When my son was younger, he had an Air Hog model airplane that ran on a piston engine that was powered by compressed air. It didn't fly far, but it was pretty cool. I still had a hard time believing that there could really be an air-powered car of the full scale variety. But now I read of a serious proposal by New Jersey electric utility PSEG to use compressed air to store power underground. There's already a compressed air power plant that's been operating in Alabama since 1991 that can supply 110 MW for 26 hours.
The concept is similar to Eskom's use of hydroelectric dams to store energy for use during peak periods - water runs downhill through turbines to generate electricity, then is pumped back up when there is excess electricity available. It's not very efficient, but it avoids having to build extra power stations just to provide for peak demand. The PSEG proposal, though, is intended to make wind power more feasible. Since wind is sporadic, storage of wind power allows the supply to be provided when it's needed, not just when there happens to be wind.
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