UK company RheEnergise, which is developing a new form of long-duration hydro-energy storage system, is to build its first-of-a-kind demonstrator of the system at Sibelco’s mining operations located at Cornwood, in the southwest of the UK. Work onsite to build the demonstrator will start imminently, with its commissioning scheduled to start in September.
The power generated by the demonstrator – it has a peak power production of 500 kW – will support Sibelco’s mining operations at times of high energy demand and help the company’s efforts to decarbonise its operations. The Cornwood site produces kaolin, a kind of clay used mainly for sanitary ware, ceramics, tiles and industrial applications.
The project is being supported through the UK government’s Longer Duration Energy Storage (LODES) Demonstration Programme, and by the local authority Devon County Council, which permitted the project.
Stephen Crosher, chief executive of RheEnergise, commented: “The demonstrator is a trailblazing project for the LDES sector and will place us in a strong position to build commercial-scale projects in this country and overseas. We have global interest in our technology from as far [away] as Australia and Chile. We would like to have our first 10 MW grid-scale project in operation within two years.”
High-Density Hydro storage system is said to be low-cost, energy efficient and environmentally benign. Rather than using water, it uses a fluid developed by RheEnergise that is 2.5 times as dense as water, and therefore can transport 2.5 times the amount of energy when compared to a conventional low-density hydro-power system such as those that operate in the Scottish Highlands, Wales and other parts of the world.
RheEnergise’s analysis of potential project opportunities has indicated that there are around 6500 site opportunities in the UK, 115 000 in Europe, 345 000 in North America and 500 000 in Africa and the Middle East.
