In an interview with NPM, long duration storage technology company Energy Dome’s Senior VP of North America Melissa Devalles discussed the firm’s recently announced contract with Alliant Energy in Wisconsin and efforts to replicate that deal with other utilities this year.

The Italian-based Energy Dome was founded in 2020 with a goal of rolling out long duration storage technology more quickly than others in the space. The firm has raised USD 135m in capital since that time and has successfully implemented a pilot project in 2022 and has signed two 20 MW, 10-hour duration commercial-scale projects, one in Italy and another called Columbia Energy Storage here in the US with utility Alliant Energy. The Italian project is expected to come online by the end of March and the Alliant project is expected to follow suit sometime next year.

Energy Dome’s technology targets durations between 8 and 24 hours and is expected to carry an operational lifespan of at least 30 years. The firm’s technology only uses three main components including steel, water, and CO2, all of which Devalles notes is much easier to secure for supply than lithium-ion components.

The technology utilizes CO2 as a medium that fluctuates between its liquid and gaseous phases to expand and turn a turbine to generate electricity. Despite using CO2, however, the system does not emit anything into the atmosphere since everything is contained with the system. Devalles notes the tech also does not require cryogenic temperatures and instead stores the CO2 at its ambient temperature, thus saving on costs.

Devalles notes the overall pricing structure for its long duration storage systems are evolving and will likely continue to evolve over the next year “as we understand price impacts based on the changing political climate,” specifically how tariffs and other policy drivers from the Trump Administration could come into play. Devalles says this uncertainty may end up being a strength for Energy Dome given the widespread availability of its components compared to competitors like lithium ion.

For now, Devalles says the technology is already competitive with lithium-ion prices when expanding into eight-hour duration territory, particularly with unsubsidized lithium ion which could become more relevant depending on actions taken by the Trump Administration with regards to federal incentives. Notably, Energy Dome’s website hails it as “the only viable alternative to lithium ion for long duration storage,” a comparison Devalles says is necessary based on lithium ion’s place in the market.

“All non-lithium-ion storage has faced the challenge of the incumbent because it was the first out of the gate and is the established reference technology,” Devalles said. “But we are not trying to develop in the short duration storage space as that is covered. At the same time, we don’t think lithium ion is designed for our space, and I think a lot of the utilities we’ve spoken to are seeing that, as well.”

For 2025 and beyond, Devalles says Energy Dome’s primary goal is quick commercial deployment of its technology through projects like its Columbia Energy Storage project with Alliant. Devalles says Energy Dome’s deployment time for projects at this scope is roughly two years and that getting plants online at scale between now and 2027 and 2028 will be critical to “further bringing down the cost curve through standardization and economies of scale to position us to win opportunities with utilities and financiers,” and says she expects more projects to be announced this year.

“2025 will be a critical year to put us in the lead for becoming the most deployed long duration energy storage company out there,” Devalles said. “Nothing is more important than getting steel in the ground and securing that buy-in and I think we’re well positioned to keep that momentum going.”

While Devalles says utilities will likely continue to be the firm’s primary target in terms of its client base in these early days, she says the firm is also keeping a close eye on the “anticipated and very real load growth that many markets are going to see.” She says this will likely result in “a combination of working with utilities as well as primary IPPs that are seeing the opportunity to deploy technology like ours more and more.

*This story was originally published exclusively for NPM US subscribers.

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