Achieving Net Zero will require solutions that address multiple challenges simultaneously, and hybrid systems have emerged as a promising route. Carbon Capture Energy Storage (CCES) is one such concept, allowing captured CO₂ and variable renewable generation to work together as a balancing service. However, research to date has focused mainly on steady-state thermodynamic analysis, with only limited attempts to understand how CCES behaves under realistic operating conditions where geological, frictional, and renewable-coupling interactions play a central role. The study builded on widely used steady-state CCES models and introduced a set of small but targeted mathematical and engineering adaptations to reveal these practical dynamics while preserving the original modelling structure. Geological deformation was captured through a first-order compressibility expansion, frictional losses along wells and reservoirs were represented using a single throttling element, and renewable-driven operation was explored through a quasi-steady-state treatment of charge–discharge cycles informed by wind-farm variability. These features were integrated using self-developed solvers and lookup tables to maintain coherence across the system.
Applied across supercritical and transcritical CCES and compared with the air-based analogue EF-CAES, the model clarified performance differences, friction sensitivities, and pressure-recovery behaviour. Overall, the study provided new insight into how hybrid carbon-and-energy systems can deliver multiple Net Zero benefits simultaneously, supporting integrated and high-impact pathways toward decarbonisation.
