Coal Plant to Grid Storage
Transform retired coal plants into grid-scale thermal energy storage facilities
Overview
Conversion of Retired Coal-Fired Power Plant to Grid ESS
Retired coal-fired power plants have valuable existing infrastructure including grid connections, turbines, and cooling systems. IsoTES® enables conversion of these facilities into grid-scale energy storage systems by replacing the boiler with thermal energy storage. The existing turbines and generators continue to produce dispatchable power, creating new life for stranded assets while preserving jobs and guaranteeing stable power supply.
Background & Challenges
Background
Retired coal-fired power plants are causing a lot of issues
- Lost jobs for power plant workers and local communities
- Asset damage from stranded infrastructure investments
- Unstable power supply as reliable baseload capacity is retired
Korea is no exception
- Korea has to retire 28 coal-fired power plants by 2036
- This represents significant economic and employment challenges
Challenges
How to convert retired coal plants while preserving value
- Need to maintain employment for local communities
- Must preserve valuable grid infrastructure investments
- Require stable power supply to replace retired capacity
Solution and Values delivered by IsoTES®
-
If the boiler of a retired coal-fired power plant is replaced by the IsoTES®, it can be converted into a grid-scale ESS
-
The other parts of the plant can be used without modification
-
It will remove the issues caused by the retired power plants
System Transformation
How IsoTES® converts existing infrastructure
500MW Standard Coal-Fire Power Plant
500 MW Grid-Scale ESS
Key Values
Features and benefits of this solution
Key Features
- Utilize existing power plant infrastructure
- Grid-scale thermal storage integration
- Existing turbine and generator reuse
- Transmission infrastructure leverage
Benefits
- Repurpose stranded coal plant assets
- Maintain local employment
- Provide grid-scale storage at lower cost
- Accelerate energy transition
Comparison of Grid-Scale ESS Technologies
Comparing grid-scale energy storage solutions
| ESS type |
Storage capacity
(MWh)
|
Power
(MW)
|
Energy density
(kWh/m³)
|
Round-trip
efficiency
|
LCOS
($/kWh)
|
Response
time
|
Types of
supply energy
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium-ion battery (LIB) | 1 ~ 1,200 | 0 ~ 100 | 250 ~ 500 | 0.75 ~ 0.95 | 0.27 ~ 0.42 | < 1 sec | electricity |
| Compressed air (CAES) | 10 ~ 1,000 | 5 ~ 300 | 3 ~ 6 | 0.70 ~ 0.79 | 0.12 ~ 0.16 | < 15 min | electricity |
| Liquified air (LAES) | 25 ~ 1,200 | 10 ~ 200 | 120 ~ 200 | 0.50 ~ 0.60 | 0.24 ~ 0.75 | min | electricity, cold energy |
| Pumped hydro (PHS) | 500 ~ 8,000 | 5 ~ 1,000 | 0.1 ~ 1.5 | 0.80 ~ 0.87 | 0.10 ~ 0.13 | sec ~ min | electricity |
| IsoTES® | 5 ~ 15,000 | 1 ~ 500 | 100 ~ 250 | 0.40 ~ 0.44 | 0.14 ~ 0.25 | min | electricity, heat |
Technical Highlights
Engineering details and specifications
Large-scale molten salt storage
Steam system integration
Grid services capability
Status & Plan
GIGAette and KAIST have conducted a feasibility study as shown in the comparison table
The study proves that the solution is very cost effective
This approach preserves jobs and assets, while guaranteeing stable power supply
Related Technology
Learn more about the IsoTES® systems used in this application
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Let us help you implement Coal Plant to Grid Storage with IsoTES® technology.