Description of capability
Charles Forsberg proposes a low-cost crushed-rock facility for heat storage with oil or salt heat transfer. This would typically be paired with a Concentrated solar power or Nuclear fission plant to produce power.
Key people
Technology Readiness Level (1-9)
3
Needs that this could potentially address
Long-duration energy storage Duck curve
Tech specs
- A facility would cost $100M and store 100 GWh on a seasonal timescale, producing power at 30-40% efficiency.
- Temperature: 400-600 ºC.
Estimated time & cost to commercialize
- $100M of R&D before a pilot
- Pilot would cost $100M
Outstanding risks
- No IP (yet). Maybe some potential IP around the strategy for spraying fluid on the right sections.
References
- 2023-08-23 Charles Forsberg
- Forsberg, Charles. “Low-Cost Crushed-Rock Heat Storage with Oil or Salt Heat Transfer.” Applied Energy 335 (April 1, 2023): 120753. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.120753.