New battery tech could help solve problems with renewable energy
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Loading... - Cherry Fer
- 20 Sep 2021
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Lithium is an important component in almost all modern rechargeable batteries. The problem is that the world's supply of it is limited, it's expensive and has a negative impact on the environment.
Sodium, on the other hand, is abundant and cheaper. But batteries based on sodium-ion technology have so far not proved to be practical.
The problem with sodium batteries so far has been that that the ions get "lost" during the first few charging cycles, getting stuck to the anode within the battery.
This creates a buildup which in turn prevents the ions from being able to travel back to the cathode. This means the batteries can't be charged again.
Researchers at Purdmiue University have been granted a provisional patent on a method that prevents this happening.
The used an ultrasound to melt sodium chunks into a milky purple liquid. When it cooled into a powder the scientists placed it in a suspension and then applied it to the battery's electrodes.
The process allowed the battery cell to charge and discharge with more stability and at higher capacities.
Sodium-ion batteries would be heavier than their lithium-ion counterparts, so they may not be suitable for all applications. They would, however, be useful for storing energy generated by renewable sources.
A key problem with solar and wind power is that they aren't constantly available. Using massive batteries to store power until it's needed would help make renewable energy more reliable.
They could also be used for in-home power storage for people using solar roof panels. These are becoming more popular thanks to advances in technology which allow them to generate more power.
