Compressed-Air Energy Storage

To make wind power useful whenthe wind isn't blowing, power companies need utility-scale energystorage, but batteries that big aren't yet practical. One option is touse wind power to compress air for storage in tanks or cavernsunderground, then use the air to run a generator. That's the goal ofthe Iowa Stored Energy Park in Dallas Center, Iowa, where site testingof recently drilled wells will be completed next year. The technologyis also part of the design for the world's largest wind farm, a3000-megawatt project planned for Briscoe County in Texas.

Source: popularmechanics.comAdded: 9 December 2008