Energy has been a pressing issue in the world today, experts have been eyeing different avenues to find alternative sources to what societies’ incumbent energy source.
Group of researchers have discovered a way to make the promising flow battery much more practical. Flow batteries store energy in liquid-filled tanks. Prior to this most recent discovery, flow batteries, after a number of charge-discharge cycles, would suffer from rapid storage capacity degradation.
Researchers from Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) modified the structure of molecules in the solution to make them water soluble.
Their invention allowed for the electrolytes to be dissolved in neutral water, creating a battery that only loses one percent of its storage capacity every 1000 cycles.
The battery is able to run for ten years with only a minimum amount of upkeep, based on the information given via press release.
Unlike other battery liquids, the solution in this new flow battery is both non-toxic as well as non-corrosive. Spilling it on skin or on the floor causes no injury or property damage.
The long-lasting battery comes amid the current energy issues in the world, some people sees the innovations a significant help to renewable energy in order to become as, if not more, of a viable power source.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has stated that building a battery with the capacity to store energy for less than $100 per kWh would make clean energy from sources like the sun and wind on par with traditional power plants.
“I expect that efficient, long duration flow batteries will become standard as part of the infrastructure of the electric grid,” said Imre Gyuk of DOE.
In the end, better batteries are a key component in realizing the full potential of renewable energy.
Promoting substantial alternatives to the world, developments like this innovation will improve batteries leading to the utilization of fewer fossil fuels and decrease overall dependence on environmentally damaging sources of power generation.