Solar and Wind energy can now be stored in first ever pure liquid battery

Until now, alternative sources of energy like wind and solar energy that is available in abundance has been well exploited as efficient sources of electricity. But since wind and sun are highly unpredictable forces of nature, there is a high probability that these may not be used to their fullest advantage. As a result, MIT professor Donald Sadoway – he has developed the first ever pure liquid battery, that can store this power for later use. To keep the battery in liquid form, it’s kept under constant high temperature of around 700 degrees Celsius. Its layers are made of liquid metal alloys that are very cheap and available in plenty, thus making it a cheap storage technology.

Energy from the renewable energy source is stored in the metal alloys, and when the battery needs to supply energy, ions from one of the alloys travel through the salt electrolyte, out of the battery. Oil company Total has also invested $4 million in a joint venture with MIT for the development of a battery for homes and buildings using the same technology. But still, researchers have to do some further studies to understand and exploit the technology to the fullest and begin mass production at competitive costs.
[GoodCleanTech]