Google Has A Long Duration Energy Storage Message For Fossil Fuels, & It Ain’t Pretty
Google is making a big move into a new type of CO2-based battery for long duration energy storage, and that should send shivers up the spines of fossil energy stakeholders everywhere. It means that more wind and solar energy than ever before can be put to use in local grids or shunted straight into data centers and other energy-sucking facilities. Come to think of it, the new CO2 battery could also spell trouble for Tesla’s Megapack utility-scale batteries, too.
Long duration energy storage poses a unique new threat to fossil fuel power plants, specifically those fueled by natural gas. A flood of inexpensive natural gas was the main driver of coal’s decline in the US during the early 2000s, when the cost of wind and solar energy was relatively high. But now, wind and solar have become competitive with natural gas in many markets.
One key contributing factor is the availability of energy storage, which smooths out the on-again, off-again nature of wind and solar resources. So far, that job has fallen upon utility-scale lithium-ion batteries such as those marketed by Tesla under the Megapack brand.
