Energy Dome’s massive dome stores carbon dioxide, converting it into a liquid form to generate electricity when needed. (Image Credit: Energy Dome)
Carbon dioxide has contributed to the planet heating up, and countries have already taken steps to shrink or eliminate their carbon emissions, which escape into the atmosphere. Many are exploring different techniques to capture CO2 and store it for various applications. For the first time, the world is being introduced to a carbon dioxide battery developed by Energy Dome. The startup plans to deploy the battery on the island of Sardinia in Italy. This technology can be scaled up and relies on off-the-shelf products.
So how does the energy storage system work? Basically, the enormous dome compresses and converts the stored carbon dioxide (normal temperature and pressure) into a liquid form. This results in stored heat which also refers to the charging process, storing incoming renewable wind or solar energy. Afterward, the liquid carbon dioxide heats up and transforms into a gas, which moves through a turbine for electricity production.
Energy Dome’s tech relies on a closed-loop system to keep carbon dioxide from escaping into the air. Plus, it doesn’t require rare-earth elements like cobalt or lithium. Instead, water and steel keep the system running. This also means that the technology can be deployed just about anywhere.
The company started operations in February 2020, transitioning from a concept to megawatt-scale testing. Energy Dome credits its success to its experts with their ability to work in turbomachinery, process engineering, energy, and a component integration industrial process. In addition, the company believes its system can be deployed anywhere at a more affordable price compared to a lithium-ion battery storage facility with the same capacity.
Even though the carbon dioxide battery’s capacity is a mystery, the company is developing a 20-200 MWh full-scale plant that expects to operate by the end of 2023.
Have a story tip? Message me at: http://twitter.com/Cabe_Atwell