Being cheaper, more energy dense and longer lasting than lithium-ion technology, lithium-sulfur batteries may be the holy grail of power storage. Besides fueling electric vehicles (EVs) adoption, they could turbocharge the integration of renewables into our energy grid. However, a technical fault has been holding back their economic feasibility…until
It’s been almost 4 years since I had solar panels installed on my house, which is located in Massachusetts. In general they’ve been performing pretty close to what was promised, but last year threw us some curveballs that made me a little concerned. I saw a pretty sharp
Batteries are the key to the future of renewable energy. We all know that in order for intermittent renewables like solar and wind to be useful, we need energy storage to make them work over long periods of time. Lithium-ion batteries come to mind, but they’re still too expensive
Because of the intermittency of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, storing large amounts of power is a necessity for the decarbonization of our energy system. However, we still don’t have enough batteries to compensate for renewable energy slumps across the planet. When thinking about the biggest utility-scale
What if we could recharge an EV battery in less than 10 minutes? Well, there’s some interesting battery advancements from companies like Battery Streak that may be making this dream a reality sooner than you think.
Electric vehicles are gaining in popularity, but not everyone is on board. One of the big perceived drawbacks is how long it takes to charge them and having access to somewhere you can plug in to get that charge. If you live in an apartment building or the city, charging
3D printing has become popular with manufacturers since it provides flexible design, rapid prototyping, cost-effectiveness, waste reduction, and a way to increase sustainability in manufacturing. We’re used to seeing 3D-printed toys, shoes, tools, and now even homes, which I’ve explored in a previous video. But what if we
While renewable energy sources like solar and wind have now become cheaper than fossil fuels1, developing long-term energy storage is key to overcome their intermittency. Lithium-ion batteries are the state-of-the-art storage technology but they can only cost-effectively provide energy for about 6 hours.2 So, what if we could extend
Even though electric vehicle adoption is picking up speed, some buyers are hesitant because of range anxiety and concerns about lithium-ion battery safety. There’s a lot of money and time being invested into alternative battery tech to address some of those issues and an interesting one popped up recently
Given the relatively short lifespan, overheating, and battery cell supply issues of current battery technologies, they can’t be used everywhere. Take satellites, high-altitude drones, healthcare, or even spacecraft, all of which require energy storage with a very long life. But some companies are claiming that diamond battery technology can
The biggest roadblock to the widespread, mainstream adoption of electric vehicles is range. We’re typically seeing 300 miles or less for most EVs on the market, which is more than enough for daily driving, but still not enough to put range anxiety to rest. Because of a battery packs
Solar and wind power have proven themselves to be cost competitive alternatives to fossil fuels, but to be a truly effective power source alternative, energy storage is key. While lithium batteries opened up the incredible potential for many of the technologies we take for granted today, there still are some