While we’ve long known that wind and solar power hold a lot of potential for our future (and present) energy needs, their widespread adoption by the mainstream depends mainly on future electrochemical storage being more affordable, according to Electrochemical Energy Storage for Green Grid in March 4th’s Chemical Reviews. This report, based on research at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, suggests that electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems must evolve vastly to viably compete with other energy sources, such as natural gas and other fossil fuel production. In addition to being more technically advanced, these laptop battery systems will need some hefty lifespan improvement to safely operate for more than 15 years with little to no maintenance.
Advanced EES batteries will allow us to diverge from our current methods of utilizing renewable energy — such as solar and wind power — with non-portable and ultimately inefficient “flywheels and pumped hydro and compressed air systems,” says the report. While escaping from the need to use the energy as it’s produced, the envisioned EES laptop batteries of the future will be able to store this energy for later use — like modern household batteries made large.
The four electrochemical energy storage system candidates that researchers designate as holding the most hope for the future’s renewable energy storage needs are:
Vanadium redox flow power tools battery: Rechargeable, the vanadium redox flow battery keeps its energy in two tanks of electrolytes. It is most promising as backup energy storage “for durations of up to 12 hours,” integrating wind and solar power in residential areas and industrial parks. As energy is required, electrolytes from one tank are pumped into the other, and the chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. As energy needs to be stored, this process is switched to reverse. The vanadium redox flow battery has potential if it can be manufactured in a greater variety of sizes, is more portable, and — most important — more affordable than our current models.