Sizable Energy: A Novel Approach to Long-Duration Energy Storage with Offshore Pumped hydro
The quest for reliable, large-scale energy storage is critical as we transition to a renewable energy future. While batteries dominate current discussions, their limitations in duration and cost necessitate exploring option solutions. Sizable Energy is pioneering one such solution: offshore pumped hydro storage, a technology poised to revolutionize how we manage and deliver power.
The Challenge of Long-Duration Energy Storage
intermittent renewable sources like solar and wind require robust storage to ensure a consistent energy supply. Traditional pumped hydro, while effective, is geographically constrained. Batteries,while rapidly improving,remain expensive for long-duration storage – holding energy for days,rather than hours. This is where Sizable Energy’s innovative approach comes into play.
How Sizable Energy’s Offshore Pumped Hydro Works
Sizable energy isn’t reinventing pumped hydro; it’s relocating it. Instead of building reservoirs on land, they’re taking the concept offshore.Here’s a breakdown of the process:
* Utilizing Salinity: The system leverages the density difference between highly saline water and seawater.
* Charging the System: During periods of low energy demand (and cheap electricity, potentially from offshore wind), turbines pump super-salty water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir.
* Discharging for Power: When the grid needs energy, a valve opens, allowing the denser, salt-rich water to flow back down, spinning turbines and generating electricity.
* It’s Essentially Lifting Salt: As Aufiero, Sizable’s founder, explains, the core principle is simply lifting a heavy mass – salt - but doing so efficiently by dissolving it and pumping it as water.
This approach offers a unique advantage: it’s about lifting a block of salt, but using water as the medium.
The Advantages of Going Offshore
Moving pumped hydro offshore unlocks significant benefits:
* Scalability & Standardization: Unlike land-based projects requiring site-specific designs, offshore systems can be mass-produced. This streamlines production and reduces costs.
* Reduced Environmental Impact: Offshore locations minimize land use and potential disruption to terrestrial ecosystems.
* Deeper Storage Potential: Deeper sites offer greater storage capacity, crucial for long-duration needs.
* Synergy with Offshore Wind: Sharing electrical connections with existing or planned offshore wind farms significantly lowers overall project costs.
“Building offshore allows us to streamline the production, and everything we do is identical, regardless of the final deployment site,” says Aufiero.
Testing and Deployment Timeline
Sizable Energy has already made significant progress:
* Wave Tank Testing: Initial concepts were validated thru rigorous testing in wave tanks.
* Italian Pilot Project: The company successfully tested reservoir components off the coast of Reggio Calabria, Italy.
* Pilot Deployment: Currently, they are deploying pilot floating components in readiness for a full-scale exhibition plant.
* Commercial Rollout: Sizable Energy anticipates deploying several commercial projects globally by 2026.
Performance and Cost Projections
Sizable Energy’s technology promises impressive performance and cost-effectiveness:
* Power Generation: Each turbine is projected to generate 6-7 megawatts of electricity.
* Reservoir Density: One turbine will be deployed for every 100 meters of pipe.
* Cost Target: The company aims to deliver energy storage at €20 per kilowatt-hour (approximately $23), a fraction of the cost of current grid-scale battery solutions - roughly one-tenth the price.
Grid Resilience and the future of energy Storage
Aufiero emphasizes that long-duration energy storage isn’t just about integrating renewables; it’s about building a more resilient grid. “We believe that long duration energy storage is required not only for renewable integration, but also for just making the grid resilient,” he states. “There is no way we can keep up with that with traditional pumped hydro or batteries. We need somthing new.”
Sizable Energy’s offshore pumped hydro represents a compelling “something new.” By combining a proven concept with innovative engineering and a strategic offshore approach, they are poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of energy storage and
