A battery is a very simple device when we think about it at an elementary level. We store energy in it, and retrieve this later when we have a useful purpose for the electricity. Until lately, we have mostly used electrochemical reactions for this purpose. But there has been one notable exception for a while. We discuss this, and two other new types of batteries coming on stream.
Climate Change Behind New Types of Batteries
There’s been a surge in battery demand over the past two decades. Global warming is driving this, and the need to store more renewable energy. We could manufacture loads of additional batteries of course, were it not for the environmental impact. This is why we need new types of batteries that are more environmentally friendly.
Hydro Powered Water Energy Storage
Hydro power plants in storage dams are not new news. Although it’s a fact they underpin 90% of global grid storage according to MIT Technology Review. They are relatively affordable as add-ons to existing facilities. Although it can take a decade to construct new, decent-size dams and power them up. We therefore need other alternatives that are faster and cheaper to construct.
Alternative Gravity-Based Storage
Hydro power depends on gravity to work. The system raises an object (in this case water) to a higher level, and then releases it to drive a turbine. Gravity storage says, ‘Okay, but how about lifting large lumps of concrete instead?’ A prototype trial is in progress in China, although this type of new battery does not come cheap.
New Types of Pressure Batteries
Did you ever inflate a party balloon, and then watch it ‘fly’ through the air when you released it? You may not have known it then, but you were storing compressed energy and releasing it! A modern version pumps air into a sealed underground cavern. When you are ready, you open a valve and feed the escaping air through a turbine.
A new variation on this theme is appearing in the Nevada desert. The rocks are warm beneath the surface, and this warms the water they pump through them. When it surfaces, the thermal energy is hot enough to convert refrigerants or other fluids into vapor. These vapors crank a turbine, generating electricity from a new type of battery.
More Information
Formula E Batteries Set New Driver Challenges
