Liquid Air Energy Storage

Liquid air energy storage is a form of cryogenic energy storage that stores grid electricity by cooling air to about minus 195 degrees Celsius until it liquefies, a state that occupies roughly one thousandth the volume of the original gas and can be held for long periods in ordinary insulated tanks; when power is needed, the liquid air is pumped to high pressure and warmed in heat exchangers, and its rapid expansion back into gas drives a turbine to generate electricity. The stand alone process is about 25 percent efficient, rising to roughly 50 percent when cold released during expansion is captured and reused, and Highview Power has claimed up to 70 percent round trip efficiency when waste heat sources are also incorporated. The technology was piloted at a UK power station in 2010, and a grid scale demonstrator began operating at Pilsworth in Greater Manchester in April 2018; commercial plants have since been announced in the United Kingdom, the United States, Chile and China, including a 60 megawatt, 600 megawatt hour facility that started operating in China Gobi Desert in late 2025. Because it relies on standard industrial components and no rare materials, the technology can in principle be deployed almost anywhere.