Storing air for energy reserves

An idea to utilize the available abundant air so that it can be used for energy needs in lieu of other alternative energy if a time is not available. Researchers at the University of Arizona (UA) has the idea to compress air for storage to a natural or man-made reservoir that can be used when other energy alternatives are not available.

For this idea UA received financial support from Science Foundation Arizona, Arizona Solar Energy Research Institute, the U.S. Energy Department and several local businesses. Furthermore, researchers also attempted to use compressed air directly to the household electricity needs.

The researchers estimate that if a compressed air stored in the reservoir area of ​​the two pools, its will be able to produce a few megawatt-hours of energy. Sites such as salt deposits, porous rocks and natural reservoirs would be a nice place for compressed air storing.

They also are developing a method called the Differential Target Antenna Coupling method. This new subsurface imaging technology helps to find a suitable reservoir for storage of compressed air through the structure maps with a deeper investigation and greater resolution. Researchers hoping for a prototype next year for this project.