battery technology
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- March 22, 2013
With the gradual shift to electric vehicles, demand for newer batteries that last longer and provide more power has risen sharply in the past decade. Current electric cars have less power than gasoline vehicles, and they are limited to round trips of just over 100 miles. New battery technologies may soon allow electric cars to drive up to five times that distance.
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- November 29, 2012
The primary limitation of renewable energy sources is the storage capacity of current batteries. Conventional batteries consist of solid materials that limit the amount of current that can flow through their components. These batteries do not have the ability to retain a charge for extended periods. However, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology team led by Professor Donald Sadoway may have discovered the solution to the problem. Liquid metal battery technology is the latest attempt to make a practical, long-term energy storage device for the intermittent energy generated by the sun and wind.
Anatomy of a Liquid Battery
A liquid metal battery has a rigid external housing with a positive and negative terminal just like a conventional battery. The difference is the internal components. A conventional battery has anodes and cathodes that consist of solid metal plates that are immersed in an electrolyte solution or gel. A liquid metal battery does not have these solid plates.
In the new
