Situated in Esbjerg, Denmark, the Molten Salts Storage (MOSS) plant is being built for scalability to ultimately permit a storage capacity of one Gigawatt hour (GWh).
Using Hyme Energy’s energy storage technology and Sulzer’s custom VNY molten salt pump, MOSS will demonstrate whether molten hydroxide salt, commonly known as drain cleaner, can effectively store renewable energy and thereby overcome the challenge of an intermittent energy source.
Because renewable energy such as wind and solar is produced intermittently, development of efficient, reliable and affordable power storage is vital for a stable supply of sustainable energy. MOSS aims to address this key challenge of variable energy supply by testing an energy storage system using molten hydroxide salt. This salt is comparatively less expensive and more accessible than molten salts currently used for energy storage. The pilot plant is expected to be operational in 2024.
Sulzer’s executive chairwoman Dr Suzanne Thoma said: “MOSS has the potential to unlock stable renewable energy for future generations. It is literally that critical and exciting. Together with our partners, we are working to enable economies around the world to become more efficient and sustainable. As a business leader and a scientist, it really doesn’t get much better!”
MOSS consortium members include Denmark’s Aalborg University, Alfa Laval Aalborg, DIN Forsyning, Energy Cluster Denmark, Hyme Energy, KIRT X THOMSEN, Seaborg and Sulzer.
In addition to member contributions, the consortium project is part funded by the Danish Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP).
