Batteries? We don’t need no stinking batteries!

PG&E to compress air to store wind power

Despite all the talk about needed breakthroughs in batteries, Pacific Gas & Electric is pursuing a less high-tech approach to store wind power: underground compressed air.

The utility on Wednesday said that it is seeking $25 million in smart-grid stimulus funds to build an underground compressed-air storage facility that would be able to deliver as much electricity as a medium-size power plant for about 10 hours.

With compressed-air energy storage (CAES), air is compressed and then pumped in natural underground reservoirs. The air is released later and converted into electricity.

There are currently two compressed-air energy storage facilities in operation—one in Alabama and one in Germany—but the technique has been getting more attention because it is a relatively cheap approach to storage.