Context:
NTPC has launched a cutting-edge CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) Battery at its Kudgi, Karnataka facility.
More in News:
- 160MWh plant installed in collaboration with Triveni Turbine Ltd and Energy Dome, Italy.
- Marks a landmark development in the domain of Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES).
- LDES Characteristics:
- Stores energy for extended periods.
- Duration ranges from 8 hours to days, weeks, or seasons.
CO2 Battery Storage System
- Works by compressing and liquefying CO2 during the charging phase.
- Expands CO2 back into gas to drive a turbine during the discharging phase.
- Operates on a ‘Closed Brayton Thermodynamic Cycle’.
- Uses anhydrous CO2 as the process fluid
- Electricity is charged and discharged by changing the physical state of CO2 from vapor to liquid.
- Unlike Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) based on electrochemistry, it uses specialized electro-mechanical turbomachinery.
- Exhibits minimal performance degradation.
Energy Storage Systems
- Used for storing excess energy during periods of low demand.
- Release energy when demand peaks.
- Provide a greener and sustainable energy environment.
- Uphold the stability and reliability of the grid.
Major Types of Energy Storage Systems:
- Chemical Energy Storage Systems:
- Store chemical energy and convert it to electrical energy using electrochemical reactions.
- E.g., Lithium-Ion Batteries, Sodium-Ion Batteries, etc.
- Advanced Chemical Energy Storage System:
- New generation of chemical batteries.
- More efficient, durable, and environmentally friendly than traditional batteries.
- E.g., CO2 Batteries, etc.
- Thermal Energy Storage System:
- Store thermal energy by heating or cooling a storage medium for later use.
- E.g., Electric Thermal Energy Storage, etc.
Source: PIB
Previous Year Question
With reference to ‘fuel cells’ in which hydrogen-rich fuel and oxygen are used to generate electricity, consider the following statements:
1. If pure hydrogen is used as a fuel, the fuel cell emits heat and water as by-products.
2. Fuel cells can be used for powering buildings and not for small devices like laptop computers.
3. Fuel cells produce electricity in the form of Alternating Current (AC).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC CSE – 2015 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Fuel cells can power various portable devices or machines that use batteries, such as laptop computers, cellular phones, and hearing aids. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are more energy-efficient than traditional combustion technologies. They produce electricity in the form of direct current (DC), making statement 3 incorrect.