US-based energy technology company Noon Energy announced the successful commissioning of its ultra-long duration energy storage (ultra-LDES) pilot system, capable of providing over 100 hours of continuous energy. The company emphasizes that the scaled system has been operated flawlessly for thousands of hours, thereby verifying its long-term operational durability in the field.
Noon Energy's developed recyclable solid oxide fuel cell battery achieved an energy storage capacity of over 200 hours in some tests. The company states that this system is the first ultra-long duration energy storage (LDES) solution designed with a fully containerized and modular architecture, proven to operate for extended periods at this scale. The pilot installation is operated with the support of the California Energy Commission.
A Hybrid Approach Exceeding Lithium-Ion Limits
Noon Energy highlights that its developed solution offers approximately 50 times more energy capacity compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. Today, commonly used lithium-ion systems typically provide two to 10 hours of energy storage. In Noon's approach, multi-day energy gaps are covered by the ultra-LDES system, while lithium-ion batteries step in during sudden load changes and peak demand moments. According to the company, this hybrid structure offers a more cost-effective and higher-performance solution, especially for data centers with high and uninterrupted energy needs.
The need for such long-duration storage has become even more critical with the rapid increase in data centers built to support artificial intelligence infrastructures. While electricity consumption by data centers in the US is expected to reach 12% of total electricity use by 2028, developers do not want to rely solely on grid-connected solutions.
Carbon-Based, Recyclable Battery Architecture
At the heart of the system is a recyclable solid oxide fuel cell, which stores electricity by converting it into chemical energy and then converts it back to electricity when needed. Noon Energy's carbon-based approach relies on storing energy by converting CO2 into fuel. The company states that this method enables intermittent renewable energy sources to provide consistent power 24/7.
Each developed containerized unit offers a 100 kW power output and can provide over 100 hours of continuous energy. The modular structure allows for independent scaling of both power capacity and energy capacity.
Additionally, according to technical data shared by the company, the system occupies a much smaller footprint compared to similar long-duration storage solutions, thanks to its high energy density. Noon Energy states that its solution's footprint is 20 to 200 times smaller than flow batteries and pumped-hydro gravity storage systems, and two to three times smaller than lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, it operates with only about 1% of the critical elements used in lithium-ion batteries.
Noon also offers significant advantages on the cost side. In traditional systems, you need to add a new battery cell every time you want to increase capacity. This causes the cost (100-200 $/kWh) to increase rapidly (linearly) as the duration extends. In the Noon system, the power generation unit and the energy storage unit (tanks) are separate. To increase capacity, it is sufficient to add only inexpensive tanks, and the cost (10-20 $/kWh) remains almost constant.
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