Resilient Energy, Water and Infrastructure

Grid-Scale Subsurface Energy Storage

Illustration depicting compressed air energy storage (CAES) in porous media systems. Illustration by W. Denn.

Understand and develop effective and affordable grid-scale energy storage in the deep subsurface, such as porous media compressed air energy storage, thermal energy storage, or hydrogen storage. Carry out research on capacity assessment, design of systems, performance analysis, assessment of risks, and specialized analysis of site-specific issues.

Overview

Grid-Scale Subsurface Energy Storage is an Energy Geosciences Division initiative within the Resilient Energy, Water and Infrastructure Program Domain.

Featured Projects

News & Events

EESA To Help Develop Seismic Risk Assessment Tool for Natural Gas Storage and Transmission Systems

May 24, 2019

On May 15, 2019, the California Energy Commission awarded a $4.9 million grant to a multi-institutional project team led by UC Berkeley’s Pacific Earthquake Engineering Center (PEER) to improve the seismic risk assessment of natural gas storage and pipeline infrastructure. As part of this project, Berkeley Lab’s Energy Geosciences Division will receive $1.084 million to…

Berkeley Lab Project to Pinpoint Methane ‘Super Emitters’

May 23, 2019

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps about 30 times more heat than carbon dioxide, is commonly released from rice fields, dairies, landfills, and oil and gas facilities – all of which are plentiful in California. Now the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has been awarded $6 million by the state…

EGD Postdoc Represents EESA at National Postdoc Conference

April 27, 2019

Fadji Maina, a postdoctoral fellow with the Energy Geosciences Division (EGD) and board member of the Berkeley Lab Postdoctoral Association (BLPA), represented EESA at the 17th annual National Postdoctoral Association annual conference held April 12-14 in Orlando. Maina attended the conference with six BLPA colleagues and Meg Rodriguez, postdoc manager at Berkeley Lab. The…

Susan Hubbard Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

April 22, 2019

Susan Hubbard, Associate Laboratory Director of the Earth & Environmental Sciences Area and senior scientist at Berkeley Lab, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 239-year old honorary society that recognizes accomplished scholars, scientists and artists in academia, the humanities, arts, business, and government. She is one of four Berkeley Lab scientists…

EESA Participates in Expert Briefing on Environmental Impact of Wildfires at State Capitol

April 4, 2019

Susan Hubbard, Associate Laboratory Director of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area at Berkeley Lab, moderated an expert briefing on the impact California wildfires were having on the environment at the state capitol in Sacramento today. The event is the latest in a series of briefings hosted by the California Council on Science & Technology…

GRC Names Graduate Student Awards After Marcelo Lippmann

March 26, 2019

The Geothermal Resources Council has renamed its graduate student awards to honor the late Marcelo Lippmann, whose tenure at EESA spanned several decades and helped establish Berkeley Lab as a global leader in geothermal research. The council is accepting applications for the five Marcelo Lippmann Graduate Student Scholarship Awards, each in the amount of…