REVEAL is a new four year European R&D project to develop a long-term energy storage solution using aluminum. IceTec (Tæknisetur) will be coordinating the project involving Icelandic startup Arctus Aluminum and experts from Switzerland, Slovenia, Norway, Czech Rebuplic, Germany and the Netherlands. The European Comission (EC) and the Swiss authorities will be funding the project with about 3,7 million euros.
The key to a carbon neutral Europe is developing a reasonably priced technology for long-term energy storage with an acceptable level of environmental impact. Renewable energy has reached a production and short-term storage capacity cost that is affordable enough to contend with its supply and demand. However, its long-term storage capacity is still too expensive for its wide-spread adoption.
REVEAL's goal is to solve this challenge by extracting aluminum from aluminum oxide using a carbon neutral method developed by IceTec and Arctus. This aluminum is then used for long-term energy storage and can provide 15 MWh/m3 and is therefore greater in energy density, more eco-friendly and easier to export than previous attempts at solving this challenge. For example, its energy storage cost is about 0,07 euro/kWh and by using a chemical reaction involving water it's possible to provide both heat energy and hydrogen which can be converted into electricity in addition to aluminum oxide which can then be recycled into new aluminum. Moreover, this technology is scalable from a few kW up to several MW and the goal is to store this energy from summer to winter, when there's a greater need for energy for home heating purposes in mid and North Europe.
