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

New Research Shows How Surface Roughness Affects Subsurface Rock Micro-Fractures

October 17, 2018

Mineral surface area largely controls the interactions of minerals with fluids and microbes, and the rate of chemical reactions, including mineral dissolution, precipitation, and oxidation-reduction which involves a transfer of electrons between two species. New research from EESA explores the impact of surface roughness on mineral dissolution rates in micro-fractures within rocks deep underground.…

How Drought and Other Extremes Impact Water Pollution

October 15, 2018

This Q and A article appeared first on the Berkeley Lab News Center. Previously, the work of the Watershed Function SFA Research team was featured during a podcast for News Deeply. You can hear Bhavna Arora talk about her research here. One in 10 Americans depends on the Colorado River for bathing and drinking.…

Bill Gates’ $1 Billion Clean Energy Fund Invests in Geothermal Company Hosted By EESA

October 5, 2018

Bill Gates’ $1 billion Breakthrough Energy Ventures is investing in a host of startups developing technology that confront climate change. Among the first selected was Fervo Energy, a company hosted by EESA that is applying fracking techniques to the geothermal industry in the hope of converting far more of the planet’s latent heat into a source of…

TOUGH Symposium Underway October 8-10

A symposium on the applications and enhancements of the popular TOUGH flow-simulation computer programs is underway Monday, October 8, through Wednesday, October 10, in the Building 66 Auditorium. Hosted by the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, the ninth triennial TOUGH symposium brings together users of the TOUGH codes for the simulation of multiphase fluid and…

CSU East Bay and Berkeley Lab Collaborate on New Graduate Intern Program

October 4, 2018

A Berkeley Lab internship program for Cal State University East Bay (CSUEB) graduate students has initiated a new type of collaboration between the two institutions, building on the strengths of their respective scientific programs and bringing talented master’s-level students from the most diverse university in California to work on research projects at Berkeley Lab.…

In Memory: Geothermal Energy Pioneer Marcelo Lippmann

October 3, 2018

Marcelo J. Lippmann, a long-time fixture in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, passed away at his home in Berkeley, on September 10, 2018, after a long bout with cancer. Marcelo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1939, and received his Bachelor of Science in geology from the University of Buenos Aires…