How A Brick & Rock Battery Is Changing Energy Storage

How A Brick & Rock Battery Is Changing Energy Storage - Explained. Grid-scale lithium ion batteries are our current go-to chemical energy storage solution, but they present their own challenges in safety, sustainability, cost, and longevity. However, the competition is … heating up. New forms of thermal energy storage systems built using abundant, cheap materials are on the rise. One company is aiming to sidestep the complications that come with chemical batteries…with a brick battery. And another company’s weapon of choice is a crushed volcanic rock battery. Talk about going back to basics to store massive amounts of energy. But is simple really best?
newtboysays...

Ok. I like the concept….thermal mass as short term heat storage/release is a well established science.

Sadly calling bullshit when they claim converting electricity to heat is 100% efficient. Nothing is 100% efficient.
They also claim 98% efficiency “pulling the heat back out”…unbelievably high.
Noticeably missing were heat loss rates, both for capture and storage over time…both expected to be extremely high at temperatures of 1500C.

The second system boasting 80% efficiency (but why burning wood?) is more realistic, but the only 3% heat loss per day at 500C temperatures claim is not. No insulation I’ve ever heard of is that efficient.

Recycling industrial manufacturing heat seems smart, but I think they need to be honest up front about the real world expectations and uses. If it could cut the energy needed to bake limestone or melt steel in half, that’s great…please don’t imply it could cut it by anything approaching 97%. That makes me not trust it at all.

spawnflaggersays...

yeah, since efficiency is usually a measure of how much energy is lost to heat, should be 0% vs 100%... but, marketing.

I also doubt they are using aerogel or cryostats insulation to surround hot bricks. (or maybe that's why 1 container costs $9M?)

Matt (and team) from Undecided almost never approach their videos with a critical eye. Many startups' claims can be debunked with high school physics, but they just present everything as-is and with good production value. I consider their channel more entertainment than education, but still interesting to see some of the ideas out there.

newtboysaid:

Ok. I like the concept….thermal mass as short term heat storage/release is a well established science.

Sadly calling bullshit when they claim converting electricity to heat is 100% efficient. Nothing is 100% efficient.
They also claim 98% efficiency “pulling the heat back out”…unbelievably high.
Noticeably missing were heat loss rates, both for capture and storage over time…both expected to be extremely high at temperatures of 1500C.

The second system boasting 80% efficiency (but why burning wood?) is more realistic, but the only 3% heat loss per day at 500C temperatures claim is not. No insulation I’ve ever heard of is that efficient.

Recycling industrial manufacturing heat seems smart, but I think they need to be honest up front about the real world expectations and uses. If it could cut the energy needed to bake limestone or melt steel in half, that’s great…please don’t imply it could cut it by anything approaching 97%. That makes me not trust it at all.

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