Iowa Stored Energy Park
Encyclopedia
The Iowa Stored Energy Park (ISEP) will use electrical energy generated from a large wind farm
located in Iowa
. This wind power
will be used to store compressed air in an underground geologic structure. During peak power demands, the stored air will be released, mixed with a fuel and used to power combustion turbines that produce environmentally friendly, dispatchable
, and economical electricity.
ISEP will utilize some of the latest innovations in the generation of electricity. Wind turbines, deep underground air storage, and efficient combustion turbines will be used to take the variability
of wind and turn it into clean energy on demand. The project will enable utilities to add additional renewable energy to their power supplies. The project is hoping to store a 20 week supply of compressed air for subsequent use.
Testing and analysis of the ability to store the air underground is being conducted at the ISEP site. When the results from the studies are completed, the project will move into the design phase, with construction to follow. It is anticipated the electricity produced will be available to utilities in 2015.The planned site for the storage is near Dallas Center
.
ISEP is a joint project of municipal utilities in Iowa and several nearby states.
In a conventional gas turbine power plant, the compressor stage consumes nearly two-thirds of the energy produced by the combustion and turbine stages. The use of the precompressed air thus reduces natural gas usage.
The project will use two 134 MW generators totalling about 270 MW of generating capacity.
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
located in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. This wind power
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
will be used to store compressed air in an underground geologic structure. During peak power demands, the stored air will be released, mixed with a fuel and used to power combustion turbines that produce environmentally friendly, dispatchable
Dispatchable generation
Dispatchable generation refers to sources of electricity that can be dispatched at the request of power grid operators; that is, generating plants that can be turned on or off, or can adjust their power output on demand...
, and economical electricity.
ISEP will utilize some of the latest innovations in the generation of electricity. Wind turbines, deep underground air storage, and efficient combustion turbines will be used to take the variability
Intermittent power source
An intermittent energy source is any source of energy that is not continuously available due to some factor outside direct control. The intermittent source may be quite predictable, for example, tidal power, but cannot be dispatched to meet the demand of a power system. Examples of intermittent...
of wind and turn it into clean energy on demand. The project will enable utilities to add additional renewable energy to their power supplies. The project is hoping to store a 20 week supply of compressed air for subsequent use.
Testing and analysis of the ability to store the air underground is being conducted at the ISEP site. When the results from the studies are completed, the project will move into the design phase, with construction to follow. It is anticipated the electricity produced will be available to utilities in 2015.The planned site for the storage is near Dallas Center
Dallas Center, Iowa
Dallas Center is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, USA. The population was 1,595 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Dallas Center is located at ....
.
ISEP is a joint project of municipal utilities in Iowa and several nearby states.
Operation
Low cost off-peak electricity is used to power a motor/generator powering a compressor which compresses and stores air in an underground geologic formation 2800 feet underground. When electric power demand is at a peak, the compressed air is returned to the surface, heated by natural gas in combustors before driving the turbines which power the motor/generator to produce electricity.In a conventional gas turbine power plant, the compressor stage consumes nearly two-thirds of the energy produced by the combustion and turbine stages. The use of the precompressed air thus reduces natural gas usage.
The project will use two 134 MW generators totalling about 270 MW of generating capacity.
See also
- Wind power in the United StatesWind power in the United StatesAs of the third quarter of 2011, the cumulative installed capacity of wind power in the United States was 43,461 megawatts , making it second in the world, behind China. In 2010 wind power accounted for 2.3% of the electricity generated in the United States...
- Compressed air energy storageCompressed air energy storageCompressed Air Energy Storage is a way to store energy generated at one time for use at another time. At utility scale, energy generated during periods of low energy demand can be released to meet higher demand periods....
- Sandia National Labs
- Haddington Ventures