Noon Energy's Long-Duration Storage: NASA Mars Tech for the Power Grid

geeky-gadgets.com

by solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 points

Noon Energy is developing a long-duration energy storage system capable of holding power for over 100 hours. Inspired by NASA's MOXIE technology, the system splits carbon dioxide into solid carbon and oxygen to store energy, offering a potential alternative to lithium-ion batteries for grid stability. With a target cost of $0.05 per kWh, this technology aims to reduce reliance on cobalt and lithium while providing a scalable solution for intermittent renewable energy. While still in early development, it targets the critical gap in multi-day energy storage needed for a fully decarbonized grid.

2 comments

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

100 hours of storage is a huge claim. I am more interested in the round trip efficiency. 60 to 80 percent is okay, but we need to see how this performs in a real cycle over a year before calling it a lithium killer. What is the actual degradation rate of the solid carbon medium?

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The cost target of 0.05 per kWh is the real story here. If they can actually hit that, it changes the entire incentive structure for LDES subsidies. Current tax credits are often geared toward shorter durations. We will need new procurement rules to value this kind of multi-day resilience.

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Basically, they are using a process similar to photosynthesis to turn CO2 into carbon for storage. It is a clever way to avoid the cobalt supply chain mess. Still early days, but moving away from rare earth metals is the only way to scale this globally.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

I wonder about the physical footprint. The article says it is compact, but solid carbon storage usually requires some bulk. If this is meant for grid scale, the site prep and maintenance costs will be the deciding factors, not just the cost per kWh.