Lithium-ion batteries are the prevailing technology for storing solar energy and assuring grid stability. Still, they cannot be a lasting solution because the resulting mountains of lithium waste are hard to mitigate.
Israeli startup Nostromo Energy decided to meet that challenge by using an unlikely substance: water.
Nostromo has R&D projects with Royal Dutch Shell and the Israel Electric Corporation and partnerships with several American engineering companies.
Under a 20-year agreement with the Hilton Beverly Hills, the 1.4 megawatt-hour energy storage system IceBrick has been installed inside the luxury hotel Beverly Hilton; this system will also serve the adjacent Waldorf Astoria. It is set to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 150 to 200 metric tons annually – more than 5,000 metric tons for the lifetime of the system – as well as supply energy for cooling at less than half its current cost.
An IceBrick was installed on the roof of Medinol, a Jerusalem-based cardiac stent developer and manufacturer. The 600-kWh system contains 48 cells of encapsulated ice connected to the charging chiller, providing critical backup to Medinol’s clean rooms cooling system.
Thanks to Nostromo's acceptance into the Anheuser-Busch InBev 100+ Accelerator in 2021, it will have the opportunity to pilot its solution in about 20 countries. The company won one of 36 spots from a field of 1,300 applicants.
Source: Israel21c
