Introduction   In recent years, the attention paid to the development of energy storage technology and energy storage industry has continued to heat up.

    Method   Review of compressed air energy storage technology (CAES) progress and its commercial application scenarios have been summarized in this paper. CAES research teams and their technical characteristics were summarized, which reflected the development direction of CAES technology. Meanwhile, the configuration parameters and operation experience of two commercial CAES power stations (Huntorf station and Alabama station) were introduced. The demonstration progress of various new CAES technologies was also reviewed. These review on CAES technologies, commercial power stations and demonstration stations can provide reference for the development of domestic CAES technology and the development of energy storage industry promoted by national ministries in China. At the end of this paper, the adaptability and application potential of CAES technology were analyzed from three aspects: electricity generation side energy storage, grid side energy storage and user side energy storage.

    Result   The two CAES power stations in Germany and the United States have tested the long-term reliability of CAES power plants. The CAES demonstration projects with capacity from 500 kW to 10 MW have been built in China. It indicates that this energy storage technology has achieved breakthroughs from the theoretical research stage to the demonstration verification stage in China.

    Conclusion   In the current policy environment, the user-side peak-to-valley electricity price policy is a typical boundary condition for energy storage application scenarios, which can be considered in the application of CAES technology.