Objective Air compression stations provide compressed air for industrial production and are among the major high energy-consuming facilities in industry. To reduce electricity costs, and in conjunction with the time-of-use electricity pricing policy for industrial and commercial sectors, a compressed air supply system integrated with binary gas compression energy storage was proposed, forming an energy-storage-based air compression station.

Method The binary cycle gas compression energy storage technology was adopted, with the working pressure of the gas storage tank set equal to the compressed air supply pressure. Compressed air was stored during off-peak (valley) periods and released during peak demand periods, with the carbon dioxide energy storage loop operating in coordination to complete the storage and release cycle. Based on the gas consumption and operating conditions of large-scale industrial air compression stations, the system was designed, and thermodynamic calculations as well as techno-economic analyses were carried out.

Result The results show that , when converted into equivalent electrical energy, the system achieves an energy storage efficiency of approximately 81%, which is close to that of lithium iron batteries. According to Zhejiang Province's time-of-use electricity pricing policy, the system can operate on a twice-daily cycle of off-peak charging and peak discharging. The project operates through peak-valley electricity price arbitrage, with an estimated static investment payback period of about 4.8 years.

Conclusion The compressed air supply system based on binary cycle gas compression energy storage can be flexibly deployed in industrial enterprises and integrated with air compression stations. It features high energy storage efficiency, good economic performance, and strong engineering feasibility. In the future, with the ongoing advancement of electricity market reforms, this type of system may serve as an independent energy storage solution or as a supplement to grid-side storage.