April 22, 2021 – Hydrostor landed a $500,000 investment from Natural Resources Canada to develop its advanced compressed air energy storage (A-CAES) technology—a scalable and emissions-free, long-duration energy storage solution.

Approximately $4 million has been committed to the project, with support from NRCan’s Energy Innovation Program and Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

According to NRCan, A-CAES will reduce the use of fossil fuels and provide “reliable and bankable energy storage solutions for utilities and regulators”, while integrating renewable energy.

Unlike pumped hydro, A-CAES has the “key advantage of being able to be flexibly sited where the grid needs it”, says NRCan. The technology operates similarly to a gas plant, but is entirely non-emitting, and potentially much more cost-effective than batteries at scale, adds NRCan, with an estimated 50-year asset life.

Hydrostor is working on optimizing its patented technology for use on a commercial scale. This will increase the clean technology’s readiness for wider deployment and result in a flexible reference design that will apply to A-CAES facilities going forward, adds NRCan.

The 300-MW to 500-MW project facility will be modelled on the success of Hydrostor’s commercially operating facility in Goderich, Ont., and will provide up to 12 hours of long-duration energy storage.

“This made-in-Canada solution, with the support of NRCan, is ready to be widely deployed within Canada and globally to lower electricity rates and decarbonize the electricity sector,” said Curtis VanWalleghem, CEO, Hydrostor Inc.