While batteries are great for short-term energy storage, they are still too expensive to do long-term energy storage. Plus, batteries require minerals that are becoming increasingly scarce as the world moves towards power systems based on variable renewable energy. Fortunately, there is a promising alternative for energy storage in the form of liquid air.

In the UK, work has begun on what is thought to be the world’s first major plant to store energy using liquid air. So, how does it work?

As reported in the BBC, the plant will use surplus electricity from wind farms to compress air so hard that it becomes a liquid at -196 Celsius. Then when there is a peak in energy demand, the liquid air will be warmed so it expands. The resulting rush of air will drive a turbine to make electricity, which can be sold back to the grid.

Fascinatingly enough, the system was designed by a self-taught backyard inventor by the name of Peter Dearman who received a £10 million ($13.14 million) grant from the UK government to bring it to commercial scale. All in all, the new facility located near Manchester is set to store enough power for roughly 50,000 homes for five hours. If it works as expected, we could be seeing more liquid air energy storage plants in the near future.