Deep underground salt caverns have been successfully employed for large-scale compressed air energy storage (CAES) power generation. However, the economically exploitable salt cavern resources in China are found to be predominantly located in the eastern and central regions, making CAES utilization impractical for absorbing surplus renewable energy in western areas. To overcome this limitation, tight formations without hydrocarbon content were investigated as an alternative storage medium. Initial field tests were conducted through vertical well injection, where an advanced adiabatic CAES cycle energy consumption model was utilized to calculate round-trip efficiency. Key factors influencing electrical round-trip efficiency were identified and optimization approaches were determined. The technical feasibility of CAES implementation in artificially modified cavities within tight formations was confirmed, establishing a novel “structural trapping + engineered cavity” conceptual framework. The air recovery ratio was demonstrated to be a critical technical parameter, with test wells achieving only 34.8% average recovery due to leakage effects, resulting in 22.8% average electrical round-trip efficiency. Through numerical simulation optimization of multi-well synchronized injection-production operations designed to control leakage, the average air recovery ratio was improved to 90%~120%. These findings validate tight formations as a viable geological alternative for CAES, providing a potential solution for large-scale storage of curtailed renewable energy in western China.