Google partners with Energy Dome to achieve carbon-free power at scale
Energy Dome, a pioneering company setting the benchmark for long-duration energy storage, has announced a global commercial partnership with Google using Energy Dome’s CO2 battery technology to enable carbon-free energy for the grids that power Google’s operations.
Alongside the commercial agreement, Google has made a strategic investment in Energy Dome.
Google’s first commercial long-duration energy storage deal is part of a growing portfolio of advanced energy technologies needed to realize its ambition to run its operations on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. The selection of Energy Dome’s proven and market-ready CO2 battery technology reflects its ability to be deployed at the scale, speed and affordability required on a global basis.
The CO2 battery is capable of continuously dispatching energy for periods of 8 to 24 hours, unlocking enough firm electricity to meet both the baseload and flexibility requirements of large energy users. The modular, site-independent product design uses off-the-shelf equipment without supply chain bottlenecks, ensuring a highly scalable solution to store massive amounts of energy efficiently and cost-effectively.
Energy Dome’s CO2 Battery Image: Energy Dome
Furthermore, the mechanical components of the technology help stabilise the grid by providing natural inertia from rotating machinery. This is especially important given the concurrent ramp-up of solar and wind (which lack inertia) with the ramp-down of legacy fossil-fuel power stations, whose inertia is lost when the plants are decommissioned. The CO2 battery thus contributes to maintaining grid resiliency by acting as a shock absorber to smooth out sudden changes in frequency.
“Google is committed to powering our operations with clean energy, and Energy Dome’s technologically proven and scalable long-duration energy storage solution can help us unlock rapid progress,” said Maud Texier, Director of EMEA Energy at Google.
Maud Texier
“But this isn’t just about Google. By helping to scale this first-of-a-kind LDES technology, we hope to help communities everywhere gain greater access to reliable, affordable electricity and support grid resilience as we integrate more renewable energy sources.”
The commercial agreement aims to develop CO2 battery projects in all the key geographical strategic areas, including Europe, America, and the Asia-Pacific region, with the goal of scaling up deployment at a rapid pace to meet Google’s 2030 carbon-free energy goals. A pipeline of sites and projects has been identified in the partnership, which are currently in development and contracting stages.
Claudio Spadacini
“The programmatic and strategic deployment of our technology at scale to help Google reach carbon-free energy represents the core of our industry-first agreement. We’re proving that a 24/7 cost-effective and carbon-free energy supply is achievable with the right technology and partnership model,” said Claudio Spadacini, Founder and CEO of Energy Dome.
“We are also pleased to welcome Google as an investor in Energy Dome, underlining our joint commitment to a shared vision.”
Spadacini emphasised that its CO2 battery technology has been operating commercially for some time, providing a proven, bankable solution for grid resilience. He stated global demand is accelerating, with markets now asking how quickly such storage can be deployed, noting that for durations beyond eight hours, the CO2 battery technology is cost-competitive with lithium-ion and can be delivered faster than new gas-fired power plants.