Posted on 03/24/2025 7:54:14 PM PDT by Red Badger
As the push for renewable energy intensifies, the demand for effective electricity storage solutions becomes increasingly critical.
Current lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in electric vehicles and portable electronics, are hitting their limits.
According to Xiaolei Wang, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Alberta, these batteries are not well-suited for large-scale energy storage required for the electrical grid.
Survives 380,000 charging cycles Wang and his research team are focusing on an innovative approach to battery technology: grid-level aqueous batteries that utilize seawater as an electrolyte.
Collaborating with the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan, this approach could lead to safer, more affordable, and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional lithium-ion batteries.
Aqueous batteries have been hampered in development mainly due to the absence of suitable materials for anodes, the battery components where electricity flows out.
However, Wang’s team has overcome this challenge by developing a new type of anode material.
VIDEO AT LINK.....................
This material combines polymer nanosheets with carbon nanotubes, making it capable of storing diverse ions, including those found in seawater.
One of the key advantages of this new anode design is its thickness, which allows for a significantly higher energy storage capacity.
These anodes are incredibly durable, sometimes enduring up to 380,000 charging cycles.
Wang points out that they are also capable of operating efficiently in extreme conditions, including rapid charging and discharging or at low temperatures.
New seawater battery tech The importance of the advanced synchrotron light facility at the Canadian Light Source cannot be overstated.
This facility was crucial in analyzing the microstructure of the anode material and understanding its electrochemical properties.
“Our success is largely thanks to the resources provided by the CLS,” Wang notes.
The potential impact of this new technology is significant. Aqueous batteries based on this innovative anode could enable broader energy storage solutions, expanding the potential for renewable energy usage.
Wang emphasizes that Canada is rich in renewable energy resources. If this new battery technology can effectively capture and store that energy, it could lead to reliable, safer, and more accessible energy storage options for everyone.
Developing new battery technologies is essential as the world shifts towards more sustainable energy sources.
Reliably storing energy generated from solar and wind power sources is crucial for ensuring a stable energy supply, especially when these sources are not producing electricity.
Wang’s research could represent a significant step forward in battery technology, moving away from the limitations of lithium-ion batteries.
These new aqueous batteries might be more suited to meet future energy storage needs by harnessing materials that can work with seawater.
The ongoing research into aqueous batteries could be a game changer for the energy landscape.
As teams like Wang’s work to refine and scale this technology, the promise of a cleaner, more efficient energy system becomes more attainable.
Innovative battery solutions will play a critical role in facilitating that transformation in a future where renewable energy is dominant.
Wang was once a big tech company but I hear there are a lot of Wangs.
I never trust a scientist named Wang.
The electrical grid needs dependable energy sources, not “storage”.
Been hearing about supposed better, safer batteries for years, but they never seem to happen.
There are, as far as I can see, two kinds of 'pushing' happening. One is the government push (mandates, subsidies, etc). The other push is when the EV runs out of 'E' and needs to be pushed off the road. Come to think of it, many car rental companies are pushing to get rid of the EVs they foolishly purchased. School districts that foolishly bought EV busses have pushed them aside.
And so it goes.
“The electrical grid needs dependable energy sources, not “storage”.”
Grids are required to maintain stability in the loss of of a plant or plants. This requires that they have plants in standby or running at less than full power.
Use of storage batteries could be cheaper than maintaining an extra power plant only for reserve.
“Been hearing about supposed better, safer batteries for years, but they never seem to happen.”
You need to get out more.
<...seawater as an electrolyte...>
Might make for self-extinguishing battery fires - if there is enough electrolyte.
Endorsed by fire departments everywhere.
Nothing is cheaper than digging it out of the ground.
There's that hedge word again. Lots of articles about things that COULD happen. Still waiting for them TO happen.
Sounds like the “Infinite Improbability Drive” that was powered by a wire in a cup of coffee
Salt water batteries are great for deep cycle purposes. But they need to be five times bigger to perform as well as other batteries. For a smaller solar system it would take one the size of a refrigerator to be any good. But the challenge to make them smaller and/or perform better has indeed been the anode cathode material combination. I have played with these quite a bit and tried a lot of metal combinations but just raw metals and/or carbon are still quite limited.
Lol... I was thinking that too. Seems seawater can easily beat up Lithium Ion batteries so there might be something to this...
All the more reason Canada needs to be a state
I have had my house running on that for years.
Oddly, doesn’t seem to work with Decaf.
Storage would stop a lot of waste - in cars and homes.
Does it need to be sea water, or could it just be brine?
That should make these batteries a real darling to the left. They LOVE diversity. Will we get Ions of Color to work for us?
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