Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference. Researchers have invented a new battery that they claim could have profound implications for the future of energy storage and renewable technologies.
The novel design removes the membrane that separates the positive and negative sides of the battery, which is one of the most expensive parts of this type of battery and has previously hindered development.
Columbia Engineers have developed a new, more powerful “fuel” for batteries—an electrolyte that is not only longer-lasting but also cheaper to produce. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are essential for the future of our planet, but they face a major hurdle: they don’t consistently generate power when demand is high.
Columbia Engineering scientists are advancing renewable energy storage by developing cost-effective K-Na/S batteries that utilize common materials to store energy more efficiently, aiming to stabilize energy supply from intermittent renewable sources.
Modern battery technology offers a number of advantages over earlier models, including increased specific energy and energy density (more energy stored per unit of volume or weight), increased lifetime, and improved safety .
In a new study recently published by Nature Communications, the team used K-Na/S batteries that combine inexpensive, readily-found elements — potassium (K) and sodium (Na), together with sulfur (S) — to create a low-cost, high-energy solution for long-duration energy storage.