Unpacking the Importance of Scaling CO2 Batteries to Achieve Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050

As a climate tech enthusiast and the daughter of farmers, I am always on the lookout for innovative solutions to address the pressing issue of climate change. While exploring the latest developments in this field, I came across an extensive list of companies working on Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies. These technologies aim to remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, offering a promising approach to mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

The scale of the challenge is immense. According to Our World in Data, we have emitted approximately 1.6 trillion tons of CO2 since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. If we continue on our current trajectory without rapidly adopting clean technologies, we are projected to emit an additional 40 billion tons annually by 2050. To put this into perspective, over the next 25 years, we will need to absorb a staggering 2.6 trillion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.

The International Energy Agency's Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario predicts that DAC technologies will capture around 85 Mt of CO2 in 2030 and approximately 1 GtCO2 in 2050. To achieve these targets, we need to build about 2,360 large-scale DAC plants by 2030 and an additional 27,800 plants between 2031 and 2050. This is an ambitious goal, considering that as of 2022, there are only 17 small DAC plants (rough capacity of 50 to 4000 tons/year) in operation globally.

While DAC offers a more land-efficient solution compared to reforestation, the scale of the challenge is still daunting. To capture 2.6 trillion tons of CO2 using reforestation alone, we would need 2,241 million square kilometers of land – far exceeding the Earth's total land area of approximately 149 million square kilometers. This underscores the need for a multi-faceted approach that leverages various climate technologies and deploys them at scale.

One promising solution is the integration of DAC and other heavy industry factories with CO2 batteries, such as EnergyDome's Carbon Dioxide Battery as shown in below process diagram. This innovative energy storage system harnesses the unique thermodynamic properties of CO2 to store and discharge energy efficiently. By capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and utilizing it in these batteries, we can create a closed-loop system that not only mitigates climate change but also provides a sustainable energy storage solution.

System Overview for CO2 battery:

The CO2 Battery operates by storing energy in the form of pressurized CO2. During the charging phase, excess electricity is used to compress CO2 to high pressures, which is then stored in a liquid state. When energy is required, the liquid CO2 is expanded to a gaseous state at low pressure, driving a turbine to generate electricity. The system also incorporates thermal energy storage (TES) to enhance efficiency.

The CO2 Battery operates similarly to an advanced compressed air energy storage (aCAES) system, utilizing liquid high-pressure storage and gaseous low-pressure storage. This technology offers high round-trip efficiency (RTE) compared to traditional CAES and pumped hydro storage systems, and does not require specific geographical locations.

EnergyDome has published a comparison of CO2 and lithium-ion batteries, as shown in the table below.

Why should CO2 batteries be integrated with DAC plants and heavy industries?

CO2 batteries offer a promising solution for large-scale energy storage, boasting high round-trip efficiency (77%), geographical flexibility, and cost-effectiveness ($120/kWh) compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries' cost-effectiveness ($165-230/kWh). Amp-Sphere aims to collaborate with solar/wind farm companies, Direct Air Capture (DAC) companies, and utility companies to optimize the process, ensuring the use of renewable energy for DAC, heavy industries, and CO2 battery production. This collaborative approach is crucial for building a sustainable business model and achieving the goal of mitigating climate change by 2050. By removing CO2 from the atmosphere and providing a novel way to store energy, this approach has the potential to revolutionize the battery industry and contribute to a sustainable energy future.