From a criminal to a savior? Carbon dioxide batteries store electricity perfectly
Mains battery with carbon dioxide. Credit: Energy Dome.
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Carbon dioxide, until recently an inconspicuous gas, is taking on many new forms. It keeps our planet above the permanent ice age. At the same time, he threatens her with overheating, so he has earned the reputation of a climatic villain. Now he seems to get a chance to improve this reputation in a rather surprising way.
Claudio Spadacini. Kredit: C. Spadacini.
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The Italian startup Energy Dome comes up with a new (mega) battery concept, which should store energy at the grid level very efficiently and cheaply for a long time. Such batteries are essential for the greater development of renewable energy, as natural energy sources are often subject to drilling.
The Energy Dome claims that their carbon dioxide battery system, which uses existing standard technologies, could reach a leveled cost of storage (LCOS) of around $ 50 to $ 60 per 1 MWh in the coming years. For lithium-ion batteries, which are often used today, it makes 132-245 dollars / MWh, while the current market leader CRYObattery from Highview Power can do it for $ 100 / MWh.
Energy Dome chief Claudio Spadacini states that their system has an overall efficiency of about 70-80 percent, which surpasses all modern comparable devices, including liquid and air, compressed air and gravity systems. However, the grid battery industry is developing very dynamically, so it is quite possible that this primacy will not hold the Energy Dome for long.
How does it work? Carbon dioxide batteries combine elements of thermal energy storage, liquid-air systems and compressed air systems. In the Energy Dome system, carbon dioxide is compressed to a pressure of 60 bar, or approximately 60 atmospheres. This converts the gas to a liquid at 300 ° C. The generated heat is taken and stored in special “bricks” made of steel balls and quartzite (quartzite), for later use. This cools the carbon dioxide, which then condenses into a liquid and is stored in tanks.
Logo. Kredit: Energy Dome.
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When the Energy Dome system is to release stored electricity, the carbon dioxide is again converted into pressurized gas, which is heated to 290 to 300 ° C thanks to the stored heat. Hot carbon dioxide enters the expansion turbine, where it expands rapidly and drives a rotor that produces electricity. Uncompressed carbon dioxide is stored at a temperature in a flexible dome made of PVC-coated textile, after which the whole startup is named, and is ready for re-use. The mentioned dome is not a revolutionary novelty, they are practically the same in biogas plants.
As Spadacini says, the use of carbon dioxide has the great advantage that it can be liquefied at 30 ° C when pressurized. In contrast, for air, it is a temperature of minus 150 ° C. This dramatic difference is significantly reflected in the much lower energy consumption of the Energy Dome, which leads to lower costs and higher overall efficiency. The Energy Dome is completely enclosed and produces no emissions. Time will tell how this technology will fare in tough competition.
Video: The CO2 Battery | EnergyDome
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