The Race for Superior Batteries

There is a fierce competition underway to create enhanced, even ideal, batteries for energy storage. These advancements are crucial for wind and solar power, electric vehicles (EVs), and soon, homes and businesses will incorporate on-site batteries year-round. There’s promising news to discuss.

However, let's first examine the broader context. Climate change is advancing more rapidly than anticipated, making the situation increasingly critical. The sustainable long-term solution lies in generating electricity without carbon emissions and utilizing that energy across all sectors. Our truly low-carbon energy sources include wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and nuclear power. Among these, only geothermal energy is free from the challenges of intermittency or seasonal limitations — even nuclear power plants faced shutdowns in Europe this summer due to elevated river temperatures impacting cooling processes.

Intermittency and seasonality present significant obstacles, and critics frequently target solar energy with skepticism. They might say, “It won’t function when covered in snow!” or “How do you power lights at night?” There's always a contrarian voice.

For those aware of the hurdles we face, battery innovation has emerged as the forefront solution for transitioning our economy to sustainable energy. Batteries address intermittency and seasonal fluctuations, enabling mobility in vehicles and machinery.

Nevertheless, skeptics often highlight concerns about lithium, the ethics surrounding cobalt and manganese mining, recyclability, and the environmental toll of extraction. They assert, “It’s unfeasible! Current technology will never meet our energy demands.”

Sadly, these critics overlook human ingenuity, trapped in a mindset that believes in unchangeable circumstances and stagnant technological progress.

Of course, the technology available today is lacking, but innovation is a constant. Improvements are already underway, and that’s why recent advancements in battery technology deserve our attention.

Wood-Based Batteries

The Scandinavian firm Northvolt is pioneering a battery constructed from wood, claiming it to be the world's most sustainable option. Most components are made from recycled materials, including cobalt and manganese, with wood serving as the central element. The carbon in wood can be utilized as the anode, referred to as lignode. Additionally, the company operates on renewable energy and aims to reduce the carbon footprint of each cell produced by 90% by 2030. If these batteries are as effective as lithium-ion and competitively priced, they could be revolutionary.

Tesla’s Long-Lasting Battery

Tesla has a keen interest in battery technology and established its Advanced Battery Research division in 2016. They are currently developing a lithium-air battery designed to significantly outlast conventional lithium-ion batteries. A key innovation is the introduction of a single-crystal cathode that replaces the polycrystalline types found in current batteries. The absence of fissures in single-crystal cathodes helps prevent early breakdown, leading to a remarkable increase in lifespan. After four years of continuous charge and discharge tests, this battery still maintains 95% capacity, compared to the rapid degradation of existing batteries.

Giant Water Battery

Switzerland has launched a massive water battery, capable of storing and releasing energy equivalent to 400,000 EV batteries. Known as Nant de Drance, this innovation won’t appear in electric vehicles but will significantly impact energy management in Europe and beyond. This system pumps water into reservoirs using excess power, which can be released to generate electricity when needed, stabilizing the grid without requiring river water.

The 28,000-Year Battery

Then there’s the concept of a 28,000-year battery, which generates electricity from isotopes recycled from spent nuclear fuel. Carbon-14 isotopes are transformed into diamonds and encased in non-radioactive carbon-12 for protection. Although still highly speculative, this project exemplifies the ongoing exploration of novel battery solutions.

Sea Water Battery from IBM

IBM Research has developed a seawater-based battery that promises to outperform lithium-ion batteries while eliminating heavy metals like cobalt and nickel, making it simpler and more cost-effective to produce. This project is progressing to the extent that Mercedes-Benz is collaborating with IBM to bring it to market.