Windmaker Designing Wind Storage System

Siemens researches thermal storage system for wind energy

Michelle Froese, September 27, 2016 (Windpower Engineering & Development)

“…[World-leading German wind turbine manufacturer Siemens, in partnership with the Technical University Hamburg Harburg (TUHH) and urban utility company Hamburg Energie, is] researching a storage solution…[Future Energy Solution (FES) converts excess wind energy to heat in rock fill and stores it] with an insulated cover…When there is a need for additional electricity, a steam turbine converts the heat energy back to electricity. The principle of this store promises an extremely low-cost set-up…Siemens is currently operating a test set-up…[and] researching how to make charging and discharging the store particularly efficient…The store is being tested at temperatures over 600° C…Just like a hot air gun, a fan uses an electrically-heated air flow to heat the stones to the desired temperature. When discharging, the hot stones in turn heat the air current, which then heats a steam boiler — the pressure drives a generator via a steam turbine…[The full-size FES] will generate so much steam that a Siemens compact steam turbine can generate output of up to 1.5 MW of electricity for up to 24 hours a day. The researchers expect to generate effectiveness of around 25%...” click here for more

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