keywords: Energy Storage Latest News, Energy Storage New Energy News

Key support for energy transformation

The operation of this' super air battery 'has multiple strategic values. At the technical level, it breaks through the bottleneck of traditional pumped storage being limited by geographical conditions and electrochemical energy storage capacity, providing a long-term energy storage path that can be widely promoted for the consumption of renewable energy. At the industrial level, the project has achieved full chain localization from materials, equipment to systems, cultivating a new energy storage industry cluster with global competitiveness. In terms of energy security, this technology can efficiently convert and store the abundant new energy resources in the western region, enhance the grid regulation capability through the "Green Power Bank" model, and provide important infrastructure support for building a new power system dominated by new energy, demonstrating China's technological innovation strength in achieving the "dual carbon" goal. (This article is from the official website of Jian Dao www.seetao.com. Reproduction without permission is prohibited, otherwise it will be prosecuted. Please indicate Jian Dao website+original link when reprinting.) Jian Dao website energy storage column editor/Gao Xue