Federal scientists have developed a miniaturized version of a flow battery, which can store energy from intermittent sources like wind and solar power, at a lab at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The mini battery is about the size of a playing card and requires only a small amount of material, equivalent to “a few grains of sand”. The goal is to use the mini battery to quickly test new flow battery designs and materials, with the aim of accelerating the development of this technology. Flow batteries are unique in that they store energy through electrochemical reactions in two chambers, and are seen as a key technology for storing energy from renewable sources. The team is optimistic that this mini battery can help to reduce the cost and improve the performance of flow batteries, which could lead to a reduction in grid-scale energy storage costs and a decrease in carbon emissions.
Marking the beginning of our analysis…
