Energy storage breakthroughs | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Three innovative companies are tackling the challenge of storing renewable energy through long-duration heat storage, subsurface pump storage, and bidirectional power plants.

Key Insights

• 🔋 Renewable power is now cheaper than fossil fuel sources, a remarkable achievement in the transition to sustainable energy.
• 🔋 Malta is developing a long-duration and cost-competitive energy storage technology using molten salt and antifreeze solutions.
• 🔌 Quidnet is bringing pumped hydro storage, the largest form of energy storage, to flat regions by building subsurface, geo-mechanical pump storage facilities at a lower cost.
• ⚡ Form Energy's bidirectional power plants focus on long-term energy storage to deal with intermittencies over extended periods of time, like days or even months.
• ⚡ These power plants use different electrochemical challenges compared to lithium-ion batteries and rely on algorithms for value maximization.
• ♻️ All three companies prioritize using earth abundant and non-toxic elements in their energy storage technologies.
• 🌍 Solving the challenge of storing renewable energy is crucial in enabling the supply of reliable, resilient, and affordable electricity worldwide.
• 🌍 Working towards solving climate change and making a difference for future generations is a motivating factor for these innovative companies.

Transcript

Wind and solar powered generation is expanding, but one challenge we face is how to store that energy when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing. Here are three innovative companies searching for breakthroughs to solve this challenge. For the first time ever, renewable power is cheaper than fossil intensive fuel sources. I mean that's a r... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Malta's energy storage technology work?

Malta's system operates by storing the hot side of electricity in molten salt and the cold side in an antifreeze solution, allowing for reliable and cost-competitive power supply.

Q: What advantage does Quidnet's subsurface pump storage offer over traditional pumped hydro storage?

Quidnet's approach eliminates the need for hills by using subsurface geo-mechanical pump storage, significantly reducing construction costs while still providing large-scale energy storage capabilities.

Q: How does Form Energy's bidirectional power plant differ from lithium-ion batteries?

Form Energy's bidirectional power plants are designed for long-duration energy storage, capable of smoothing out intermittencies over days, weeks, or even months, unlike lithium-ion batteries which are more suited for shorter bursts of energy.

Q: What are the key benefits of using earth abundant elements in Form Energy's bidirectional power plants?

By using earth abundant elements that are non-toxic and benign, Form Energy ensures the sustainability and environmental friendliness of their energy storage solutions, aligning with the goal of combating climate change.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Malta is developing an energy storage technology using molten salt and antifreeze solutions to store hot and cold sides of electricity, enabling reliable and cost-competitive power supply.

• Quidnet is bringing pumped hydro storage, traditionally built on hills, to flat regions by utilizing subsurface geo-mechanical pump storage, significantly reducing construction costs.

• Form Energy is creating bidirectional power plants that focus on storing energy for long periods using earth abundant and non-toxic elements, aiming to smooth out intermittencies.