3 ms·
But, batteries are much more expensive than shipping crates and also wear out with the sort of usage cycles that this sort of tech requires by design. I was he
by eftpotrm 15y ago
But, batteries are much more expensive than shipping crates and also wear out with the sort of usage cycles that this sort of tech requires by design.
I was hearing recently about a similar energy startup that was based on cooling air to liquids as a power soak and then shunting that back through turbines to re-extract the power. Similarly less efficient than batteries for power density, but also longer lifed and much cheaper.
Who knows what the best solution is? Not me, I haven't studied physics since I was 16. But I'm glad people who are better equipped than me to find out are investigating, and I look forward to the day when we can use this sort of tech to provide the smoothing effect on renewable power sources rather than relying on burning fossil fuels.
- anamax 15y agoNote that the tanks also "wear out". Their life-time depends partly on how much pressure they use relative to their "maximum". Also, wet air has corrosion issues, not just in the pumps, but in the tanks. These issues are $olvable.
- DaniFong 15y agoOur material system doesn't react with oxygen at these temps, so there's basically no degradation...