Energy Dome’s advanced CO2 battery, funded by Bill Gates, secured its first US deal with utility holding company Alliant Energy.
The firm’s CO2 battery technology enables 24/7 dispatchable solar and wind power, advancing energy storage and supporting global grid decarbonization with long-duration storage solutions.
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations has awarded Alliant Energy a federal grant of up to $30 million for the Columbia Energy Storage Project.
The 200-megawatt-hour project will utilize Energy Dome’s CO2 battery technology. The first installation is slated for 2026.
“This visionary battery system, aptly named the “Columbia Energy Storage Project,” is poised to be a trailblazer in the United States, marking a pivotal stride towards a more sustainable, reliable, and cost-effective energy future,” said the firm in a statement.
In 2022, Energy Done set up the world’s first CO2 battery at Italy’s Sardinia, a renowned tourist spot.
Efficient energy storage
When there is an excess of solar energy during the day, the CO2 battery stores it; at night and during peak hours, it releases the stored energy. Additionally, it will significantly lessen the issue of lithium-ion battery solutions experiencing performance degradation.
The CO2 Battery maintains the same performance over its anticipated 25-year operating life, in contrast to lithium-ion batteries, which see a considerable decline in performance after around ten years of use. According to Energy Dome, this implies that the cost of energy storage will be roughly half that of a lithium-ion battery with a similar amount of storage volume.
Carbon dioxide undergoes a closed-loop cycle in the company’s CO2 Battery, changing from gas to liquid and back again. The inflated atmospheric gas holder that holds CO2 in its gaseous state is the “dome” from which the business derives its name.
The technology collects CO2 from the dome and compresses it using electrical power from the grid to create heat that is transferred to a thermal energy storage device during charging. Subsequently, the charge cycle is finished by liquifying the CO2 and storing it in tanks at room temperature.
By evaporating that liquid, recovering the heat from the thermal energy storage system, and expanding the hot CO2 into a turbine that powers a generator, the discharging process reverses the cycle. According to Energy Dome, the CO2 battery can have a storage capacity of about 200 MWh and is capable of powering 18,000 homes for 10 hours on a single charge.
Scalable energy storage
Energy Dome began its operations in February 2020 and has progressed from a concept to full testing at a multi-megawatt scale in just over two years.
The CO2 battery offers global scalability by utilizing familiar industrial components within an innovative and cost-effective framework. Its design allows for identical deployment in various locations worldwide.
By selecting standard components, the CO2 battery provides a straightforward and economical solution. It is a plug-and-play system capable of addressing the world’s most significant energy challenges, regardless of location.
According to the firm, the idea advances efforts to speed up the global energy transition by offering a workable way to store significant volumes of intermittent renewable energy, facilitating a smooth transition to a cleaner grid.
“Our CO2 battery is a tangible solution, available today, that will change how sustainable long-duration energy storage is adopted, making it more accessible and impactful for communities nationwide,” said Claudio Spadacini, CEO of Energy Dome, in a statement.
The proposed facility is set to be built south of Portage, Wisconsin, in the Town of Pacific, near the existing Columbia Energy Center. Alliant Energy plans to submit project proposals to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission in early 2024. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025, with completion expected by 2026.
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