IBM Changes the Energy Storage Game with Cobalt-Free Battery

cleantechnica.com

7 pointselorant3 comments

It feels like every 3-6 months we get "Company changes energy storage game with fancy new battery!" and then.... nothing. You never hear about it again. Presumably because they just aren't economically feasible, scalable and/or safe for most applications.

Improved batteries are a huge deal, so naturally there's a lot of coverage and interest.

Out of the large number of candidates, some will be successful. IBM is certainly a reputable R&D company, so this announcement has more substance than most.

I'm also optimistic about the new Goodenough battery design, with its non-flammable solid electrolyte and a version replacing lithium with sodium.

One thing that did occur to me while reading this article is that if a "five minute 80% charge" is possible, for a 70 KWH battery pack that would involve a 672 KW rate, not accounting for losses. That's a whole lot of power!

A 1 GW powerplant could support charging less than 1500 cars simultaneously at that rate...

If these became a viable commercial product, I imagine power companies would be some of the customers then. Installing them at substations and the like to help smooth out demand peaks and valleys.

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