TECHNOLOGY/BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Earth Battery Energy Storage

Opportunity: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to enter into a collaboration to further develop and commercialize its novel Earth Battery Energy Storage. Background: The current proposed technology calls for retrofitting existing thermal power plants, to separate the CO2, compress it, and sequester it. Both the separation of CO2 from flue gas and its compression to the required pressure are energy intensive, thus adding to the cost of the power/heat produced. The cost to do so has been too expensive for industry to pass on to consumers. Description: Earth Battery Energy Storage replaces air-combustion with oxy-combustion, which produces just CO2 and steam, which are easy to separate, thus virtually eliminating more expensive CO2/N2 separation costs. Oxygen from air is produced when the cost of electricity is low. Similarly, all the combustion is done when the cost of electricity is low, and the CO2 produced is compressed using the low-cost electricity. The heat produced is stored in granular media (either above or below ground) and used throughout the day to supply heat or produce power. This time shifting allows for stored energy to be released when electricity is high, usually during the daytime. This combination of oxy-combustion and heat storage allows us to separate the processes of combustion and power production, thus allowing greater flexibility in design and operation of the heat/power plants. Earth Battery Energy Storage can make very efficient use of low-temperature heat sources, such as solar thermal or geothermal, both of which can be used in series with conventional power plants to reduce fuel consumption, thereby reducing CO2 production. Advantages/Benefits: LLNL's Earth Battery has numerous advantages over traditional energy storage technologies , such as: Long Duration Electrical and Industrial Heat Storage ( Days to Months) Lower cost and significantly better Environmental Life Cycle than Lithium Batteries Long Life Span without degradation of storage capacity (Multiple Decades) Compatible with fossil and/or renewable generation. Potential Applications: Long Duration Grid Storage Carbonless Industrial heat for Asphalt Carbonless Industrial heat for Steel Carbonless Industrial heat for Cement Development Status: Current stage of technology development: various system configurations range from TRL 3 to 9 LLNL has filed for patent protection on this invention. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0372668 MULTI-FLUID, EARTH BATTERY ENERGY SYSTEMS AND METHODS published 12/2/2021 US Patent No. 11137169 Multi-fluid, earth battery energy systems and methods issued 10/5/2021 US Patent No. 10995972 Multi-fluid renewable geo-energy systems and methods issued 5/4/2021 US Patent No. 9765604 Systems and methods for multi-fluid geothermal energy systems issued 9/19/2017 US Patent No. 9739509 Multi-fluid renewable geo-energy systems and methods issued 8/22/2017 LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our licensees gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. All licensing activities are conducted under policies relating to the strict nondisclosure of company proprietary information. Please visit the IPO website at https://ipo.llnl.gov/resources for more information on working with LLNL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Note: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT. Companies interested in commercializing LLNL's Earth Battery Energy Storage should provide a written statement of interest, which includes the following: 1. Company Name and address. 2. The name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact. 3. A description of corporate expertise and/or facilities relevant to commercializing this technology. Written responses should be directed to: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Innovation and Partnerships Office P.O. Box 808, L-779 Livermore, CA 94551-0808 Attention: IL-12721Plus/TB518-23 Please provide your written statement within thirty (30) days from the date this announcement is published to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's Earth Battery Energy Storage