Germany is installing giant concrete spheres under the sea. You have a good reason: store renewable energy

While France and Germany reinforce their energy alliances with a renewed bet For nuclear energy, within the German country they are developing a completely different system. The focus is on marine depths, with the aim of redefining the way in which renewable energy is stored.

Under the sea. A group of researchers the Fraunhofer Institute of Germany They have created the Stensea project (Stored Energy AT Sea acronym). Since 2011, the equipment has worked in a solution to reduce land use, reaching the conclusion of sinking huge concrete spheres into the seabed to store energy.

The operation. These spheres sink at 600 and 800 meters deep, where water pressure is so high that it can rotate turbines with great efficiency. Each one measures about 9 meters in diameter and weighs about 400 tons. The idea is that they work as giant batteries: by letting the sea water in, it moves a turbine connected to a generator. To recharge it, water pumps out, using network energy to overcome environmental pressure.

A design of what a Stesea plant would be

A real test. The system has already been successful at Lake Constanza, and now the next step is marked in the calendar by 2026. It is expected to install a prototype real and 3D printed on the coast of Long Beach, in California. This model can generate about 0.5 megawatts and store up to 0.4 megawatts-Hora, which would be enough to cover the consumption of a middle home in the United States for about two weeks. The future idea is ambitious: building much larger spheres, up to 30 meters in diameter, capable of storing much larger amounts of energy. The objective is to climb the system with spheres up to 30 meters in diameter, which would allow a much larger storage capacity. According to They have detailed Newatlas researchers, the estimated storage cost around the 5 cents per kilowatt-hora, a very competitive figure compared to other current solutions.

Renewables in Germany. Although it seems contradictory for its climate, the country has been strongly betting on solar energy, especially In self -consumption facilities. However, it faces an important challenge: intermittent production, or Dunkelflaute. For this reason, projects such as Stesea can act as a shock absorber of the electrical system, because it stores excess renewable energy and releases it when it is most needed.

So hydroelectric plants? Unlike traditional pumping storage –which requires mountains and large fresh water reserves-, this system does not need limited elevations or water resources. Its modular design allows it to install it on coasts around the world. In addition, this system has raised An economic advantage since it allows energy arbitration, buying electricity when it is cheap and selling it in moments of high demand.

Forecasts The researchers They believe that this technology He has barely shown the tip of the iceberg. They estimate that, if it was deployed on a large scale, it could reach a global storage capacity of about 817,000 gigawatts-Hora. Translated to something more tangible, it would be enough to supply about 75 million homes in Europe for a whole year. However, although the project is presented as a solution to avoid intensive soil use, it does not stop moving that occupation to the seabed. Until now, the approach has been mainly technical, but it would be expected that in future phases rigorous environmental evaluations will be included that analyze its impact on oceanic ecosystems.

Image | Stesea

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