Google Endorses Carbon Dome's Carbon Dioxide Storage Battery Innovation for Pure Energy Storage
Google, one of the world's largest corporate buyers of renewable energy, has teamed up with Italian startup Energy Dome to test and deploy a revolutionary long-duration energy storage system called a CO2 battery. This partnership is a significant step towards Google's goal of running all its data centers and campuses on 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) by 2030.
The Sardinia project, set to be one of the first commercial deployments of a CO2 battery anywhere in the world, will help address the challenge of storing excess renewable energy for later use. Google's data centers consume massive amounts of electricity, roughly 1.3 terawatt-hours annually in the U.S. alone. Without reliable clean energy storage, these facilities risk falling back on fossil power during grid shortages or renewables downtime.
Energy Dome's systems can be built for under half the cost of lithium-ion storage and offer similar or better efficiency, around 75%. The CO2 battery uses carbon dioxide in a closed loop to store and release energy, and can store energy for 10 to 24 hours, much longer than regular lithium-ion batteries.
The CO2 battery works by converting CO2 between gas and liquid phases using surplus renewable energy for compression and releasing it for electricity generation. This approach effectively captures and stores energy chemically and physically, enabling better balancing of the intermittent supply from renewables.
If successful, the CO2 battery system could support Google's ambitious 24/7 carbon-free goal, which goes beyond just solar and wind power. The world needs over 1500 gigawatts (GW) of energy storage by 2050 to meet climate goals, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The potential benefits of CO2 batteries for storing renewable energy include efficient storage of surplus energy in the form of compressed liquid CO2, the ability to release energy on demand, practical and scalable energy storage, and the possibility of leveraging the abundant and low-cost CO2 as part of the energy storage cycle.
Current research into Li-CO2 electrochemical batteries suggests added promise for high charge efficiency and low energy loss during storage cycles. If advanced Li-CO2 battery chemistries can further improve energy efficiency and storage capacity, CO2 batteries could offer an even more innovative storage solution to enhance renewable energy utilization and grid stability.
The partnership between Google and Energy Dome aligns with Google's wider climate strategy, which includes investing in emerging technologies, optimizing data center efficiency, and using advanced AI to predict and manage energy loads. Google will help fund and validate a commercial-scale CO2 battery installation in Sardinia, Italy, where Energy Dome is based.
Energy Dome is currently building its first utility-scale project, and the CO2 battery system, if successful, could offer a scalable tool for decarbonizing power grids worldwide. The system will have 20 MW of power and 200 MWh of storage—enough to power tens of thousands of homes for 10 hours. The CO2 battery offers a cheap and efficient way to fill energy supply gaps, especially as more grids use renewable power sources.
Energy Dome also plans to expand into the U.S., where tax incentives could make new projects more attractive. Once operational, Google and Energy Dome will study performance data, costs, and scalability to ensure the technology's readiness for global markets. If the CO2 battery proves successful, it could be used across other Google data centers globally.
The partnership between Google and Energy Dome could lead to increased investment in climate tech, such as the CO2 battery, a promising solution for storing excess renewable energy and contributing to Google's goal of running its data centers on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. The successful deployment of the CO2 battery could expand renewables beyond solar and wind power, potentially leading to a more diverse and robust clean energy portfolio.
