Instead of spending gobs of money to build a dirty coal fired power plant here in S.C., one possible resolution to high energy costs is something that could lie underground, but it’s not coal or oil, it’s CAES – compressed air energy storage.

From Uncle Sam’s Sandia National Laboratories:

CAES facilities function like big batteries. Electric motors drive compressors that compress air into an underground geologic formation during off-peak electric use times like evenings and weekends. Then, when electricity is needed most during high-demand times, the pre-compressed air is used in modified combustion turbines to generate electricity. Natural gas or other fossil fuels are still required to run the turbines, but the process is more efficient. This method uses up to 50 percent less natural gas than standard electricity production.

“Our coast could be the Saudia Arabia of wind power, but the report doesn’t even mention it,” said Ben Moore, energy and climate program director at the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League. “And because we’re among the most wasteful states in the country when it comes to energy use we have tremendous upside in efficiency upgrades but the report also omits studies done showing that tremendous potential.”

S.C. has plenty of coastline to stagger turbines off of for wind power, just like Denmark has been doing since 2002. If we built a storage area underground for all the free, clean wind we have access to offshore, it would not only be 50% cleaner, but also save costs.