Advanced Adiabatic

Compressed Air Energy Storage

(AA-CAES)
A Sustainable, Large-Scale Electricity Storage Solution

Concept
The increasing share of intermittent renewables in the electricity mix creates the need for efficient
and viable electricity storage solutions to stabilize the grid. In the ALACAES storage technology,
excess electricity from the grid is used to compress air using adiabatic compressors. The hot stream
of compressed air is then cooled down in a thermal energy storage before being stored in mountain
caverns. When needed, the direction of the flow is reversed to convert the compressed air back to
electricity using turbines.

AIR STORAGE

ELECTRICITY

IN

THERMAL ENERGY
STORAGE

ELECTRICITY

OUT

Thermal Energy Storage

The thermal energy storage is developed for
Airlight Energys concentrated solar power
solution and is based on a packed bed of rocks
placed in a concrete container able to operate at
temperatures up to 800 C.

Pilot Plant
The world-wide first pilot plant is being
constructed by ALACAES in the Swiss Alps to test
the critical components of the technology. It has
received a grant of 1.3m from the Swiss Federal
Office of Energy.

Thermal Energy Storage

Product Roadmap
2012

Inception

2014/15
Pilot Plant

2015

Strategic
Partnerships

Key Highlights

AA-CAES

Market
Secondary Reserve Market

One of the lowest CAPEX per kWh

Zero-emission (no fossil fuel burning)

Energy Balancing

Enabling large-scale electricity storage

Peak Shaving

Low environmental footprint

T&D Deferral

> 72% round-trip efficiency

Black-Start Services

< 5 minutes ramping time

Charge
Discharge
Electricity
M Motor
G Generator
Pilot Plant under construction in an unused tunnel

M
G

2016

Commercial Plant
Feasibility Study

2017

Planned Construction Start

First Commercial Plant

100 bar
70 bar

Airlight Energy is a Swiss private company

that supplies proprietary solar technologies
for large-scale production of electricity
and thermal energy, and for energy storage.
ALACAES was established in 2012 as
a majority-owned subsidiary of Airlight
Energy together with Amberg Engineering
and Lombardi - Ingegneri Consulenti to
develop the AA-CAES technology.

Follow the progress of our plant

through our Twitter account.
@ALACAES

Airlight Energy Holding SA

Via Industria 10
6710 Biasca - Switzerland
www.alacaes.com