Toronto: Hydrostor, a developer of Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) projects, in partnership with NRStor Incorporated, a Canadian energy storage project developer, announced November 25 the completion of the Goderich A-CAES Facility, located in Goderich, Ontario. The developer notes that the plant “represents a pivotal advancement in long-duration energy storage and a world first in the successful commercialization of fuel-free (adiabatic) CAES technology.”
The completion milestone was marked with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony at the facility, attended by a host of local and provincial elected officials, dignitaries, and industry executives. Among those speaking at the event were the Hon. Bill Walker, Associate Minister of Energy, and the Hon. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Government and Consumer Services.
The Goderich A-CAES Facility is commercially contracted to the Independent Electricity System Operator for peaking capacity, ancillary services and full participation in the merchant energy market to support grid reliability. Entirely fuel-free, the plant produces zero greenhouse gas emissions, and helps enable a cleaner, more affordable, and more flexible electricity grid.
“New technologies are changing the way we keep the lights on for Ontarians,” said Peter Gregg, President and CEO, IESO. “NRStor and Hydrostor’s Compressed Air Energy Storage project is a great example of the innovation we’re seeing in this province, and will help us further understand how these unique resources can best integrate with Ontario’s market and system operations, and drive down costs for consumers.”
With 1.75 megawatts of peak power output, a 2.2 MW charge rating, and 10+ megawatt-hours of storage capacity, the company calls the achievement a first-of-its-kind utility-scale commercial application of A-CAES technology, conforming to all interconnection, uptime, performance and dispatch standards as set out by the IESO.
Hydrostor’s A-CAES technology works by using electricity from the grid to run an air compressor, producing heated compressed air. The heat is extracted from the air stream and stored for later use on discharge. The cooled compressed air is then sent underground and stored in a cavern, which can be either pre-existing or purpose-built to suit system requirements. When the grid requires dispatchable energy capacity, the air is brought back to the surface, re-collects the stored heat, and is expanded through an air turbine to generate power on demand.
The project was supported by Export Development Canada (EDC) and received funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), which works with Canadian companies to bring clean technologies to market. In addition, project funding was provided by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE).
“Supporting new and innovative forms of energy production is vital to ensure that we continue to meet Ontario’s electricity needs with a diverse supply of power,” said Bill Walker, Associate Minister of Energy. “Our government congratulates Hydrostor on this first-in-the-world technology that will provide greater grid reliability to consumers. With these advancements we can build Ontario’s future together as a market leader in energy innovation.”
Earlier this month, the Goderich A-CAES Facility also received an Energy Storage North America Innovation Award, recognizing its excellence and leadership in energy storage and positive impact on the industry.
The Goderich milestone comes on the heels of Hydrostor closing $49 million in growth financing, highlighting an accelerating shift toward higher-value long-duration energy storage technologies and market opportunities. The company is currently advancing a pipeline of large-scale A-CAES projects that already represent over 2 GW and 16 GWh of deployment potential in the USA, Canada, Chile and Australia.