#battery #energy storage #climate change
To date, cheap natural gas has helped fill gaps in the power supply when wind and solar installations are not producing enough electricity. Developing more affordable, longer-lasting battery storage has been a major hurdle to the large-scale deployment of renewable energy, and a game changer - if developed - as well.
In late September, the world's first scalable air breathing, zinc rechargeable battery system was unveiled at the One Planet summit by the Arizona-based technology company NantEnergy. It's the breakthrough after its six-year mission funded by the World Bank and the U.S. Department of Energy. Using just zinc and air, the manufacturing cost is claimed to be below $100 kWh, compared to the $190 per kWh cost of Tesla's Model 3 battery pack and $205 per kWh for General Motors' 2017 Chevrolet Bolt battery. And it is to operate this intelligent digitally controlled system on a global scale, providing a competitive source of energy compared to other energy storage technologies, making carbon free energy affordable and accessible in developing countries
"This is a game changer," Yogi Goswami, director of the Clean Energy Center at the University of South Florida, told the Times. "You have to have storage."
For more details, please refer to the Yale e360 report.