The BBC headline this morning Liquid air ‘offers energy storage hope’ looked interesting. I usually start looking at “new solutions” cynically because so often they are misconceived with a “command and control nature” mentality. But this looks interesting. The oil companies might not like it. Though car companies should be ok with it.
The idea is to refrigerate gas to liquid for storage. The to release teh stored energy the liquid is allowed to warm to ambient temperature, thereby gassifying, expanding and driving a piston. A similar concept to the steam engine.
The article linked over to this video of Peter Dearman who has developed the technology to bring it within the scope of commercialisation. There is hope, thanks to people like him. Let’s hope this technology does not get bought or suppressed like the hydro-gasoline innovations of the 1950s which achieved fuel efficiencies of 100mpg (see Gasholes).
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