With lithium-ion the most popular choice for grid-scale energy storage at present, a new ranking claims to have identified a more appropriate technology. The battery in a gas-guzzling car is usually a lead-acid device and the battery in a laptop is lithium-ion.
In this rapidly evolving field, while key performance indicators can be readily accessed, the performance evaluation and comparison of battery technologies remain a challenging task, due to the huge variation in the quality and quantity of data reported and the lack of a common methodology.
Contact [email protected] for more information or to jump on board! The Tianjin team noted, for lithium-ion batteries to be used at scale in stationary storage applications, optimal management of the battery and a sophisticated recycling route are required.
Lithium-ion batteries came second in the grid-scale storage ranking. Such devices are already widely used in the industry and appeal as they offer high operating voltages, high efficiency and a very long cycle life. Concerns over raw material sourcing, costs and safety, however, are downsides for the industry’s current chemistry of choice.
“Although a large number of battery technologies has been reported, the fabrication of low-cost, high-performance batteries with excellent power and energy densities, operating safety and cycle stability remains a great challenge,” the researchers concluded. “In-depth investigations of high-performance and novel battery systems are necessary.
Whilst this development will not have an immediate impact on the benchmarking of battery technologies, it will set a best practice for the reporting of results. The impact of implementing such methodologies should become apparent within 3-4 years of its adoption in research projects and journal publications.