An array of technologies is fighting for a place in the energy transition, but lithium-ion batteries are getting cheaper and bigger.
Solar power is cheaper than ever — so cheap, in fact, that many countries are now trying to store it to use at night. : American Public Power Association/Unsplash Unsplash licence
An array of technologies is fighting for a place in the energy transition, but lithium-ion batteries are getting cheaper and bigger.
In the last decade, lithium-ion batteries have grown to power not just consumer electronics, but cars and even houses.
As the renewable energy transition rolls on, societies are looking for ways to store more and more electricity to stabilise electrical grids, reduce power prices and to spread out daily peaks in demand.
Lithium-ion batteries are increasingly the go-to option: they are cheap and hold a lot of energy for their size and weight. But they are difficult to recycle, and when they are thrown out, the toxic compounds inside them cause problems for people and the environment.
Many other energy storage technologies — some brand new, some very established — aim to make storing power cheaper, safer and more reliable. But with the relentless growth in lithium-ion batteries, they have a serious fight to carve out a niche for themselves.
Learn more about how some of these technologies work in our interactive explainer.
Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.
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