Storage of excess electrical energy generated by photovoltaics in form of compressed air in a production chain considering energy efficiency

Inhalt:
As part of the energy turnaround, the intermediate storage of electrical energy generated from volatile sources is becoming increasingly important. One innovative approach is the use of compressed air energy storage in underground caverns. Since industry has many decentralized compressed air systems, this study analyses whether industrial compressed air systems are suitable for the intermediate storage of electrical energy. The investigations are carried out using an exemplary simulation model of a process chain combined with a photovoltaic system and a compressed air system in MATLAB. The energy converted by a photovoltaic system is used to supply the production line. If there is a surplus of electrical energy, it is converted into compressed air. Re-electrification is not considered in the analysis. If the photovoltaic system only supplies the production line, it has no influence on the efficiency of the production line. Regarding the efficiency of the production chain, if there is a surplus of energy it has a small effect on the efficiency of the production line. In principle, it can be demonstrated that industrial compressed air systems and especially their storage systems, are suitable for the intermediate storage of electrical energy, provided they are appropriately dimensioned.