S-4E-T: An Integrated Framework for Evaluating Large-Scale Underground Energy Storage with Application to Salt Cavern Systems in China (English shop)

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Evaluating emerging energy technologies requires moving beyond theoretical performance to integrate site constraints, engineering feasibility, and real-world technology maturity. Addressing the gap left by traditional, isolated assessment methods, this book introduces the transferable Site–4E Performance–Technology Maturity (S-4E-T) evaluation framework. The architecture establishes a continuous analytical chain linking geological site suitability (Site), integrated Energy, Exergy, Exergoeconomic, and Exergoenvironmental performance (4E), and quantitative technology maturity assessments based on bibliometric and patentometric S-curve modeling (Technology).

Applied to salt cavern energy storage in China, the framework assesses five primary pathways across key mining regions in Pingdingshan, Jintan, and Huai’an. By extracting physical site parameters into unified simulation boundaries in EBSILON Professional, the study models conventional, adiabatic, and hydrogen-heated compressed air energy storage, alongside hydrogen storage coupled with gas turbines or fuel cells. To bridge the gap between theoretical potential and real-world implementation, a maturity-based realism correction combined with multi-criteria decision analysis (AHP-TOPSIS) is applied.

The results reveal how practical deployability significantly alters pathway rankings, establishing adiabatic compressed air energy storage as the preferred option for near-term deployment while mapping a comprehensive technology evolution roadmap toward 2040. Overall, this work delivers a robust, transferable methodology for guiding decision-making, policy, and engineering strategies in large-scale renewable energy integration.