Technology Strategy Assessment
A large part of the cost of supercapacitors comes from the active carbon material that is produced from char (incomplete combustion of natural gas and oils) and biochar products.
In 2023, the average supercapacitor energy storage system ranged between $3,000-$5,000 per kWh – significantly higher than traditional batteries. But why does this gap exist, and when will it close? Unlike batteries that rely on chemical reactions, supercapacitors store energy electrostatically.
The capex costs of supercapacitors are contrasted with the costs of lithium ion batteries and the costs of flywheels in the chart below. A typical supercapacitor stores about 15 seconds of energy, for a capex cost of $10,000/kWh, but just $40/kW of power.
High capital cost and low energy density of supercapacitors make the unit cost of energy stored (kWh) more expensive than alternatives such as batteries. Their attributes make them attractive for uses in which frequent small charges/discharges are required (e.g., ensuring power quality or providing frequency regulation).
Supercapacitors are developed within a small industry relative to other types of energy storage, such as batteries. Lithium-ion batteries have become the dominant storage technology for most grid applications through significant investment in innovation and scale-up of deployment, as well as the corresponding increased power densities at less cost.
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