Google 's brother company "X" is underway for project "Malta" making facility that utilizes salt to store electricity

ByYair Aronshtam

Renewable clean energy using wind and solar but has been considered one of the way to confront environmental pollution and global warming, stable not exist is a problem that can not be used as a power source for power generation amount is not constant I will. In order to solve such a problem, one of the companies that the Alphabet and the parent company as well with Google, to develop advanced technologies "X"Project to develop electricity storage system utilizing salt"MaltaWe are moving forward.

Malta - X
https://x.company/explorations/malta/

Alphabet Wants to Fix Renewable Energy's Storage Problem - With Salt - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-31/alphabet-wants-to-fix-renewable-energy-s-storage-problem-with-salt

The idea of ​​the facility developed in Malta looks like this. It has a tank that stores heated and molten salt (sodium chloride) and two kinds of tanks that store liquids that can store cold air such as antifreeze or hydrocarbon liquid, and exchange heat between themheat pumpIs placed in the memory.


The concept of the mechanism is as follows. We receive power generated by sunlight and wind power by the equipment, and operate the heat pump with that power. The heat pump emits high heat on one side, converting sodium chloride having a melting point of about 800 degrees into a liquid, while at the same time producing cold air to cool the antifreeze to a very low temperature. In other words, convert electric energy to energy of temperature difference between high temperature and low temperature, and store it in a tank. When extracting electric power from here, by operating the heat pump in reverse, it is possible to generate a strong air flow by utilizing the temperature difference between the two, turning the turbine for power generation back to electric energy and transferring it to the actual electricity grid It is said to be sent out.


Malta is composed of about ten members and is conducting research to convert scientific concepts into real business models. Although Malta is not promoted to the official project of "X" yet, due to the development that has been advanced so far, it is verified that even if another company is partnered as a partner, big problems will not occur It is said that we have reached the stage where we can make the facility.


For this field, Tesla has the power storage device products the "power pack" that uses a large quantity of lithium-ion battery, already introduced it can cover system the power of Kauai in Hawaii only in sunlight. However, although the price is in a downward trend, considering the maintenance cost of the lithium-ion battery can not be avoided to be consumed within continue to use, more of the apparatus of Malta have been issued also estimated that the running cost is low And that.

The power of Hawaii Kauai Island population of about 70,000 to complete the Tesla a facility to cover only sunlight - GIGAZINE


Also, as with Malta, the "NAS battery" developed by NGK Insulators, Inc. is an example of equipment that converts electric power to another energy and accumulates and discharges it. NAS batteries are "Sodium · Sulfur BatteryIt is also called secondary battery using sodium for negative electrode and sulfur for positive electrode, it is possible to build megawatt grade storage equipment. It is characterized by high weight energy density and relatively inexpensive, but do not strictly control the hazardous materials such as sodium and sulfur as it is necessary to give a high temperature of about 300 degrees Celsius for operation There is a difficulty that there is no doubt.

NAS Battery | NAS Battery | Product Information | NGK Insulators, Inc.


Although the recycling energy can produce energy cleanly, the electricity that was not made and consumed too much has been thrown away. The diffusion of "electric dams" that can be taken out when necessary by preventing the waste and storing electricity should be important in the future.