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
I had my Tesla Powerwall installed near the end of 2020 and it’s been working well so far. The Tesla Gateway has been managing when and where my solar panel energy is directed and will keep me up and running during a blackout. It’s been great, but there’
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
The increased use of lithium-ion batteries in everything from portable electronics to grid-scale energy storage has also spurred on battery research. It’s the never-ending quest for the next big thing. And for years, now solid-state batteries have been promised as that thing. Companies like Samsung, Quantum scape, and Toyota
Hydrogen and fuel cells are often held up as one of the big solutions to getting off fossil fuels, but what if I told you that 95% of hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuels? 1 This is when green hydrogen typically comes up. But what is it and how
Thanks to the rise of intermittent renewable energy sources, we’ve seen increased demand for new energy storage technologies, like batteries, pumped storage hydropower, and flywheels. But what if I told you that this little toy, a 200-year-old invention, combined with thermal energy storage might be
What you need to know before getting a Tesla Powerwall (first impressions and early review). There’s a few things I learned going through the installation process that might be useful if you’re thinking about getting a home battery installed. So let’s go through what you should know before getting a
When it comes to energy storage, our first thought usually is lithium ion batteries. But what if we went old school ... like just spinning things really fast and capturing that kinetic energy, old school. I thought I’d explain an example of a mechanical battery: the flywheel. And are they making a c
The lithium ion battery is great. They power much of the world around us and in our pockets, but trying to scale the technology up for renewable energy grid battery storage is challenging. What if there was another way? A method that used air to store energy? This ... could change everything.
Tesla opened a fire hose of engineering, manufacturing, and battery advancements in their Battery Day event. Not to mention the new Plaid Model S and a future $25,000 electric vehicle. But I think we can break the jam-packed event down into three big takeaways. And it's really not about batteries.
Exploring Tesla Powerwall and home batteries - worth it? I just got a Tesla Powerwall ... well, more like I've got a Tesla Powerwall ready to be installed. But with home batteries like this being so expensive, why would anyone want one? It goes beyond a simple "return on investment" discussion. In f