For years, the solar energy sector has grappled with energy storage between stations. The ability to harness excess solar energy from the summer months for use during the winter remains an elusive goal, with existing solutions such as batteries falling short due to prohibitive costs and limited lifespans. . Meanwhile, hydrogen, despite its clean-burning properties, has been sidelined due to its inefficiency and high costs.
Photoncycle, a startup emerging from the depths of an accelerator at the Oslo Science Park in Oslo, Norway, has been working on a solution. With a vision as bright as the summer sun, the startup claims its robust hydrogen-based technology can store energy more efficiently in an ammonia synthesis reactor. The claim is that this technology performs storage more cost-effectively than any battery or liquid hydrogen solution on the market.
A schematic of how Photoncycle views its entire system when installed in a home. Image credits: photocycle
“Lithium-ion batteries use expensive metals. Our stuff is super cheap: storing 10,000 kilowatt-hours costs about $1,500, so it’s next to nothing. Additionally, our storage solution has 20 times the density of a lithium-ion battery and no current is lost,” explains founder and CEO Bjørn Brandtzaeg in an interview with TechCrunch. “That means we have a system where energy can be contained over time, allowing for seasonal storage. “It is something completely different from traditional batteries.”
Photoncycle uses water and electricity to produce hydrogen. That in itself is not unusual if you have been following fuel cell vehicle technology. However, the company’s approach incorporates an innovative twist: a high-temperature reversible fuel cell. This advanced fuel cell can produce hydrogen and generate electricity within the same unit.
The core of Photoncycle’s innovation lies in its treatment of hydrogen. They process the hydrogen and then use their technology to convert it and store it in solid form. The company claims that this storage method is not only safe due to the non-flammable and non-explosive nature of the solid state, but also very efficient. It enables the storage of hydrogen at densities approximately 50% higher than liquid hydrogen, presenting a significant advance in hydrogen storage solutions. These innovations form the cornerstone of Photoncycle’s system, facilitating the safe and dense storage of hydrogen, which the company says is a major step forward in energy technology.
Current clean energy solutions, such as rooftop solar, are limited by inconsistent supply due to the unpredictable nature of weather conditions. A robust and reusable energy storage solution could bridge these times, ensuring a stable energy supply when these renewable sources encounter inevitable intermittent periods.
Great in theory, but not without challenges.
“The Netherlands is the country in Europe with the highest density of rooftop solar energy. We are seeing a huge ramp up now due to high energy prices; “Everyone wants rooftop solar,” says Brandtzaeg. However, he adds that this method can backfire for homeowners: “In July last year, in the Netherlands, at noon, You had to pay 500 euros per megawatt hour to export your electricity..”
Placing energy storage alongside the home that generates the power allows homes to become disconnected from the grid. Photoncycle says it has tested and worked on the core components of its solution; The next step is to integrate it into a system. If successful, the company says it can seriously challenge Powerwall, Tesla’s lithium-ion battery solution.
Photoncycle Chief Technology Officer David Gerez and Photoncycle Chemist Ole Laugerud in Photoncycle’s purpose-built laboratory, which has been operational for almost two years. Image credits: photocycle
“This is a relatively complex system, which is why we have so many doctors in different disciplines working on this. The reason Elon Musk said hydrogen is stupid is that when you convert electricity to hydrogen and vice versa, you’re losing quite a bit of energy,” Brandtzaeg says. He believes his company can turn this bug into a feature. “In a residential environment where 70% of energy needs are heating, there is an opportunity to use that excess heat to provide hot water. “We will target markets where people use natural gas for heating right now and then replace the home gas boiler using existing water-based infrastructure.”
Brandtzaeg’s confidence in the concept’s operational framework is convincing. He gestured toward a small model of his operations floor inside his labs, shrunken down to the size of a car battery. Brandtzaeg believes this expansion should be problem-free, and he cites it as the main reason they felt confident moving forward with the project.
When it comes to power supply, hydrogen takes a while to generate electricity, so while it’s building up, the company relies on a more conventional intermediate battery to balance the load. The company certainly attracts the attention of investors: photocycle has just raised $5.3 million (€5 million) to build its first energy storage devices in Denmark, a country that Photoncycle has chosen as a test market.
“We could have raised 10 times more, given the interest. But after this increase, I am still the majority owner,” says Brandtzaeg. “I wanted to maintain control of the business for as long as possible and not raise more capital than was necessary to bring this service to market.”