Here are four innovative ways we can store renewable energy without batteries. Giant bricks are not what most people think of when they hear the words “energy storage”, but they are a key element of a gravity-based system that could help the world manage an increasing dependence on renewable electricity generation.
We explore cutting-edge new battery technologies that hold the potential to reshape energy systems, drive sustainability, and support the green transition.
Are batteries a new technology?
From smartphones to electric vehicles, batteries single-handedly power some of the single most impactful technologies in our lives. And while batteries themselves aren't some new technology, the lithium-ion (Li-on) kind that powers most of our devices only began gaining ground a few short decades ago.
Emerging technologies such as solid-state batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, and flow batteries hold potential for greater storage capacities than lithium-ion batteries. Recent developments in battery energy density and cost reductions have made EVs more practical and accessible to consumers.
Are Power Batteries A key development area for new energy vehicles?
In the Special Project Implementation Plan for Promoting Strategic Emerging Industries “New Energy Vehicles” (2012–2015), power batteries and their management system are key implementation areas for breakthroughs. However, since 2016, the Chinese government hasn't published similar policy support.
As one of the core technologies of NEVs, power battery accounts for over 30% of the cost of NEVs, directly determines the development level and direction of NEVs. In 2020, the installed capacity of NEV batteries in China reached 63.3 GWh, and the market size reached 61.184 billion RMB, gaining support from many governments.
In recent years, the explosive development of NEVs has led to increasing demand for NEV batteries, which has led to the rapid development of the NEV battery industry, resulting in increasing prices of raw materials manufactured and sold by raw material manufacturers, i.e., the upstream battery industry.