Italian energy storage start-up Energy Dome is offering a way to revolutionize carbon capture and storage (CCS) by using CO2 to create long duration storage systems.
CO2 emissions from the energy sectors have the biggest share of emissions worldwide. And therefore, decarbonizing the energy sector is paramount in the battle against climate change.
The solution offered by the Italian energy storage company is to use the harmful CO2 emissions in liquid form to store energy cost effectively.
Carbon dioxide is one of the few gases that can be condensed and stored in the form of a fluid under pressure, which, in turn, allows for high density energy storage without having to resort to extremely low temperatures.
The technology is based on an atmospheric gas-holder called the Dome. When the Dome is in charging mode, the CO2 is drawn from it, after which it is compressed and stored under pressure in a supercritical or liquid state.
Then whenever energy needs to be released, the carbon dioxide is evaporated into a turbine and returned back into the Dome, thus closing the charging cycle.
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The fact that the CO2 can be stored in liquid form at ambient temperature significantly reduces the storage costs of what is known as compressed air energy storage (CAES).
But even so, Energy Dome’s achieved cost of $100/MW for storage is still a ways off the necessary range of $35-50/MW in order for the technology to be more accessible.
Hopes are, however, that with more scale, the company will be able to lower costs further and reach the desired price tag.
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Last month, Energy Dome already successfully raised $11 million for the construction of its CO2 Battery demonstration project in Italy.
In addition to having a 75-80% round trip efficiency, the start-up’s battery has a 25-year life span, compared to the 7-10 year life span of most lithium-ion batteries.
And with the added benefit of being able to suck CO2 directly from the atmosphere, there is undoubtedly great promise in Energy Dome’s proprietary technology.
