Researchers at Stanford University have developed cheap batteries that hope to be a substitute for expensive lithium-ion batteries, which can better help us prepare for the future of renewable energy.
The team was able to produce a sodium-based battery that could store the same energy as a lithium battery at a cost of less than 80 percent of the cost. In the past, other researchers had invented a sodium-based battery, but this new method might cheaper.
Chemical engineers, Chinese scientist Bao Zhenan said: 'In terms of performance, nothing will be more than lithium, but lithium is so rare and expensive, we need to develop high-performance, low-cost battery, this battery based on the number of more elements , Such as sodium.
It is understood that the sodium in this new type of battery is combined with a compound called inositol, a common organic compound in household products, including infant formula, just as sodium is much richer , Rice bran alcohols are easily extracted from rice bran and can also be found in by-products produced during processing of corn, which will help ensure that material collection is cost-effective.
The ability to use batteries at any time is an important factor in the clean energy revolution. Many sources of renewable energy, such as solar and wind, rely on uncontrollable, often unpredictable environmental factors. Batteries can store excess electricity at peak hours , And in the case of unsatisfactory conditions. Sodium-based batteries will help to make renewable energy in the lithium-ion battery cost is more difficult to obtain areas.
Stanford's batteries also take a long time to be used for consumer products, and the team's analysis focuses on cost-effectiveness, but does not take into account the volumetric energy density, which is how much volume the sodium-based battery needs to store in the same way as lithium-ion batteries Electricity.
The team believes that their design can be improved in a number of ways, beyond the original prototype.
