In May, the Cleveland Institution of Engineers welcomed our Executive Director, Tallat, as a guest speaker for their event held at Teesside University. Tallat received a gift from Sue Parker of the institution, and presented his case for the practical application of geological energy storage, with an emphasis on compressed air and hydrogen storage.
During the presentation, Tallat explored the significance of geological energy storage, particularly in the context of the UK’s favourable geology. He underscored the benefit of leveraging the country’s geological makeup. With an extensive network of pre-existing salt caverns the UK is extremely well suited to utilise geological energy storage. He also stressed that the UK was not unique in this, estimating that over 60 other countries also have a viable geological makeup for this type of energy storage.
Tallat went on to highlight Teesside’s history in pioneering industry. With over two decades of experience in utilising salt caverns for hydrogen storage, the region is poised to become a trailblazer in energy innovation, a notion that attendees Dr Chris Beck (Arup’s Teesside growth director), and Mark Lewis (Technology & Innovation Manager at Tees Valley Combined Authority) would no doubt attest to. Indeed, Mark expressed his support for Storelectric’s storage solutions and their role in the future local energy landscape.
Tallat also covered the global interest and investment resurgence in Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) and hydrogen projects, which are beginning to gain worldwide momentum.
In the ensuing Q&A session, Tallat was asked about the need for CAES given that batteries are a proven technology. He offered a comparison between the two, explaining that CAES has been proven over 40 years and is far more effective than batteries for large-scale, long-duration storage. He also highlighted concerns about the carbon intensity of extracting lithium.
There were also questions about the National Grid and the economic viability of storage solutions, to which Tallat emphasised the importance of diversifying revenue streams and maintaining operational flexibility amidst the evolving renewable energy landscapes.
Tallat expressed his thanks to the Cleveland Institution of Engineers for inviting him to speak, and to Teesside University for hosting this event.
