A Low-Cost, Environmentally Friendly, Compact Energy Storage System

A critical need for renewable energy systems is a cost-effective energy storage system that would enable the systems to provide power reliably and continuously when renewable energy resources are not available. We propose to develop such a cost-effective, compact, and environmentally friendly energy storage system. The proposed system employs a reversible chemical reaction to achieve very high power density and energy density. The system uses non-toxic, naturally occurring materials as the chemical reactants. It also has an infinite shelf life and provides unlimited charge/discharge service cycles without performance degradation. The energy storage system can be used with any renewable energy system. In Phase I, we will demonstrate the operation of the energy storage system, obtain data to show its energy and power densities, and design the Phase II laboratory prototype. In Phase II, we will build, demonstrate, and deliver a complete prototype energy storage system.