Hundreds, if not thousands, of UK hills could be transformed into renewable energy ‘batteries’ through a ground-breaking hydropower system embedded underground.
British startup RheEnergise has invented an energy storage solution called High–Density Hydro that uses gravity on hills to store energy. The low-cost, energy-efficient, and environmentally-benign process is similar to existing hydropower plants that pump water up mountains when energy is inexpensive and then release it when needed to spin turbines and produce more electricity.
These hydropower plants require huge dams that can take a decade or longer to build. However, the new HD Hydro system can be built on smaller hills, making it feasible in a wider range of areas. It also has a less environmental impact and can be constructed faster and easier to maintain, lowering the overall cost.
Stephen Crosher, RheEnergise’s Chief Executive, said:
We offer a neat, low-cost, zero-carbon, and scalable solution to meet the energy storage needs of this country and across the world.
Instead of using water, the HD Hydro system pumps a special fluid, known as High-Density Fluid R-19, that’s two and a half times denser than water, which means it can store equivalent amounts of energy on a smaller hill. It can deliver two and a half times the power and energy compared to an average low-density hydropower system. The fluid is pumped up and down hills in pipes between storage tanks buried underground, so they aren’t visible in pristine areas.
According to the startup, this breakthrough could lead to 7GW of energy storage if around 700 sites across the country hosted the HD hydro projects. This would give the UK a big leap forward in the use of renewable electricity.
Crosher explained:
Energy storage, like our HD Hydro system, will enable the increased deployment of wind and solar generation to achieve the energy transition; renewables, being intermittent, requires flexible, efficient, and low-cost storage solutions. Our HD Hydro system offers exactly that. We all know that HD TV is much better than conventional TV, it’s the same with HD Hydro, much better, in fact, 2½ times better.
The system could be installed in the many abandoned mines in the north of the UK, giving them a new life with a renewable energy-focused purpose. Fast company states that the startup has mapped out 9,500 sites across the UK with hills ideal for hosting the technology.
RheEnergise is currently running a crowdfunding campaign on crowdcube to fund the next phase of its work. The startup believes the technology could be months away from being constructed in one of the sites they’ve pinpointed.
