Compressed air balloons under water as Energy storage or Energy generator?

Compressed air balloons under water as energy storage/generator?

— -Is a closed loop air circulation system coupled with giant underwater balloons and power generators (attached to the sea floor or in the surface and therefore easier maintenance) powered by a dual bi-directional pull cable cost effective and more energy efficient/green than other similar systems like Kite Power Systems? — -

Can we say than it is a closed system that can work 24/7 with the same amount of air and water and we only need to fill up once and then only adjust the amount of air volume from time to time?

If the air is released before/below the balloon opening approx. 2 m deeper in the water (side wall hemisphere protection approx. 4 m deeper than the opening ) only a constant low energy consumption is necessary to pump air up to there, but in the balloon the pressure is permanently increased since the water level below serves as a movable pressure closure …

Can this green/cheap energy source be used to combat climate chaos by generating cost-effective artificial waterspouts / desalination plant/irrigation systems etc.? New tool to combat climate chaos? | LinkedIn

Could a part of the kinetic energy from natural gas, extracted from the sea, increase the eficiency of energy storage in giant underwater balloons?Around a third of the world’s natural gas and oil is extracted from the sea. This proportion will continue to increase in the coming decades, because the oceanic deposits still hold enormous reserves.

Scientists from England’s University of Nottingham have developed a storage method for offshore energy in their research. Special balloons anchored to the seabed could be tapped as needed at low-wind times to get offshore turbines moving. Researchers expect this method to have low energy loss and comparatively low costs resulting from storage.

Some of the excess energy must be used to inflate the balloons, which is thus also the largest consumption item in the process. Thanks to the water pressure at a depth of about 600 meters, it is not necessary to build thick-walled containers for the safe storage of the compressed air.

The Thin Red Line company (( https://lnkd.in/ex-_Ze4h) ) produces the high-performance synthetic fabric from which the balloons are made and which is otherwise used in aviation technology. Steel structures filled with ballast hold the balloons in place. According to project manager Seamus Garves, the storage potential is enormous. One balloon can store 70 megawatt hours of compressed air. This is equivalent to operating a large plant for 14 hours.

Following initial tests in the laboratory, the idea is being tested for its practicality under realistic conditions off the Orkney Islands in Scotland. Research into efficient storage methods is also in full swing in the USA and Canada. Last year, for example, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology presented a concept in which the containers for compressed air are made of hollow concrete spheres. Hydrostor, a Toronto-based company, is also focusing on energy storage in the form of compressed air.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.