Storing Energy in an Empty Hole in Utah Is World Leading Technology

One way to supply more electricity is to use the surplus that no one uses during off-peak times. For instance you have a lot of solar energy created in the day that doesn’t get used because people don’t turn on lights then. 

Unlocking Surplus Energy: Harnessing Off-Peak Electricity

Storing this electricity to be used to go back into the grid when it is needed would be a big benefit. In the eastern part of the United States, they are looking at using some of the half a million abandoned coal mines to store electricity. 

The concept is simple. When there is excess electricity, it is used to lift heavy weight up the mine shaft. At peak times, these weights are dropped, and the gravity drives a generator that feeds electricity back into the grid. 

Pioneering Hydrogen Energy: Utah’s Salt Dome Project

This same concept is being used in Utah with underground salt domes. In an area near Delta, Mitsubishi Power is using a massive cavity in these deep salt deposits to store hydrogen to be used in energy production. 

They are also looking at filling the salt dome with compressed air using the same concept as the weights in the old coal mines. Taking the excess electricity during slow times, they pump air into the salt cavity and then release it to spin a generator and produce energy when it is needed. 

Read More: Governor Cox Announces Big Nuclear Energy Push For Utah

The technology to create electricity is moving fast, and Utah is on the cutting edge.