A startup’s quest to store electricity in the ocean
16 days ago
- #Renewable Energy
- #Innovation
- #Energy Storage
- Manuele Aufiero's childhood experiences with pumped-storage hydropower in Italy inspired his innovative approach to energy storage.
- Pumped-storage hydropower, existing for over a century, is one of the largest forms of energy storage, with global capacity at 8,500 gigawatt-hours.
- Aufiero co-founded Sizable Energy to adapt pumped hydro technology for the ocean, addressing the limitations of land-based systems.
- Sizable Energy raised $8 million in funding to develop its offshore pumped hydro technology.
- The startup's design features two flexible reservoirs connected by a tube and turbines, utilizing saltwater density differences for energy storage and generation.
- Sizable's technology aims to be mass-producible, unlike traditional pumped hydro, which requires site-specific dam designs.
- The company has tested small-scale models and plans to deploy pilot projects, with commercial projects targeted by 2026.
- Each turbine in Sizable's system can generate 6-7 megawatts, with costs projected at about one-tenth of grid-scale batteries.
- The technology is compatible with offshore wind projects and can connect to any grid near deep waters (at least 500 meters deep).
- Aufiero emphasizes the need for long-duration energy storage to integrate renewables and enhance grid resilience beyond traditional methods.