College Park, MD (August 1, 2001)- Alternative energy sources are on a lot of people's minds these days. So, the idea of storing energy by compressing air in underground mines may sound like science fiction, but it is already being done in Alabama and within a few years residents in Ohio will have their own compressed air plant.

"The world's first compressed air energy storage plant was in Germany," says Lee Davis, plant manager for the Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) Power Plant in McIntosh, Alabama. "The Alabama CAES plant was the first in the United States when it opened in 1991."

The Alabama Electric Cooperative CAES plant works like this: On nights and weekends air is pumped underground and compressed using low-cost electricity at pressures up to 1,078 pounds per square inch. Average air pressure level at sea level is only 14.7 pounds per square inch. During the day at peak times, air is released and heated using a small amount of natural gas. The heated air flows through a turbine generator to produce electricity.

In conventional gas-turbine power generation, the air that drives the turbine is compressed and heated using natural gas. On the other hand, CAES technology needs less gas to produce power during periods of peak demand, because is uses air that has already been compressed and stored underground.

"The proposed plant in Norton, OH about 35 miles south of Cleveland will be the world's largest CAES plant," says Michael McGill, Vice President of business development at, Norton Energy Storage. "At peak operation, the plant will store enough electricity to provide 675,000 homes with electricity for just over two days."

With the success of the Alabama plant, developers began to look for other suitable locations. "We looked at several other states before we decided on an abandoned limestone mine in Ohio, but soon we hope to explore some of the other promising CAES sites around the country and begin constructing," says McGill.

While the idea of compressed air energy storage has been in existence for the last decade, it is only now gaining popularity and support as researchers look for energy alternatives. "I think that it is important for all states to look at their alternative energy generation resources and ways of storing energy," says John Turner, a researcher at National Renewable Energy Laboratory. " Compress air energy storage is definitely one."

CAES may be the solution to take the pressure off finding alternative energy sources.

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Contact:
Emilie Lorditch
(301) 209-3029

Experts:
Lee Davis
Plant Manager
Compressed Air Energy Storage Power Plant
334-944-2280 x13
lee.davis@powersouth.com

Michael McGill
Vice President of Business Development
Norton Energy Storage
281-378-9032

John Turner
Principal Scientist
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
303-275-4270
john.turner@nrel.gov