The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES) has completed a four-week test of a scaled-down version of the StEnSea (Stored Energy in the Sea) system in the Lake Constance.
The subsea compressed air energy storage system is designed to temporarily store electricity generated by offshore wind turbines.
During the test phase, the 1:10 version of the system was operated in depths of approximately 100 metres.
The energy storage and the release feature of this storage concept was successfully demonstrated, and the principle has now been proven experimentally, according to Fraunhofer IWES.
The test results are currently being evaluated to inform and validate the computer models developed by Fraunhofer IWES.
The StEnSea project is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
Fraunhofer IWES also plans to deploy a sphere with a 30-metre diameter for a demonstration-scale system, which is said to be the most practical size in terms of engineering.