Compressing Wind

This book explores ways in which energy produced by wind turbines can be stored cost effectively in the form of compressed air. Compressed air energy storage has the advantage of being able to store vast amounts of energy relatively cheaply, which would make a wind turbine a lot more effective. Direct storage smooths out energy delivery into the grid and negates many of the drawbacks of erratic wind fluctuations. This book investigates the state of the art research being done on this topic while also introducting some new novel ideas. Alternative wind turbine drivetrains are also investigated. Finally we also assess the life cycle costs of electricity generated by such a wind turbine.