{"id":4001,"date":"2023-06-29T12:29:30","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T12:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationisrael.org.il\/en\/?post_type=report&p=3339"},"modified":"2023-08-15T10:24:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T10:24:00","slug":"blowing-in-the-wind","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/innovationisrael.org.il\/en\/article\/blowing-in-the-wind\/","title":{"rendered":"Blowing in the Wind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In 2010, Dr. Or Yogev<\/strong> was traveling with his wife in the San Gorgonio Mountain range in California. During the trip, that took place in the afternoon, he observed hundreds of wind turbines erected to create electricity for the area’s residents standing motionless, due to the lack of wind. In the late-night hours, he then saw the same turbines rotating rapidly and creating electricity, even though the residents’ electricity consumption at night was negligible and there was no way to store the electricity generated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This inspired him to design a system that would enable the storage of electricity in the lower part of the turbine during the windy part of the day and to convert that energy into electricity during the hours without wind, all while using sustainable raw materials that do not pollute the environment. He set out with an understanding that storing energy will enable the global electricity economy to make the transition to the widespread use of renewable energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That realization became reality when Yogev founded ‘Augwind<\/strong>‘ (an abbreviation of Augmented Wind). Over the last decade, the company has developed an energy storage system \u2013 revolutionary on a global scale \u2013 called ‘AirBattery’. The system, protected by more than 10 patents, can store electricity as compressed air which can then also be reconverted, when needed, back into electricity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Until now, different methods have been developed for storing energy, with more than 90% of the world’s energy currently stored in pumped-storage facilities \u2013 two large water reservoirs separated by an elevation difference of 400-500 meters. To charge the electricity, the system uses electricity to pump water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir, while to discharge the electricity, the system releases the water from the upper reservoir to the lower one via a turbine, thereby generating electricity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pumped-storage systems of this kind are mega-projects that cost billions, take years to construct, and require special geographical conditions, while having a significant impact on the environment. Furthermore, the new power network, that will be based on renewable water sources, will require energy storage assets at different junctions along the length and breadth of the network, resulting in a need for storage solutions that can be installed at a diverse range of locations and at differing output scales. In contrast, with AirBattery’s unique technology, the huge water reservoirs, dams, and quarries are replaced by an innovative hydro-pneumatic air compressing system that is installed at an underground depth of only 3.5 meters and can be applied in almost any field conditions or climate. AirBattery thereby provide access to the advantages of pumped energy in a downsized, modular, and expandable form for a variety of applications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n AirBattery recently completed the establishment of the first extraction facility of its kind in the world, with the first commercial installation of the AirBattery system at Kibbitz Yahel in the Arava district in Israel. The kibbutz sought a storage solution suitable from an energy efficiency perspective that also integrates electricity generated from solar energy into its power network but was unenthusiastic about the option of placing tanks of lithium-ion batteries around the kibbutz. Yahel therefore became the first location in the world to store electricity underground using sustainable raw materials, without relying on lithium-ion batteries or damaging the landscape. The energy is stored in underground concrete tanks that enable the kibbutz to utilize the empty space above the system. The system at Kibbutz Yahel is relatively small in comparison to the company’s expected future installations, and stores 1 megawatt of power an hour. One of the byproducts of Augwind’s system is cold air (15 degrees) that will be diverted for use in cooling the dairy farm and for refrigeration in the kibbutz dates factory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n