AugWind Vitality To Set up First Industrial-Scale AirBattery In Germany

Final Up to date on: 1st July 2025, 11:17 am

Augwind Vitality, primarily based in Israel, will construct the “world’s first commercial-scale AirBattery system” in Germany. The battery will use compressed air saved in salt caverns to generate electrical energy. The AirBattery system can retailer sufficient compressed air to generate gigawatt-hours of electrical energy.

The air is compressed utilizing extra renewable electrical energy and could be saved for lengthy intervals — as much as a number of months. Battery storage techniques are usually used for comparatively quick bursts, about 2 to eight hours, however principally simply as much as 4 hours. Lengthy-duration power storage — which means days, weeks, and months — can be wanted to again up renewable power era.

Or Yogev, Founder and CEO of Augwind, answered some questions concerning the industrial AirBattery undertaking in Germany for CleanTechnica.

What’s going to the storage capability be for the primary commercial-scale AirBattery in Germany?

Whereas we’re nonetheless finalising the precise specs for our first industrial facility in Germany, our AirBattery expertise sometimes has the potential to retailer sufficient compressed air to generate between 3–8 GWh of electrical energy in a single cavern. The ultimate capability will rely on the particular cavern we choose and the actual wants of our German companions. [Editor’s note: The world’s largest compressed air energy storage system is currently a 300 MW/1,500 GWh system in China. It also uses a salt cavern to store the compressed air. —Zach]

What’s going to the undertaking value be?

A lot of the undertaking prices will rely on the cavern’s specifics. The corporate expects that the primary of a form AirBattery module will value between 7–15 million euros, relying totally on the cavern stress vary.

What supply of electrical energy can be used to compress the air within the AirBattery?

Our AirBattery system is designed particularly to utilise surplus renewable power from the grid — primarily from wind and photo voltaic sources. That is actually the fantastic thing about our expertise: we’re taking extra renewable electrical energy that might in any other case be wasted in periods of oversupply and storing it for when Germany wants it most. Through the use of domestically produced renewable extra electrical energy, we’re not solely decreasing stress on the electrical energy grid but additionally strengthening Germany’s independence from unstable worldwide power markets.

How can the salt cavern be sealed so no compressed air leaks?

The salt within the deep underground is extremely condensed and pressurized by the load above it. In reality, it’s so dense that it’s utterly hermetic. This distinctive attribute has led to the usage of answer mined salt caverns for safely storing compressed pure fuel for over half a century. A number of such caverns had additionally been in use for air storage in Germany, the USA, and China. Even a lot smaller and elusive molecules similar to hydrogen and helium have been safely saved in answer mined salt caverns.

How lengthy can the compressed air in a salt cavern be used as power storage?

That is the place our AirBattery expertise actually shines. We are able to retailer power for as much as a number of months — a game-changing functionality for addressing Germany’s ‘Dunkelflaute’ intervals when photo voltaic and wind output is low. Theoretically, our system has limitless period potential, restricted solely by the amount of the cavern itself. This long-duration storage functionality is strictly what Europe wants as renewable power penetration exceeds 50%.

How lengthy will it take to put in and fee the AirBattery?

As soon as allowing is full, we count on the above floor set up to take round 9–12 months, and commissioning to take one other 3–6 months.

What number of generators can be used to generate electrical energy with the compressed air?

The primary facility would come with 3 or 4 generators, producing 3–10 MW of energy on common. The generators can be much like the extremely environment friendly Voith Hydro turbine at the moment working in our demonstration website.

How shortly can the AirBattery be used to generate electrical energy when there’s demand?

Fairly quick, however not as quick as lithium-ion. We couple the system with short-duration lithium-ion batteries for ancillary companies and to supply a high-quality energy profile.

Who will use your first commercial-scale AirBattery in Germany?

We’re at the moment working carefully with a spread of stakeholders together with native cavern homeowners, utilities, power merchants, and industrial off-takers to finalise our partnerships. Whereas I can’t announce particular clients but, I can say that the curiosity from the German power sector has been large. Our aim is to develop into Europe’s most popular associate for multiweek storage options, and this German launch will show that long-term power storage just isn’t solely technically possible however economically sound.

What’s going to the AirBattery’s value per kWh be?

Our AirBattery expertise presents exceptionally aggressive economics at 10–15 USD per kWh for multiweek period storage. This cost-effectiveness, mixed with our minimal environmental footprint and use of domestically sourced supplies reasonably than essential minerals, makes AirBattery the clear alternative for Germany’s power transition wants.