The point is that currently we are using tech to reduce or even stop more emissions but through this we can start reducing or eliminating CO2 from the atmosphere.
CO2 is cheap and easy to create. For instance you create CO2 every time you make bread or beer so one process for creating it is simple fermentation. It's also a byproduct of making ammonia fertilizers. For instance Dry Ice is nothing but solidified CO2 and is relatively cheap. Every tavern in the US uses CO2 in tanks for their on tap beer. Since it is a sealed system you should never have to replace it unless you have a leak. We likely use more CO2 per year just for beer than we'd ever use in systems like these by a considerable margin.
This looks to solve one of the main problems with conventional batteries and that is Energy Density. What makes gasoline so attractive is it has an extremely high energy density, however it's not renewable and is one use. The reason hydrogen has been a no-go and likely never will be practical is because it has such a low Energy Density making it impractical and again it's not renewable and is one use.
In the Netherlands and northern Germany there are empty saltcaverns. They have a content of a miljon m3 and some are used to store natural gas. Don't you think an empty salt cavern could also be used for your atmospheric CO2 storage instead of the dome ? Saltcaverns are much larger and don't 'damage' the landscape.
I suppose, if you have such caverns, which can hold high pressures, you might better use them for compressed air energy storage. You get much more storage capacity per m³ of compressed air than per m³ of unpressurized CO2. The advantage of this concept is the independence from such caverns, you can place it "everywhere". But if you have such caverns, compressed air is better.
Are the salt caverns air tight? What is involved in making them air tight? When gas (methane) is stored is it just stored in such a way that it is completely sealed or is it possibly that some losses occur? Methane is lighter than air so maybe it's quite easy for the methane to just sit at the top of the salt cavern until needed. Carbon dioxide is denser than air so maybe it wouldn't be as suitable in the salt cavern. I think it's important that the carbon dioxide remains pure in this energy dome method.
Maybe the CO2 energy dome can be connected to a CO2-pipeline. Then a dome is not neccessary. Like Elestor wants ot connect his HBr-flowbattery to a hydrogenpipeline so that storage of H2 is not neccesary. Problem is that CO2 is not needed when it is dark (for example in greenhouses for more fotosyntheses) and compressing the CO2 out of the pipeline in empty gasfields (CCS) askes also a lot of electricity.
Luckily for Energy Dome the US is going to be swimming in CO2 pipelines if the US Government meet their goal of helping establish 60,000 miles of C02 pipelines. In the case of Energy Dome their system is closed loop so it just needs one batch of C02 but your idea is a sound one.
Is there an advantage to using CO2 over other gasses like nitrogen or just air ?
The point is that currently we are using tech to reduce or even stop more emissions but through this we can start reducing or eliminating CO2 from the atmosphere.
CO2 is cheap and easy to create. For instance you create CO2 every time you make bread or beer so one process for creating it is simple fermentation. It's also a byproduct of making ammonia fertilizers. For instance Dry Ice is nothing but solidified CO2 and is relatively cheap. Every tavern in the US uses CO2 in tanks for their on tap beer. Since it is a sealed system you should never have to replace it unless you have a leak. We likely use more CO2 per year just for beer than we'd ever use in systems like these by a considerable margin.
Good question Ken... We'll have to get Energy Dome to answer that. Presumably yes...
Yes. You can liquefy CO2 easily just by moderate compression (>50 bar). You can't do that with air or nitrogen.
This is awesome. Big hopes for this tech
Thank you.
This looks to solve one of the main problems with conventional batteries and that is Energy Density. What makes gasoline so attractive is it has an extremely high energy density, however it's not renewable and is one use. The reason hydrogen has been a no-go and likely never will be practical is because it has such a low Energy Density making it impractical and again it's not renewable and is one use.
Perhaps too early to tell but we're thrilled to bring emerging tech to our audience. Thanks for your comment!
In the Netherlands and northern Germany there are empty saltcaverns. They have a content of a miljon m3 and some are used to store natural gas. Don't you think an empty salt cavern could also be used for your atmospheric CO2 storage instead of the dome ? Saltcaverns are much larger and don't 'damage' the landscape.
It's a good question and good point.
I suppose, if you have such caverns, which can hold high pressures, you might better use them for compressed air energy storage.
You get much more storage capacity per m³ of compressed air than per m³ of unpressurized CO2.
The advantage of this concept is the independence from such caverns, you can place it "everywhere".
But if you have such caverns, compressed air is better.
Are the salt caverns air tight? What is involved in making them air tight? When gas (methane) is stored is it just stored in such a way that it is completely sealed or is it possibly that some losses occur? Methane is lighter than air so maybe it's quite easy for the methane to just sit at the top of the salt cavern until needed. Carbon dioxide is denser than air so maybe it wouldn't be as suitable in the salt cavern. I think it's important that the carbon dioxide remains pure in this energy dome method.
Maybe the CO2 energy dome can be connected to a CO2-pipeline. Then a dome is not neccessary. Like Elestor wants ot connect his HBr-flowbattery to a hydrogenpipeline so that storage of H2 is not neccesary. Problem is that CO2 is not needed when it is dark (for example in greenhouses for more fotosyntheses) and compressing the CO2 out of the pipeline in empty gasfields (CCS) askes also a lot of electricity.
Luckily for Energy Dome the US is going to be swimming in CO2 pipelines if the US Government meet their goal of helping establish 60,000 miles of C02 pipelines. In the case of Energy Dome their system is closed loop so it just needs one batch of C02 but your idea is a sound one.