Carbon battery
Startup Antora Energy presented a demonstration prototype of an innovative energy storage device, the basis of which is a module made of a carbon array heated to a temperature of more than 2000 °C. The module is surrounded by a layer of insulation, which guarantees the preservation of heat inside for a very long time. The idea turned out to be so convenient to implement that Bill Gates became one of the investors of the project.
Carbon can withstand heating up to more than 3000 °C without deformation, in solid form it is safe for the environment, it can be heated and cooled without destruction a large number of times. Carbon is cheap, it can be obtained from production waste, and the estimated cost of storing 1 kWh of energy in it is 50 times less than that of lithium-ion batteries. The high thermal conductivity of the material allows you to quickly accumulate and extract energy.
Carbon battery
The carbon storage device is equipped with two mechanisms. The first allows you to connect communications with a heat carrier and extract energy in the form of heat. The second device uses photovoltaic panels to convert light radiation into electricity. Thanks to the latest developments of scientists from MIT, this method has an efficiency higher than that of steam turbines. The consumer receives a universal energy source that is easy to adapt to specific purposes. Currently, the design of storage complexes with a total capacity of 30-60 MW is underway, a plant for the production of solar cells is being built in parallel. It is expected that ultra-hot carbon storage devices will go into mass production in 2025.
Alexander Martynenko
