One of the biggest hurdles to overcome for the renewable energy market is to create power units that can house energy for storage, which these new zinc-manganese batteries could provide.
Developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the battery technology is purported to be as affordable as a traditional car battery. However, the batteries are capable of being charged and discharged over and over, while maintaining a strong level of energy. This could prove to be the battery the renewable energy market has been waiting for.
The power units are currently in prototype phases as of late, but could potentially be implemented to help store energy for utilization on off hours to constantly keep electricity available on the grid.
What's Driving This Trend
- Renewable Energy Batteries
- Newly-developed zinc-manganese power units are a potential solution to affordable and effective energy storage for homes and businesses that utilize renewable energy sources.
- Affordable Battery Technology
- This new battery technology from PNNL has the potential to revolutionize energy storage by providing a highly efficient yet low-cost alternative to traditional energy storage solutions.
- Electric Grid Stability
- These new energy-storing batteries could also help to promote electric grid stability by enabling energy storage from renewable sources during peak production hours to be utilized during peak demand hours.
Who This Affects Most
- Renewable Energy
- The renewable energy industry has the potential to benefit significantly from these new batteries by providing a solution to one of the most significant challenges to its growth and development – affordable and efficient energy storage.
- Energy Storage
- The energy storage industry could experience disruptive innovation by utilizing this new technology from PNNL to provide a highly effective and low-cost solution to energy storage.
- Automotive Industry
- The automotive industry could also benefit from this technology if implemented into electric vehicles, providing a highly efficient and affordable alternative to current energy storage solutions on the market.
