Battery Innovations
Image by Squarespace
Renewable energy is needed now more than ever. The climate is changing, greenhouse gases are increasing, and air pollutants are spreading through our wonderful cities. However, there is one major problem that needs to be addressed before we completely switch to renewables.
The problem is the weather changes. What will you do when the sun doesn’t shine? when the wind doesn’t blow? Energy needs to be supplied regardless of weather conditions and this is why batteries are so important. They are perfect for storing energy and meeting demand when needed.
In this article we will talk about a few exciting innovations in batteries!
500 wh/kg batteries
Image By CATL
On April 19, CATL, a Chinese power house of batteries and technology, launched a new cutting-edge lithium-ion battery technology With an energy density of up to 500 Wh/kg. According to CATL, this will enable commercial flight with battery powered planes. They are already working with aviation partners to enable electric passenger aircrafts. In addition to flight, they are planning to mass produce automotive-grade batteries later this year.
Apparently CATL is not the only 500 Wh/kg battery emerging. On March 23, Amprius, A renewable energy semiconductor manufacturer, announced their own record breaking 500 Wh/kg lithium ion battery.
Sodium-ion Batteries
Image by Leonardo
Electric vehicle demand is skyrocketing, causing a bottleneck in the supply of Lithium. There is simply not enough refining capacity to keep up with the EV demand, so alternatives to lithium batteries are being developed with Sodium-ion batteries appearing to be a winner.
Sodium is the sixth most common element on Earth which makes sodium cheaper to purchase. Lithium-ion and Sodium-ion batteries have almost identical designs with a few changes, which means the same machines can be used, lowering the cost of production.
CATL developed a new sodium-ion battery in 2021. Since then the battery has been improved upon enough to be ready to enter the vehicle market. Chery, a Chinese automaker, will the first to use their new sodium-ion battery.
Tesla Energy Storage
Image by Tesla
Tesla has two energy storage solutions: the power wall, and the megapack. The Tesla power wall is a residential storage battery that is attached to the floor or wall. Power wall is typically charged by solar panels and will keep houses running during an outage. It can store up to 13.5 kWh.
The power wall is convenient for homes, but Tesla has another battery storage product for commercial and utility scale projects, the Megapack. The Megapack is a collection of large-scale rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used for energy storage. The Megapack is sold per unit, each unit can generate 3 MWh. By design the Megapacks are safe, easy to install, and well supported with over the air software updates.
Pumped Hydro Storage
Image by Pfuderi
A hydro storage power plant contains two reservoirs of water separated by a difference in elevation. During the day, when electricity demand is high, water will flow from the top reservoir causing turbines to spin and generate hydropower. At night, when demand is low and electricity is cheap, water is pumped back up to the top reservoir to be used later. So, a Hydro Plant is essentially a giant battery!
A recent innovation by RheEnergise is increasing the efficiency of pumped hydro storage. They created a denser fluid known as R-19, which is used instead of plain water. R-19 is 2.5 times denser than water and can generate twice as much electricity with the same elevation. According to RheEnergise 65% of construction costs are from civil engineering. Making projects 2.5 times smaller is an opportunity for noticeable savings!
There are so many innovations happening with batteries it can be hard to keep track! This is a good problem to have. I am happy batteries are being launched forward by world leaders such as Tesla and CATL. Let’s see what technologies arrive in the near future!