Energy Dome is an Italian company that uses carbon dioxide for long-duration energy storage. It has now entered the U.S. energy market, Electrek reported.
All over the world, countries are finding ways to shift to sustainable electricity storage methods. This is being pursued so that carbon emissions can be minimized. For example, the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm just started functioning online in Norway and will use the harnessed energy to cut down emissions from its oil and gas production facilities.
However, natural sources of green energy are not always available and predictable. Wind energy can fluctuate and solar energy won’t be available at night. Countries are investing in traditional battery storage solutions that use rare earth minerals, which are not only expensive but also harm the environment.
Italy-based Energy Dome has come up with a solution that uses carbon dioxide as a way to store the energy generated by renewable sources. This carbon dioxide-based battery works by compressing the gas at normal temperature and pressure to convert it into its liquid form. The heat generated during this process is then stored and is the charging phase of the battery.
When power is needed, the battery is discharged by using the stored heat to turn the liquified carbon dioxide into a gas, which is then sent through a turbine that produces electricity.
The entire process is a closed-loop system where the carbon dioxide is not released into the atmosphere. At the beginning of the year, the company launched its first demonstration on the island of Sardinia in Italy.
Ever since the success of the project, Energy Dome has been looking to explore this domain further. It has now collaborated with a Danish power company Orsted to explore long-duration energy storage solutions at various sites.
Energy Dome is working with Bay area-based Elemental Excelator in the US. It is a non-profit organization that advocates and invests in climate change technology deployment.
Energy Dome uses off-the-shelf components to build its large carbon dioxide battery. This approach makes the deployment of the technology easy and fast. According to the company, its first commercial facility will start operations in 2024.
