Two weeks ago, construction began on the largest liquid air battery in the world. The location lies just outside Manchester, UK.

Liquid air batteries are used to store renewable energy like solar and wind. 

They work by using spare green energy to compress air into a liquid and store it. When electrical demand goes up, the liquid is released back into a gas, which powers a turbine and puts the energy back into the grid. 

“Projects like these will help us realize the full value of our world-class renewables, ensuring homes and businesses can still be powered by green energy, even when the sun is not shining and the wind not blowing,” says Kwasi Kwarteng UK Minister of Energy and Clean Growth.

The new battery will store 250MWh of energy. That’s more than double the amount stored by the largest chemical battery, made by Tesla. 

One of the biggest challenges of renewable energies is finding ways to store the power for when we need it; this project aims to take that challenge head-on.