T, heyre truly scalable. Scientists at the DoEs Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have now created a hockey puck-sized battery prototype that can retain 92% of the energy stored in it for 12 weeks. At what point does being profitable become price gouging? And its system can work under 30% higher temperatures than other storage systems, allowing Cratus systems to produce three times higher efficiency and output. Still, securing capital and other startup support can be more challenging in the Midwest, he said. Each unit has a 2.5 MW to 5 MW storage capacity and provides two to 20 hours of power. It could allow us to tap into renewable energy year round. I think that was a solar concentrator, not me wanna tail battery. Subscribe to receive free weekday news updates. Ik.` redl I'm no expert, but I think that's pretty damn impressive. But participating in Warren, Ohios. Engineers release software for DIY battery-free electronics. Theyre truly scalable. That allows us to be highly efficient.. Cratus system is in the testing phase, but the final product is expected to offer at least three-times cost savings over other long-duration energy storage. Whats new? The team is now trying to replace the nickel in the battery with iron, which would drop the cost to just $6 per kWh. Researchers ask: At what cost? You can use less expensive materials. Aviation News The Sandia team have set their sights much lower, although doing so required a rethink as the chemistries that work at high temperatures don't lend themselves well to lower temperatures. There are very, very few applications where a 100x reduction in cost and improved cycle life would not completely outweigh any difference in power-to-weight ratio. Wind News The competition is the Crushed Rock Ultra-large Stored Heat (CRUSH) system that uses crushed rock and nitrate salts for heat transfer (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tej.2021.107042). Id like to know if it will be available for use by homeowners as part of their heating solutions? How it works: Batteries contain two electrodes (the cathode and the anode) and a solution that carries charged atoms (ions) between them. And that is why salt is a gamechanger, Lvschall-Jensen says. But Euclid, Ohio, advanced materials startup Cratus is using a more familiar material: salt. Demand Response News, Energy Efficiency News All of these systems come in at costs more than an order of magnitude under batteries and can address hourly to weekly energy storage. The units also are smaller than lithium-ion battery packs, non-toxic, can be safely transported, and work at higher heats than other systems, Sherman said. Photo: Seaborg, Salt breakthrough could halve the cost of storing solar energy, Seed stage is the perfect place to start your startup career, Europes top 10 unicorn universities 2022, Meet the UKs largest pre-seed fund with an 80% ethnic minority LP base, Portugal is thinking of taxing crypto. bOj20120 f0 5 The salt is solid at room temperature, but liquid (or molten) at high temperatures. The bottom line: This isnt the first molten salt battery, but the PNNL scientists used abundant, inexpensive materials in their prototype, notably replacing the ceramic separator typically used in this type of battery with a cheaper and more durable one made of fiberglass. When the battery is heated up, the ions are once again free to flow. If you want both heat and power for a low price there have been few good options. This research marks an important step toward a seasonal battery storage solution that overcomes the self-discharge limitations of todays battery technologies, said Imre Gyuk, director of energy storage at DoEs Office of Electricity, which funded the batterys development. According to this article https://solarthermalworld.org/news/molten-salt-storage-33-times-cheaper-lithium-ion-batteries/ it appears lifetime is 20 years, with 10,000 cycles. You can stack them together and hook them up to the same heat exchangers if you want longer power or more power, Sherman said. Lithium-ion batteries are too expensive and need frequent replacing. But then they realised that it could be used for energy storage, especially for fluctuating wind and solar. endstream endobj startxref But Euclid, Ohio, advanced materials startup, Salts, highly heated until theyre practically liquid, are a critical piece of Cratus large-scale energy storage technologies. Then plea for higher rates year over year.. Not that moon walking stuff. The oceans are pretty salty, and there's a lot of them. Those prices would be too high. Lvschall-Jensen says storage solutions like these will help in the transition to sustainable energy, especially for industry and manufacturing, which are heavily reliant on energy 24/7 and use gas or fossil sources to cover their needs. Storing charge at 92% over 12 weeks. Hydropower News, Electric Vehicle (EV) News What ever happened to the quinone/hydroquinine flow battery? One of the biggest difficulties with wind or solar energy is finding a good way to store it. Commercial / Shipping News, Biomass Energy News Their solution could cost about $200-250/kW hour of energy storage, compared with competitors like Tesla whose individual energy storage units are roughly estimated to cost $600/kW hour following a recent price cut. Cratus is probably two to five years from bringing its product to market, Sherman estimated. Solar News to test the product prototypes components, including pumps, valves, and heat exchangers. Until now. Get unlimited access to all of Sifteds free coverage and analysis. Tap into those incubators. How a Silicon Valley dad designed the next generation of face mask, Huge genetic study suggests alcohol accelerates biological aging, Wearable system detects COVID two days before symptoms appear. That could make for even bigger fireworks than poorly handled lithium ion batteries. Biofuel News Seems simpler than the molten metal battery. Lets face it: Building connections can be incredibly inefficient and time consuming, Sherman said. no worries. So, being able to lower the temperature and come back with some numbers and say, 'this is a really, really viable system' is pretty neat.". They say the technology is still five to 10 years away from commercialization, but working in their favor is the safety of the battery, which poses no risk of fire. Long-term battery storage would make our existing energy grids more reliable. So instead, you really need something that can store it. But Cratus system uses a single tank separated by an insulated device that directs fluid flow, called a baffle. Neat idea just not feasible in our high density world. As a result, their prototype battery had a materials cost of just $23 per kilowatt hour (before the price of nickel recently jumped), compared to $90 per kWh for todays lithium-ion batteries. New homes should be designed with a lot of thermal mass to store heat/stay cool, but adding a complex molten salt system and heat exchangers (molten salt is way too hot to run through radiators or hydronic radiant tubes on your floor!) Invest heavily in something that is going to save them money and greatly increase their earning potential, only to turn around and bill their consumers with bill "riders" for the cost of the infrastructure. Liquid sodium battery? The team at nuclear startup Seaborg found out that their research findings could be used for renewable energy storage. The founders of Seaborg decided to spin off the energy storage solution to a sister company, Hyme, with Lvschall-Jensen as the chief executive. That allows us to be highly efficient., Still, securing capital and other startup support can be more challenging in the Midwest, he said. Imagine if we were required to locally produce the electricity that we consume. Cratus' molten salt energy storage technologies work particularly well with solar power and nuclear power generation. Todays batteries self-discharge, preventing us from easily stockpiling energy generated by renewables for later use. A lot of fluff and no meat. He previously spent time at The Conversation, Mashable and The Santiago Times, earning a Masters degree in communications from Melbournes RMIT University along the way. Stockholm is piloting a flying electric ferry thats expected to cut commute times in half and make public transportation more sustainable. Nick has been writing and editing at New Atlas for over six years, where he has covered everything from distant space probes to self-driving cars to oddball animal science. Nuclear News Some molten salt systems use two tanks to separate the hot and cold materials. Can sodium hydroxide be used with thorium & uranium in a MSR, not boil, expand to reduce fission & can it be used with existing materials that wont deteriorate quickly ??? Heated to super-high temperatures, the corrosion reactions are sped up even further. This sodium-sulfur battery proved capable of operating at just 230 F (110 C), and proved its worth across eight months of testing in the lab through which it was charged and discharged more than 400 times. Agtech News, Smart Meter News In their commercial form, these batteries are known as sodium-sulfur batteries, and a few of these have been developed around the world but generally operate at 520 to 660 F (270 to 350 C). 2022 Freethink Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Report examines techs valley of death and how to bridge it, Wisconsin utility and university unite on agrivoltaics project, Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation. While molten salt already holds a good deal of energy, Cratus patent-pending materials could triple their energy storage capability. Energy Storage News It was supposed to say: not an actual battery., Edit2: heres a link describing it: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16012018/csp-concentrated-solar-molten-salt-storage-24-hour-renewable-energy-crescent-dunes-nevada/. Public Transit News Salt is stored in Cratus system, and serves as a phase change material that releases energy when it is heated at high temperatures with silicon alloys to create a slurry, or semi-liquid material. But participating in Warren, Ohios BRITE Energy Innovators incubator has helped. When we went to scale that up, the real estate leasing and other costs like manufacturing made it almost non-viable, Sherman said. This companys CEO wants to go home and tell his kids I made a billion euros today!. The technology will work because we have industrial experience in molten sodium hydroxide. As a result, power companies rely on fossil fuels to even things out. You'll also be able to choose your preferred newsletter and report subscriptions. Batteries can help with short-term storage leveling out fluctuations in sunlight or wind over the course of the day or a week. Renewables also have longer-term fluctuations with the seasons. Why it matters: If we could store energy from renewables long term, large batteries could be powered up during sunny summers or windy springs, and then discharged later in the year, lessening or even eliminating our reliance on coal and gas. The discovery put them in a dilemma which project to focus on? But, you can always use this technology to store heat from nuclear and provide peakshaving with nuclear so it is kinda neat technology to invent for nuclear startup . That solution is the electrolyte, and in PNNLs battery, its made of molten salt. "The magic of what we've put together is that we've identified salt chemistry and electrochemistry that allow us to operate effectively at 230 F. A new solar panel design can efficiently convert light into electricity, while still allowing almost 80% of incoming light to pass straight through. Ikr like really? Were almost an order of magnitude higher energy density in terms of the space they take compared to any of the alternatives: compressed air, pumped hydro, flow batteries, or lithium-ion batteries, Sherman said. The downside is they are massive and need to be kept hot. %PDF-1.6 % The scientists' design consists of liquid sodium metal that sits on the opposite side of a ceramic separator material to a novel liquid mixture made of sodium iodide and gallium chloride, which the scientists call a catholyte. Fuel Cell News The said the battery was explosion proof, fire proof, etc. That thrills me, Lvschall-Jensen says, He adds jokingly: I have three kids and I want to go home to them and say that we are actually doing something [to save the planet]. If you have a comment about this article or if you have a tip for a future Freethink story, please email us at [emailprotected]. Homes will use heat pumps for water heating and space heating and cooling, and homeowners will preheat or pre-cool when renewable energy is plentiful. But we also cannot simply shelve an opportunity to aid countries with access to renewables in accelerating this deployment, Seaborgs cofounder and chief executive Troels Schnfeldt says. The key technology enabler here is the chemistry control that limits the corrosion of structural materials in contact with the molten salt. B.S. On one hand, we cannot let it defocus Seaborgs current mission to power regions with poor or no access to renewable energy sources through our compact molten salt reactor. 0 Hydrogen News What a bunch of conditions A summary answer is most probably no but it tells nothing about this technologys chances to succeed. "This is the first demonstration of long-term, stable cycling of a low-temperature molten-sodium battery," says study author Erik Spoerke. Storing vast amounts of energy in a cheap and efficient manner is the name of the game when it comes to powering whole cities with renewable energy, and despite its many strengths, this is where expensive lithium battery technology falls short. The massive Anholt Offshore Wind Farm in the North Sea is now home to 3D-printed reefs in a bid to boost biodiversity. While the components are proven, the entire system as a whole needs further demonstration testing, Sherman said. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories have come up with a new design that addresses a number of these shortcomings, and demonstrated a working molten salt battery that can be constructed far more cheaply, while storing more energy, than currently available versions. Centered is your cleantech news source for the Midwest. Copy a link to the article entitled Cheap molten salt battery can store energy for months, Transparent solar panels could soon turn windows into energy harvesters, You can ride this flying electric ferry in, GM has a plan to solve the biggest obstacle to EVs, Nuclear fusion hit a milestone thanks to better reactor walls. This is going to be an opportunity to actually accelerate the use of some of the technology weve developed in other areas. He encourages other cleantech startups to leverage their regional incubators and accelerators. Can these beat that proven tech? endstream endobj 350 0 obj <. The scientists are now turning their attention to lowering the cost of the battery, which could come from replacing the gallium chloride which is around 100 times more expensive than table salt. This companys CEO says he wants to go home and tell his kids hes doing something to save the planet. "Molten sodium batteries have existed for decades, and they're all over the globe, but no one ever talks about them. The startup was set up in 2014 to create compact nuclear reactors on barges, using salt as the component to make them safer than traditional nuclear power plants but also to store the energy. If your end goal is process heat, it might make sense to store it in molten salt, rather than in a flow battery. And its system can work under. For a deeptech startup in the nuclear space, thats a short timeframe. Hydroxides can contain more heat per salt unit, making it more efficient and reducing the amount of salt needed. Cratus has been partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of Wisconsin-Madison to test the product prototypes components, including pumps, valves, and heat exchangers. When the battery returns to room temperature, the ions are essentially frozen in place this hibernation locks in the batterys energy, minimizing self-discharge. Further, it runs at 3.6 volts, which the scientists say is around 40 percent higher than commercially available molten salt batteries. Only snag is low cell voltage - about 1 volt - but not the end of the world. Depending on the cost of the battery cycles need to be in the multiple 1000s at minimum before we start to get too excited. Its a lot like growing food in your garden in the spring, putting the extra in a container in your freezer, and then thawing it out for dinner in the winter, said Minyuan Miller Li, first author of a study on the new battery. The thermal storage technology relies on phase-change materials: substances that release or absorb significant energy when they change states, such as moving from solid to liquid. Looking forward to seeing a "battery modernization fee" added to my power bill. Currently, Cratus is raising capital and in the demonstration phase to prove the overall products performance and durability. The startup is commercializing a high temperature molten salt thermal energy storage system that can be paired with any power or heat source, but it works particularly well with solar power and nuclear power generation, said founder Andy Sherman. Cleantech advancements sometimes feature emerging concepts like artificial intelligence or carbon-based nanomaterials. "There's a whole cascading cost savings that comes along with lowering the battery temperature. Your email address will not be published. The first commercially built facility is expected to be ready for operational use within three years. Two-tank systems need multiple pumps and you use twice as much material because youre pumping it from a cold tank to a hot tank and back again as you run through the power generation, Sherman said. Welcome to r/Futurology, a subreddit devoted to the field of Future(s) Studies and speculation about the development of humanity, technology, and civilization. Developing longer-lasting, more powerful, less environmentally taxing batteries is a hot tech sector right now. Batteries like this should be put on a moon landing type plan and expedited as fast as possible to a working commercial battery. And I like that we can get it out. Salt is stored in Cratus system, and serves as a phase change material that releases energy when it is heated at high temperatures with silicon alloys to create a slurry, or semi-liquid material. Its affordable and I havent had problems attracting employees.. But beyond weekly and monthly we still need gas turbines or nuclear. The research was published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/tye1yg/us_government_scientists_say_they_have_developed/i3rl3pa/, https://solarthermalworld.org/news/molten-salt-storage-33-times-cheaper-lithium-ion-batteries/, https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16012018/csp-concentrated-solar-molten-salt-storage-24-hour-renewable-energy-crescent-dunes-nevada/. Capturing their excess capacity during windy periods to store for release in less windy times. Being able to use iron (common and relatively ease to mine) over lithium, would be a huge advance, could it be done. %%EOF Looking at salt the promise or loss cost seems to favor the flow battery with iron that is developed. While most media is fueled by toxic politics and negativity, we focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most ground breaking technology shaping our future. Despite the smaller footprint, the next-generation storage units hold a lot of power. Batteries are great because what comes out of them is immediately useful in all kinds of electrification, whereas thermal storage is complicated to move around as heat or turn back into electricity. We cant easily stockpile the excess energy generated by renewables at their peak for use much later when output falls. Please keep comments respectful. 30% higher temperatures than other storage systems, allowing Cratus systems to produce three times higher efficiency and output. phase-change materials: substances that release or absorb significant energy when they change states, such as moving from solid to liquid. Very interesting technology. This low-temperature sodium-iodide configuration is sort of a reinvention of what it means to have a molten sodium battery.". Its unlikely. Duke Energy does this shit. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a6dc66fcbbd5ac6d457fb16fe447174c" );document.getElementById("c9ffd6b420").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Subscribe to receive a free daily roundup of underreported technology stories from around the region. NASA has given three companies $5 million contracts to develop mini reactors capable of generating nuclear power on the moon by 2031. Even just cost parity at higher weight would immediately start feeding enormous demand across in the stationary battery marketplace and accordingly reduce shortages in other markets that really need LFP or NMC chemistries. Want to help improve this community? By commenting, you agree to abide by our community guidelines and these terms and conditions. I think we should have an eye to who is investing in wind. Scientists at the US Department of Energy have created a low-cost molten salt battery that can store energy for months potentially giving us a way to store and use energy from renewables year round. One involves continued fossil fuel use and investment prices that tend to infinity the less theyre needed, the other provides constant baseload carbon-free power but makes the intermittent renewables unnecessary. Renewable energy (especially wind and solar) has become increasingly cheap to generate over the last couple decades, but storage is still an issue we can burn as much coal or gas as we want, whenever we need it, but we cant force the wind to blow. 368 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<8E95FFEB8D98234E9C76B70A895E35C8>]/Index[349 28]/Info 348 0 R/Length 97/Prev 335887/Root 350 0 R/Size 377/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream As technology becomes better things are supposed to become cheaper. https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2014/01/organic-mega-flow-battery-promises-breakthrough-renewable-energy. We can more than half the cost of thermal energy storage in one go. The following submission statement was provided by /u/lughnasadh: The other significant factor here is the efficiency over time. The prototypes materials cost $23 per kWh, compared to $90 per kWh for todays lithium-ion batteries. Somewhat counterintuitively, a breakthrough like this puts us in a pickle. Cleantech advancements sometimes feature emerging concepts like artificial intelligence or carbon-based nanomaterials. Solar falls off in the winter, while wind peaks at different times in different parts of the country. seems overkill. New molten salt battery for grid-scale storage runs at low temp and cost, A lab-scale prototype of a newly developed molten salt battery, Randy Montoya/Sandia National Laboratories, Sandia Labs scientists work on a new molten salt battery. The, startup is commercializing a high temperature molten salt thermal energy storage system that can be paired with any power or heat source, but it works particularly well with solar power and nuclear power generation, said founder, Cratus system is in the testing phase, but the final product is expected to offer at least three-times cost savings over other long-duration energy storage. This could equate to versions with fewer cells and therefore a higher energy density. Hello, everyone! Yet we are on 5G now and it's the same or more expensive than 4G! This is something that the Sandia scientists have been working to change. A team of scientists have shattered the record for the amount of energy produced during a controlled, sustained fusion reaction. Id like to see this salt solution utilized in storing solar thermal energy for use in heating your home. aki009. If we filled up the Colosseum in Rome with the salt and heated it to 700 degrees, we would be able to supply Italys entire population with heat and power for ten hours. The challenge: To stop climate change, we need to transition toward cleaner sources of energy. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. "We've been working to bring the operating temperature of molten sodium batteries down as low as physically possible," says Leo Small, the lead researcher on the project. We focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most ground breaking technology shaping our future. These are the first questions to be addressed. Seaborgs current investors helped raise around 10m to take the findings to the demonstration phase, due in 18 months. That was molten salt holding heat energy and then using that heat to run a steam turbine. The system is modular and each storage unit is housed in a container essentially a shipping container so each can be transported and combined with other units for scalable energy storage. Share Cheap molten salt battery can store energy for months on Twitter, Share Cheap molten salt battery can store energy for months on Facebook. Rather, it shows how pointless is your aggressive question. "technology is still 5-10 years away" = $invest in us now. At Freethink, we believe the daily news should inspire people to build a better world. 376 0 obj <>stream Seaborg, a small next-generation nuclear startup based in Copenhagen, has discovered a better molten salt storage solution using sodium hydroxide. rXd;(Zpc=9tK[U:vQp#T6DXJP7b& b1y f 1@JH]@, hbbd```b`` +#Xdk`` L Molten salt batteries shape as a more cost-effective solution, which use electrodes kept in a molten state with the help of high temperatures. You mean like Exxon using the excess methane from drilling to power bitcoin miming operations will get passed to the consumer, hahahahahhaha. The good news is, it might help Seaborg start to see revenues earlier than a nuclear startup would normally expect.

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