For decades, lithium-ion batteries have been on the cutting edge, but now, sodium-ion batteries could make renewable energy storage more abundant, cheaper, and less carbon-intensive. Dr. Shirely Meng explains how sodium could be used to complement lithium-ion batteries, especially for large scale grid storage, by relying on an abundant resource and existing manufacturing infrastructure.
Lithium-ion batteries are an integral part of life in our modern electrified world. However, they may not be the best choice as demand increases. We spoke to Dr. Jason Croy from the Argonne National Laboratory, who is working on solutions like nickel-manganese-cobalt cathodes.
Traditional hard rock lithium mining is energy- and resource-intense. But lithium is a key component of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, like those used in electric vehicles. We spoke with Dr. Pat Dobson of the Geothermal Systems Program at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory about his work with alternative mining techniques used in the Salton Sea, in Southern California.
Air travel contributes 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and is often the biggest contributor to an individual’s carbon footprint. To eliminate aviation emissions, Val Miftakhov started ZeroAvia, a company committed to building the world’s first zero-emission 100-person jet that can fly across the Atlantic Ocean by 2030. His planes will run on fuel cells powered by hydrogen.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are more than just a means of transportation: they’re mobile batteries that store large amounts of power on the road. Because EV batteries are often underutilized by drivers, some of the energy stored in these batteries can be pushed back into the electrical grid through a process known as vehicle-to-grid integration. Vehicle-to-grid integration involves creating EV batteries that are capable of bidirectional charging, meaning they can both receive electricity from and return electricity to the power grid. If electric vehicles were to be adopted on a large scale, they could help supply renewable energy to buildings and homes.