Wind integrated Compressed Air Energy Storage in Colorado

Global concerns over climate change and sustainability have led to a recent push towards electricity derived from renewable resources. In Colorado, an RPS has led to an upsurge in development of wind generated electricity. This energy source is by nature intermittent. Energy storage can be used to make wind a reliable resource.; Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is a technology used for large-scale energy storage. Energy is stored using electricity to compress air in an underground cavern and recaptured using a modified natural gas turbine. Colorado has many locations that may have suitable geology for a cavern, including salt domes, bedded salt, aquifers, hard rock mines, and natural gas wells.; Economic modeling shows that a wind integrated CAES facility can create profit through arbitrage. A CAES facility in Colorado makes economic sense and would be an excellent asset for mitigating the problems associated with the intermittency of wind energy generation.