{"id":112861,"date":"2024-01-23T08:15:16","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T08:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alj.com\/?post_type=perspective&p=112861"},"modified":"2024-01-25T06:31:34","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T06:31:34","slug":"storing-a-sustainable-energy-solution","status":"publish","type":"perspective","link":"https:\/\/alj.com\/en\/perspective\/storing-a-sustainable-energy-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"Storing a sustainable energy solution"},"content":{"rendered":"

The clean energy transformation appears is well underway.\u00a0 With limitless resources of solar and wind power at our disposal, global renewable energy capacity hit 3,372 GW by the end of 2022 \u2013 a year in which a record 83% of all<\/em> new added capacity was renewable.[1]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Yet, these numbers mask a stubbornly persistent challenge: How to contain, distribute and deploy that clean power once generated.<\/p>\n

Modern society requires power 24\/7, to heat our homes, to run our factories and to charge our technology.\u00a0 But rays of sunlight, like the air currents swirling through the atmosphere, do not operate to human schedules.\u00a0 What happens when the sun is not shining, or the blades of turbines hang dormant in windless skies?<\/p>\n

The best, indeed, only, answer is to find a way to store this green energy, which today takes the form of batteries.<\/p>\n

Without adequate battery technology, society will never fully free itself from fossil fuels.\u00a0 Instead, it will continue to rely on \u2018peak power\u2019 oil and coal generators to cover lulls in supply or to meet spikes in demand.\u00a0 Batteries are the \u2018missing link\u2019 in the chain between green energy supply and inconsistent, multifaceted electricity demands.\u00a0 They are the bridge that can help guide us to a net-zero future and potentially stave off the worst effects of climate change.<\/p>\n

They could also give energy bills an overdue jolt.\u00a0 In the UK alone, a sophisticated battery storage network encompassing low-carbon power, heat and transport systems could save up to GBP 40 billion by 2050 \u2013 good news not only for environmentalists, but for struggling families, too.[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Lithium leading the charge to a cleaner future<\/h2>\n

The battery technologies used for storing significant amounts of green energy are typically based on lithium-ion batteries.\u00a0 For devices small (cellphones), medium (automobiles) or extremely large (electricity grids), lithium-ion units are generally considered the current default medium.<\/p>\n

It is at grid-scale, however, where they have the most potential to make a sizable dent in the carbon footprint of the energy sector \u2013 a sector which currently accounts for more than 40% of all global CO2<\/sub> emissions.[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

\"CO2<\/p>\n

Both economic and durable, lithium-ion batteries can be used and recharged thousands of times, can be manufactured to almost any capacity, and represent a relatively safe and low-cost solution for almost any scenario.\u00a0 Their superiority is evidenced by sheer dominance; lithium-ion batteries account for 95% of grid-scale systems in the market at present.[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Although the fundamental lithium-ion technology is now half a century old, modern iterations use algorithm-driven software to coordinate an optimum pattern of storing and releasing energy into the grid.<\/p>\n

At a technical level, they charge and discharge power by transferring lithium ions between electrodes.\u00a0 Lithiated metal oxides are commonly used as the cathode for storage, and carbon as the anode for extraction.<\/p>\n

Precise designs and chemistries vary from model to model, but lithium-ions are widely considered to have superior energy density and cost-effectiveness to any other energy storage device.\u00a0 Capacities can range from several KW with a few minutes of storage, to multi-megawatt variants suitable for utility substations.<\/p>\n

Lithium-ions are not, however, perfect.\u00a0 Discharge rates and even climatic conditions have an impact on efficiency levels.\u00a0 Degradation is ultimately inevitable, of course, and the large component count of lithium-ions demand a more stringent battery management system than zinc-hybrid equivalents.<\/p>\n

Yet confidence in the technology remains high and investment potential considerable.\u00a0 With momentum growing, it is estimated that some 120 to 150 new battery factories will be needed by the decade\u2019s end to satisfy industry\u2019s appetite for green storage solutions.[5]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 One study from last year suggests that the lithium-ion battery chain (covering the full journey from mineral mining to recycling) will balloon by 30% between now and 2030, achieving a market size of 4.7 TWh and a financial value of US$ 400+ million.<\/p>\n

Even if lithium-ion units remain the runaway industry leader, research is under way on alternatives which could further turbocharge the energy storage sector.<\/p>\n

\"lithium-ion<\/p>\n

Behold a battery of game-changing technologies<\/h2>\n

Research on substitute battery technologies \u2013 concepts that could equal or even exceed the efficiency of lithium-ions \u2013 has produced some tantalizing results.<\/p>\n