ISLAMABAD: A new battery that uses low-cost materials like sodium and magnesium could bring the cost of storing power from renewable sources more affordable, said researchers.
The new device's energy density was also found close to that of lithium-ion batteries.
Storing electric power from wind and sun for days when the air is still or the sun is down remains a challenge, largely due to cost, Science Daily reported.
Today, lithium-ion batteries are the storage technology of choice for many applications, from electric cars to smartphones.
To make larger-scale energy storage more accessible, Maksym V. Kovalenko and colleagues wanted to develop an affordable alternative to lithium-ion.
The researchers started with magnesium as the battery's safe, inexpensive and high-energy density anode material and paired it with pyrite, which is made of iron and sulphur, as the cathode.
It could get an additional two to three fold boost with further development of magnesium electrolytes, researchers said.
And because it is made with low-cost materials, it could help support grid- scale energy storage, they said.
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