China is building a groundbreaking liquid air energy storage facility known as the Super Air Power Bank, developed by China Green Development Investment Group in the Gobi Desert, Qinghai province. The plant aims to store energy by liquefying air at extremely low temperatures and releasing it to generate electricity on demand, offering a potential breakthrough in renewable energy management.
The facility works by compressing and cooling air to minus 194 degrees Celsius, liquefying it, and storing it deep underground. When electricity is needed, the liquid air is reheated and allowed to expand more than 750 times, driving turbines to produce power. Each discharge cycle can generate up to 600,000 kilowatt-hours and sustain output for around 10 hours, with an annual production projected at 180 million kilowatt-hours—enough to supply roughly 30,000 households.
Unlike chemical batteries or fossil-fuel systems, the plant does not rely on rare minerals, making it a potentially sustainable and scalable energy storage solution. Excess electricity from the grid powers large compressors, and ambient air is purified, cooled, and liquefied in cryogenic tanks. When demand rises, the air vaporizes and drives a turbine generator, sending electricity back to the grid.
Experts highlight the plant’s significance in stabilizing renewable energy supply. Wang Junjie, a Chinese energy specialist, told Beijing Daily that solar and wind power are inherently intermittent, creating peaks and valleys in electricity supply that challenge grid stability. The Super Air Power Bank could help balance these fluctuations. Additionally, integrating cold energy from LNG regasification along China’s coast could further improve efficiency and system performance.
If successful, the project may represent a major step toward large-scale, clean energy storage that complements China’s expanding renewable energy infrastructure.
