A Milan-based energy equipment and solutions company, Energy Dome, developed a grid-scale battery that consists of huge, inflatable domes filled with carbon dioxide.

The domes work with compressors, turbines, and heat storage units to address one of the most significant challenges with solar power and other renewable energy. 

As IEEE Spectrum reported, Energy Dome created a 20-megawatt energy storage facility in Ottana, Sardinia. The company's "bubble battery" doesn't rely on electrochemistry as lithium-ion batteries do but, rather, thermodynamics. The battery uses compressors to pressurize carbon dioxide and cool it to its liquid state, which is then stored in large pressure vessels.

Liquid carbon dioxide stores energy in its compressed state and in the heat captured during compression. It's vaporized and heated to generate electricity. Then, as it expands back into a gaseous state, the gas drives turbine-connected generators to deliver power back to the grid. 

This entire cycle typically takes about 10 hours, and when fully charged, the system can store approximately 200 megawatt-hours of energy.

This new development is significant because it offers a viable alternative to lithium-ion batteries, which are commonly used for solar power storage. Energy Dome's technology can store energy for longer periods without sunlight. 

In addition to this long-duration storage capability, the bubble battery doesn't rely on lithium or other scarce, critical minerals. The model is scalable and can be built on relatively flat land with standard industrial components.

"This is incredible," the IEEE Spectrum author said to Energy Dome's Mario Torchio. 

"It is. But it's physics," Torchio replied.

However, skeptics have raised concerns about the domes' large footprint, as they require about twice as much land as a lithium-ion installation. There are also concerns about safety if a dome were punctured, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. 

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If you're interested in joining the clean-energy revolution, an excellent place to start is installing solar panels on your home to reduce energy costs and reduce household pollution. 

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Looking ahead, Google has already embraced Energy Dome's promising bubble battery technology and plans to install the company's facilities near its data centers and other locations where renewable energy storage is crucial. 

Energy Dome also plans to install more of its bubble battery installations in places such as Wisconsin and India. 

There is great hope in the solar battery storage community that this new technology could be the cornerstone of future renewable energy systems. If it lives up to its potential, it could reshape how grids deliver clean energy and solve the intermittency issue that has challenged existing solar and wind power systems.

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