Rail-based Energy Storage Project Moves Forward

"California-based Advanced Rail Energy Storage (ARES) received a right-of-way lease from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to build a $55 million, gravity-based, commercial-scale rail energy storage project on 106 acres of public land in southern Nevada.

The 50-megawatt design is expected to provide 12.5 MWh of energy for grid stabilization. Energy will be stored and released for dispatch to the western grid via the Valley Electric Association, which has a transmission tie to California, offering access to this green-power-hungry market."

So, let me get this straight: A California company gets the profits, Southern Nevada gets an eyesore, Californian gets the energy, Nevada doesn't even get a say because this was done through the BLM, California gets to feel "Green", Nevada still gets to use part of it's water allotment cleaning the rails. Is that about right?

Wonderful, just freakin' wonderful - if your from California, not so much if you live in Southern Nevada.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/27196#comment1148895

They will put more energy in than they get out of it. Whatever you call it, it is not green! It is just an energy storage system that benefits the power company and not the green expectations! On rails? Really?

That is true, but I think the idea is to 'store' surplus energy in some way to use at times of peak demand or low supply.

It is just a gravity battery, and turned 90 degrees into the earth would have a much smaller footprint, I guess the commissioners of the project have interests in railtrack.

cnc jim

If they're not going to use water tank cars, I wonder what will be the heavy, useless ballast used on these railroad cars. Maybe they could use spent reactor fuel rods and their containment vessels for the mass to be moved up and down hill.

Yuck-a-Rail? ;)

The plan seems to be to use rock, concrete and soil for the ballast.