Energy storage in salt caverns with supercritical CO2

Energy storage is essential for a supply-secure power grid in the further expansion of the renewable energies, in order to integrate the increasing fluctuating power generation with their low guaranteed power into the energy system. A novel storage technology, an innovative, emission-free cavern storage power plant using supercritical CO2 as the working fluid in a closed loop is presented. Energy storage with sCO(2) in a salt mine is comparable to a pumped storage power plant with the difference that supercritical CO2 is used instead of water and the storage does not take place at the surface in an upper and lower reservoir, but in a high- and low-pressure cavern underground in rock salt with a small footprint on the surface. Supercritical CO2 turbines represent a technical innovation in energy conversion. For the long-term goal of achieving climate neutrality, CO2 sinks are required for the remaining CO2 sources from industry and other sectors. The construction of sCO(2) energy storage mines in salt through Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage can contribute to this.