A decade ago, this lab made headlines for its driverless car. Now the lab’s leaders claim its Malta project could store energy anywhere around the world, while boasting a longer lifespan than lithium-ion batteries. “If the moonshot factory gives up on a big, important problem like climate change, then maybe it will never get solved,” said director Obi Felten, referring to his lab’s shoot-for-the-stars process in picking new projects. “If we do start solving it, there are trillions and trillions of dollars in market opportunity.” Bloomberg describes the facility as a four-tank power plant that can be adjusted in size to fit the needs of the facility it powers. The collision of hot and cold air spins a massive turbine that generates electricity for the buildings to which the tanks are connected. “The thermodynamic physics are well-known to anyone who studied it enough in college,” Malta product manager Julian […]