Storing the wind under the sea

A professor in Britain has come up with the idea of 'storing wind power' in the form of compressed air in giant underwater bags. And an energy company has poured money into realizing this idea .

Wind - never-ending energy source (Photo: BBC)

"When Britain and the world use more and more renewable energy, we need to take into account energy storage solutions ," said Professor Seamus Garvey of the University of Nottingham. In addition to wind power, Garvey also plans to store other natural energy sources such as ocean waves and tides. Accordingly, energy is compressed into gaseous and pumped into seabed anchorage bags. During peak hours, compressed air will be released through the turbine system to convert it into electricity.

According to Garvey, the demand for electricity during the day is not always high, and the wind does not always blow at the same speed. " It's going to come when wind energy generates more than the country's total electricity consumption, then, or we have to store or waste extra energy ," Garvey said.

Professor Seamus Garvey (Photo: BBC)

E.ON Energy Company in the UK has donated 300,000 euros to Garvey to develop wind energy storage technology under the seabed. Garvey said he would create two 'power packs', the first to be used on land, the other to be brought to the seafloor and to be operated by sea waves. The second 'power pack' is expected to be shipped to the seabed in 18 months.