Storing Renewable Energy Underground
Funded through ERA’s Partnership Intake Program in 2020, Quidnet Energy proposed a test facility for their Geomechanical Pumped Storage (GPS). While the overall objective of the project was to validate suitable geology for GPS in Alberta and construct, commission and test GPS storage with a solar facility, the project was ultimately cancelled. The GPS answers Alberta’s need for modular, cost-effective long-duration renewable energy storage by providing a novel approach. GPS inverts the traditional pumped hydro storage concept, where water is pumped uphill to a reservoir during times of low electricity demand, then releasing the water downhill to generate electricity when demand is high to balance the grid by storing excess energy and providing a reliable source of power when needed. Instead, GPS utilizes subsurface rock movements and fractures, or geomechanics, to store energy in the form of pressurized water underground. GPS uses Alberta’s supply chain, talent and natural resource strengths to improve grid utilization and hosting capacity for the energy transition and diversify the Alberta economy into the renewable energy sector. Based on a preliminary study of shale in Alberta, Quidnet estimates that the geological potential for GPS in Alberta is substantial and capable of supplying Alberta’s storage needs multiple times over for decades.
Verifying the GPS in Alberta
During the project, Quidnet planned to conduct detailed geological assessments using well logs and in-situ testing to determine if shale groups in Western Canada were suitable for GPS. After those initial tests, Quidnet planned to construct and operate a commercial-scale pilot to demonstrate a scale-up in the storage operations. The technology would also be deployed with monitoring equipment and generate data to determine maintenance and life expectancy of the facilities in Alberta. The project was meant to build on data from a Texas pilot, which began in 2019 and acted as a de-risked starting point for this demonstration. However, the funding relationship was terminated in 2024. From the work completed in Alberta before the project was cancelled, Quidnet mapped out prospective GPS resources in the province, identified and ranked these resource areas, determined suitable operating depths and successfully completed stratigraphic tests to verify Alberta geology is suitable for GPS. These tests confirm that GPS technology is compatible with Alberta’s geology, paving the way for potential future applications of similar technologies in the area.
What’s next?
Since the project was terminated in 2024, Quidnet proceeded with additional research, testing and a demonstration pilot in Texas. While ERA is not aware of any current activity working towards a demonstration in Alberta, a successful demonstration in Texas could lead to commercial facilities initially in Texas, followed by Alberta.