A rechargeable zinc battery will be a cheaper and safer alternative to the standard lithium-ion batteries. NantEnergy’s rechargeable zinc battery. (Photo from NantEnergy)
Lithium-ion batteries are important when it comes to powering electric cars and storing energy created by solar panels and wind turbines. But they still have their fair share of issues, such as their vulnerability to fires and explosions, their use of scarce minerals, and how expensive they are. Zinc batteries would be a more affordable option, and while different researchers have worked on developing this power source, they have yet to become a reality. Now, NantEnergy claims to have created the world’s first rechargeable battery operating on zinc and air that stores power for less than the cost of lithium-ion batteries.
It sounds too good to be true, but according to Patrick Soon-Shinog, owner of NantEnergy, it’s real. They’ve been testing the zinc energy-storage system in Africa and Asia over the past six years, and it’s helped power their villages. The zinc batteries have even powered some cellphone towers in the US without any backup from utilities or the electric grid. Developed with support from the World Bank, the zinc batteries, in conjunction with solar panels, can be combined to create a microgrid system that can power a village or larger area.
The batteries themselves are housed in plastic components with a shell casing equipped with a circuit board and zinc oxide, all in a briefcase-sized package. When charging, the electricity from the solar installations is stored by converting zinc oxide to zinc and oxygen. To discharge, the systems create energy by oxidizing the zinc with air. A single charge can provide power for up to 72 hours.
When it comes to pricing, lithium-ion batteries cost between $300 and $400 per kilowatt-hour, while NantEnergy’s battery cuts down the cost to less than $100 per kilowatt-hour. Zinc batteries are also an ideal alternative since they don’t have toxic compounds, are not flammable, and can be disposed of safely. But this doesn’t mean zinc is entirely safe. Zinc derives from an ore made up of zinc sulfide and is usually made in conjunction with lead, cadmium, and nickel. Producing zinc on such a large scale could increase environmental issues from sulfur dioxide and cadmium-vapor release.
For now, the company wants to focus on microgrids for its zinc batteries, but they don’t count out using them in the home in the future in California and New York. It sounds promising, but it’s a bold claim. If the zinc batteries work as NantEnergy promises they do, it’ll provide a cheaper and safer alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The results seem promising so far, but we’ll have to wait and see it the claims are true.
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