Google Has An Energy Storage Message For Fossil Fuels

Google is advancing into long-duration energy storage with a novel CO2-based battery technology developed by the Italian startup Energy Dome. This innovation compresses CO2 into a liquid state at ambient temperatures, enabling a closed-loop system where CO2 is cycled between gas and liquid phases to store and generate electricity. Unlike current lithium-ion batteries, which typically provide around four hours of storage, Energy Dome’s system aims for 8 to 24 hours of energy storage, addressing the need for longer-duration solutions critical for integrating high levels of intermittent wind and solar power into the grid. The first US deployment, the Columbia Energy Storage Project in Wisconsin, supported by utility Alliant Energy and others, received regulatory approval and is expected to be operational by 2027. This project is designed to enhance grid stability and resilience, providing enough electricity to power approximately 18,000 homes for 10 hours. The emergence of such long-duration storage technologies poses a significant challenge to fossil fuel power plants, particularly natural gas, by enabling