NTPC Rolls Out Long Duration CO2 BESS Technology At Kudgi

Indian power behemoth NTPC has launched CO2 battery energy storage technology. This project is undertaken by the R&D wing of NTPC, i.e.,  NTPC Energy Technology Research Alliance (NETRA). NETRA would execute the project in collaboration with an India-based industrial steam turbine manufacturer, Triveni Turbine Limited,  and Italian company Energy Dome.

The CO2 Battery with an ‘Energy Capacity’ of 160 MWHr would be set up at NTPC Kudgi. This project forms part of NTPC’s broader strategy to diversify its energy portfolio and increase renewable power generation within its total capacity.

Unlike BESS, which is based on electrochemistry, CO2 Battery is based on specialized electro-mechanical turbomachinery. It operates on a ‘Closed Brayton Thermodynamic Cycle’ with anhydrous CO2 as the process fluid. Electricity is ‘charged’ and ‘discharged’ by manipulating the ‘physical parameters’ of CO2 from vapor to liquid stage and vice-a-versa.

Commenting on the development, Gurdeep Singh, Chairman & Managing Director – NTPC, said “This is a landmark development in the domain of ‘Long Duration Energy Storage’ (LDES). NTPC is proud to be in the technology forefront and setup the ‘CO2 Battery’ at its Kudgi station.  With several advantages viz very long lifetime (>25 year), no need of critical minerals viz Lithium, Cobalt, topography agnostic, minimal performance degradation – unlike BESS where intricate electrochemistry is involved,  very high depth of discharge (100%)  – successful demonstration of this technology shall open new vistas in the field of ‘Electrical Energy Storage’.

Claudio Spadacini, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Energy Dome further added that the CO2 Battery will further advance NTPC’s decarbonization goals and round-the-clock (RTC) power delivery while strengthening India’s local supply chain through domestic sourcing.

Long-Duration Energy Storage Needs To Touch 8 TW By 2040: Report

The inaugural Annual Report from the Long Duration Energy Storage Council calls for LDES to scale from the current 0.22 TW (terawatt) deployment pipeline up to an 8 TW target by 2040, a 50X scaling from today’s pace that will be needed to support market development for LDES solutions and the decarbonization of global energy systems. To enable this growth, the LDES Council is advocating for a dedicated energy storage target pledge of 1.5 TW by 2030 to be set at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29). Thus, the ongoing expansion in the BESS segment needs to keep up with the latest technology and NETRA’s latest project is a step in the right direction.