How did the idea of transposing REMORA offshore technology to the terrestrial environment come about?

We have been working on REMORA technology and its possible applications for around ten years. For seven years, we initially focused on offshore energy storage. But the closer we got to industrialisation, the more it seemed appropriate to reorient the project towards a more compact version, closer to terrestrial needs.

With all the intelligence of the technology contained in the compressor, the solution was inherently modular. We succeeded in storing air at much higher pressures, which allowed us to reduce the scale of the system. Adopting a smaller system meant we no longer had to rely on the presence of water or large reservoirs. Of course, the marine system remains relevant for large storage facilities, but on a small scale, it is no longer necessary.

What types of industrial players or infrastructures are most in demand for solutions such as REMORA Stack?

REMORA Stack is mainly aimed at high-consumption sites wishing to decarbonise their activity while securing their energy supply: industrial sites, factories, logistics parks, shopping centres, eco-neighbourhoods, renewable energy parks wishing to smooth out production… Any facility seeking autonomy, resilience or optimisation of self-consumption is relevant. All that is required is for the site to have a renewable energy source. Solar is the most obvious use case, but coupling with wind power or small local units (biogas, small hydro) is also possible.

What sets you apart from other technologies that also claim to be disruptive?

What sets us apart is that we offer a truly sustainable and industrialisable energy storage technology based on simple physical principles (air and water) without the use of rare, polluting or flammable materials. Whereas many disruptive solutions still require new or costly processes, REMORA relies on mechanical and thermal components already mastered by industry, which facilitates its production, maintenance and scaling up.

Our technology is fully reversible, with no loss of material, and offers 70% efficiency, comparable to that of the best batteries, but with a three times longer lifespan. Another key point is modularity. Thanks to our architecture, manufacturers can increase their storage capacity simply by adding containers, without modifying the core of the system. This allows for gradual ramp-up, adapted to actual needs, while keeping costs under control.

How is Air4NRG accelerating the development and market launch of REMORA Stack?

The European Union’s support through the Air4NRG programme is an essential lever for accelerating the market launch of REMORA Stack.

This partnership has enabled us to finance the development of two industrial prototypes in Spain, to benefit from collaborative trials and demonstrators in real-world conditions, and to share feedback with several European players. The aim is to validate the system in a real-world environment by 2026 in order to confirm its performance and reliability.

What are the next steps?

The next steps are to finalise the industrialisation of the compressor module, test the pilot in a real world setting, and then launch the first installations at industrial sites before gradually ramping up capacity by 2028-2029. Ultimately, our ambition is to deploy a network of integrators to support the large scale roll-out of REMORA Stack.

REMORA Home : energy storage for private individuals

Developed in parallel with REMORA Stack, REMORA Home is designed for smaller-scale domestic storage.

It is a compact solution, about the size of a refrigerator, that allows individuals to store excess energy produced by their solar panels or other renewable sources for later use.

For this system, underwater tanks and containers have been replaced by much more compact cylinders measuring 1.80 metres long and 20 centimetres in diameter, which can store 80 litres of air (10 cylinders can store approximately 12 hours of energy).

In addition to being reliable and presenting a low risk of flammability (unlike batteries), these cylinders can be stored outdoors to avoid any risks associated with pressurised air. Thanks to a dedicated application, each user can easily monitor and manage their energy storage.

In order to best meet the needs of individuals, a preliminary market study was carried out: several people were surveyed as part of a field study, which enabled the teams to adjust the format of the compressor and cylinders. At the same time, a test house was equipped with instruments to collect initial data. Practical, sustainable and environmentally friendly, this solution could one day compete with lithium-ion batteries. In addition to offering high efficiency and great flexibility to users, its minimum lifespan is estimated at 30 years (compared to an average of 10 years for other batteries).

As with other versions of REMORA, its overall efficiency is 70%, which means that 70% of the energy used to compress the air is recovered in the form of electricity during the release phase. This rate is comparable to that of the best batteries, while avoiding the use of rare and polluting materials.

To follow the project’s progress and its latest developments, read our article.

➡️You can find this article in our energy magazine.