for winning the 2nd place in the Hackathon on utility-scale energy storage.
The team evaluated liquid air technology for seasonal energy storage. Their solution used a solar powered thermoacoustic engine to liquify air at a round trip efficiency (from sun to liquid air and back to electricity) of 15%, comparable to a combined PV + pumped-hydro system. This cost effective approach allows for long-life, high energy density, reliability, and geographic flexibility not found in traditional utility scale energy storage technologies.
