Google involved in major Offaly energy air domes project
Google and another multinational firm, Energy Dome, have announced that they are teaming up to develop a long-duration energy storage plant at a former thermal power station near Rhode in Offaly.
The project, a 23MW/200MWh CO2 Battery facility, would involve the construction of two giant energy air domes, each 34 metres in height, on a rural site just 1.2km outside Rhode.
The 22-hectare site for the development is in the townlands of Coolcor and Clonin, Rhode, and the companies involved said it would the first of several such bilateral projects expected to be delivered around the world.
The domes, which would be adjacent to the existing Rhode Energy Park, are due to measure 550 metres in length, 120 metres in width and will be up to 34 metres in height.
Part of the site was formerly used as a deposition area for peat ash generated by the nearby Rhode Power Station, which was decommissioned in 2003 and demolished a year later.
Google today (Tuesday) said the project was part of a long-term agreement between itself and Energy Dome to "deploy Energy Dome’s CO2 Battery technology at scale and advance Google's ambition to expand access to 24/7 clean, affordable energy for grids globally".
The internet search engine giant said that, through the Offaly project, "Google and Energy Dome aim to establish a blueprint for how long duration energy storage technology can contribute to a clean, affordable electricity system in Ireland".
Energy Dome said it will develop, own and operate the Offaly facility using its proprietary CO2 Battery technology.
The system stores energy by compressing carbon dioxide using electricity from the grid when supply is abundant. The stored energy can then be released when demand is high, generating electricity and helping to balance the power system.
"Located in county Offaly... near the town of Rhode, the site is strategically located on a critical node of the Irish electric grid, with high-voltage lines serving the Greater Dublin metropolitan area," said Energy Dome.
"Expanding energy resources in this area of the country is essential to greater economic growth in Irish demand centres.
"Developed in concert with Lumcloon Energy, a leading local developer based in the Midlands, Energy Dome's project creates jobs and long-term community benefits from deploying its cutting-edge technology," the company added.
"The project is sited on a former peat-fired thermal power plant, and will provide a second life for this brownfield industrial land by repurposing it into an engine for the clean energy transition."
Claudio Spadacini, Founder and CEO of Energy Dome, commented: "We are proud to work with Google on a project that strengthens grid resilience and unlocks the path to 24/7 carbon-free energy in Ireland.
"This project is the first commercial bilateral deployment under the strategic partnership between our companies, which aims to develop CO2 Battery projects across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific."
Last August, a planning application for the development, which had been submitted by Rhode LDES (Long Duration Energy Storage) Ltd, headed by Nigel Reams of Lumcloon Energy, was granted conditional approval by Offaly County Council.
Energy Dome has indicated that a second 200MWh unit could also be developed at the Rhode site in the future, creating what the company describes as a long-duration energy storage hub for the Midlands.