How a pumped hydro innovation using fluid 2.5x denser than water could change energy storage
05 Feb, 2025
An innovative “high-density hydro” project that uses fluid that is 2.5x denser than water could open whole new possibilities for future pumped storage hydropower developments.
Innovator RheEnergise is constructing a 500kw demonstrator project on a Sibelco mining site, a few kilometres away from Plymouth.
Using this “high-tech” dense fluid called R-19 enables the system to be deployed on hills rather than mountains (where traditional pumped storage hydro projects are constructed) as it is able to provide the same power using 2.5x less vertical elevation.
This could radically reduce construction time and cost while opening more potential locations for pumped storage hydropower.
Rechargeable paper battery is cheaper, safer & as powerful as lithium
By C.C. Weiss
February 25, 2025
A battery that's safer and cheaper than lithium-ion while offering comparable energy density? That sounds like a pipe dream. But such a battery is in fact in the works, using a chemistry of renewables to store over 220 Wh/kg. Singaporean startup Flint believes it has the formula for the most sustainable battery the world has ever seen, capable of replacing lithium for applications like EV power and grid storage. Maybe that is a dream. Or maybe it's the revolutionary eco-optimized battery of the near-future.
A fully sustainable paper battery that can be recycled and dropped in compost at the end of its life cycle sounds too good to be true. It kicks off a major cynicism alert, and the questions flow like water through a burst dam.
To support the further advancement of the electronics industry, energy researchers have been trying to develop new battery technologies that could be charged faster, power devices for a greater amount of time and have longer overall lifetimes. Some of the most promising emerging batteries that could meet these requirements are all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs).
ASSBs are batteries that contain solid electrolytes, as opposed to the liquid electrolytes found in conventional battery technologies. Compared to lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which are currently the most widely used rechargeable batteries, ASSBs could be safer, as solid electrolytes are typically less likely to catch fire, and could also store more energy (i.e., have higher energy densities).
A central component of these batteries is the so-called cathode active material (CAM), a component that stores and releases lithium ions. Layered materials rich in nickel (Ni) have been particularly promising CAMs, yet they were also found to exhibit significant limitations.
Specifically, past studies showed that these cathodes can reduce the ability of ASSBs to hold charge over time, a process known as capacity fading. The reduction in capacity they prompt was linked to chemical reactions at the interface between Ni-rich cathodes and electrolytes, as well as the expansion, contraction and disintegration of cathode particles.
World's first long-life sodium-ion power bank launched
By Abhimanyu Ghoshal
March 18, 2025
https://newatlas.com/energy/elecom-firs ... ower-bank/
Japanese hardware brand Elecom has just launched what it claims is the world's first power bank to feature a sodium-ion battery inside. It promises significantly longer cycle life than traditional lithium-ion batteries, as well as the ability to operate in extremely hot and cold climes.
On the outside, the affectionately named DE-C55L-9000 looks similar to the vast majority of power banks on the market, with a rounded brick shape housing its 9,000-mAh battery, a 45-W USB Type-C and an 18-W Type-A port, and charging indicator LEDs.
What's more interesting than the rest is the tech inside. A sodium-ion battery is pretty similar to a lithium-ion battery in terms of how it works and how it's constructed – but it uses cheaper and more abundantly available sodium for the cathode material, and sodium salts instead of lithium salts for the electrolyte.
BYD’s 5-minute fast-charging system – as quick as filling up a tank?
By Utkarsh Sood
March 20, 2025
China is back with another engineering marvel. This time, in the form of BYD’s new battery system which is reportedly capable of charging an electric car in just five minutes – roughly the same amount of time as refueling a combustion vehicle.
The industry has long aimed to accomplish this feat, one that is often seen as the last hurdle against EV adoption. BYD's system is termed the "Super e-platform" and is claimed to be capable of adding one mile of range every second when charging.
This results in roughly 250 miles (400 km) of range in five minutes. That’s quicker than going to your nearest gas station for a quick refill. BYD's new 1-megawatt flash chargers will officially roll out in China first, with 4,000 new fast charging stations to be built across the country.
BYD's new 1-megawatt flash chargers will officially roll out in China first
Self-healing Batteries: The Future of Durable and Safe Energy Storage March 25, 2025
Introduction:
(Eurekalert) With the rapid rise of portable electronics and wearable technology, the demand for high-performance, long-lasting batteries has never been greater. However, conventional batteries are highly susceptible to mechanical stress, leading to cracks, fractures, and performance degradation. In extreme cases, these failures can trigger safety hazards such as toxic leakage or short circuits. Furthermore, repeated charging and discharging cycles gradually weaken battery structures, limiting their operational lifespan. To overcome these limitations, scientists have turned to self-healing materials—an innovative approach that enables batteries to autonomously repair damage, ensuring long-term reliability and enhanced safety.
On March 3, 2025, researchers from Zhengzhou University published a comprehensive review (DOI: 10.26599/EMD.2025.9370058) in Energy Materials and Devices, detailing the latest advancements in self-healing battery technology. The study systematically explores the integration of self-healing materials into key battery components—including electrodes, electrolytes, and encapsulation layers—while unraveling the mechanisms behind their remarkable ability to recover from damage. The review also highlights strategies for optimizing performance and durability, laying the groundwork for future breakthroughs in next-generation energy storage systems.
wjfox wrote: ↑Sun Jan 19, 2025 12:44 pmFire at world’s largest battery facility is a clean energy setback
A fire at Vistra Energy's Moss Landing battery storage facility in California destroyed thousands of lithium batteries – and a significant amount of the state's clean energy storage capacity
Extract from article by David Smalz on this topic:
(Monterey County Weekly) (O)n Jan. 27, San Jose State University issued a report that landed like a bombshell. Ivano Aiello, a geoscientist at SJSU’s Moss Landing Marine Labs who’d been studying soil sediments in the Elkhorn Slough for a decade, found that samples he and his team had taken around the slough in the days after the fire showed a “hundreds to thousand-fold” increase in nickel, manganese and cobalt, heavy metals found in the types of batteries used at Moss 300.
...
IN THE DAYS AFTER THE FIRE, (Monterey County Supervisor Glenn) Church often referred to it as a “Three-Mile Island” type of event for the battery energy storage industry, one that would wake people up to its potential dangers. Given the reach the fire had in the media – it made news internationally – that may prove to be true, but the Moss 300 facility was hardly a reflection of the industry as a whole.
Nick Warner, a battery safety expert, says less than 1 percent of battery storage facilities worldwide are in dedicated-use buildings – an indoor structure designed to house large-scale utility battery systems – and that Moss 300 was “globally unique in every way.” He bristles at the “Three-Mile Island” comparison, and believes a more apt one is the Hindenburg, as airships were already on their way out to make way for better, safer technology – airplanes.
Indoor battery storage facilities are going the same way, he says, adding that Moss 300 was the only one that reused an existing building. Worldwide, “it had far and away the most capacity under one roof. It was an antiquated design and concept already being replaced by a newer and better way of doing things.”
New battery tech makes sub-zero EV charging 5x faster
By Abhimanyu Ghoshal
April 03, 2025
One of the things you might not learn about electric vehicles (EV) until you live with one is that they charge slower in cold temperatures, which means you might have to spend longer at a charging station on long winter drives.
In addition, the climate's impact on your car's battery chemistry, and the power drawn when you heat the cabin and seats can together sap about 25% of range when you're cruising at 70 mph (113 km/h), compared with driving at that speed in mild weather.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have a way to tackle the first problem. By slightly altering the manufacturing process for lithium-ion EV batteries, their technique can enable rapid charging at awfully low temperatures – up to five times as fast – without reducing their energy density.
Not only does charging take longer in the cold, but your electric car's range is also impacted by increased use of your cabin and seat heating
Mechanistic Understanding Could Enable Better Fast-charging Batteries April 4, 2025
Introduction:
(Eurekalert) MADISON — Fast-charging lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous, powering everything from cellphones and laptops to electric vehicles. They’re also notorious for overheating or catching fire.
Now, with an innovative computational model, a University of Wisconsin–Madison mechanical engineer has gained new understanding of a phenomenon that causes lithium-ion batteries to fail.
Developed by Weiyu Li, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UW–Madison, the model explains lithium plating, in which fast charging triggers metallic lithium to build up on the surface of a battery’s anode, causing the battery to degrade faster or catch fire.
This knowledge could lead to fast-charging lithium-ion batteries that are safer and longer-lasting.
The mechanisms that trigger lithium plating, until now, have not been well understood. With her model, Li studied lithium plating on a graphite anode in a lithium-ion battery. The model revealed how the complex interplay between ion transport and electrochemical reactions drives lithium plating.
A team of chemical and biomolecular engineers, physicists and battery specialists affiliated with several institutions in the U.S. has developed a water-based battery that offers 2,000-cycle stability. In their paper published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the group outlines why they believe it could help bridge the gap between aqueous batteries and non-aqueous lithium-ion batteries.
The main advantage of using aqueous batteries is their safety compared to nonaqueous, lithium-ion batteries. They cannot ignite unexpectedly, minimizing fire hazard. The reason that they are not common is their reduction potential limit of aqueous electrolytes, which has restricted their energy density. Also, the current types of electrolytes they use tend to have problems with water shuttling the interface and high impedance.
In this new study, the research team has taken a step toward resolving these problems by improving ion transport and the stability of biphasic electrolytes via lithium ionophores.
Researchers at TUM and TUMint.Energy Research have taken a significant step towards improving solid-state batteries. They developed a new material made of lithium, antimony and scandium that conducts lithium ions more than 30% faster than any previously known material. The work is published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials.
The team led by Prof. Thomas F. Fässler from the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry with a Focus on Novel Materials partially replaced lithium in a lithium antimonide compound with the metal scandium. This creates specific gaps, so-called vacancies, in the crystal lattice of the conductor material. These gaps help the lithium ions to move more easily and faster, resulting in a new world record for ion conductivity.
Japan Creating Battery that Can Run for 100 Years in Outer Space by Takahiro Takenouchi
May 6, 2025
Introduction:
(The Asahi Shimbun) Japan has embarked on a mission to create a battery system that can continuously generate electricity for a century under the extreme conditions of outer space.
Long-operational, maintenance-free batteries are expected to play a crucial role in not only lunar projects but also for deep space exploration beyond Jupiter, where sunlight is weaker.
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) signed an agreement with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in March to create such a specialized battery system using a radioactive substance called americium.
“We believe our project is feasible although it is now facing a range of challenges,” said Masahide Takano, a senior JAEA researcher. “We will pitch a compact power source at a practical level that will not require any maintenance for upward of 100 years.”
The power source will rely on different mechanisms from those of solar cells or other batteries used under normal conditions on Earth.
For use on the moon, the envisioned battery must be able to cope with temperature fluctuations ranging from 110 degrees during the day to minus 170 degrees at night.
GM Says It's Solved the LMR EV Battery Problem, Aims to Be First to Market
The automaker's lithium manganese-rich prismatic battery cells reportedly offer a longer lifespan and higher energy density than previous attempts.
By Adrianna Nine May 14, 2025
https://www.extremetech.com/cars/gm-say ... -to-market
General Motors claims to have created a new and improved version of the lithium manganese-rich (LMR) electric vehicle battery, which has historically suffered from capacity fade. The battery, which the automaker expects to "unlock premium range and performance" at a relatively low cost, could be used in GMC and Chevrolet vehicles as soon as 2028.
On paper, LMR batteries are cheaper and more environmentally friendly to manufacture than the nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) batteries used by most EV makers today. That's because manganese is a highly Earth-abundant mineral, making it less expensive to obtain than cobalt and nickel, which are used in lower volumes in LMRs. Manganese mining is also thought to release fewer pollutants into the air and waterways; cobalt and nickel mining produce so many environmental contaminants that it's associated with increased risk of neurologic toxicity, lung disease, birth defects, and other major health complications.
