A new type of sodium-ion battery could prove cheaper than lithium-ion batteries for storing power from wind and solar farms, says
Jay Whitacre, a professor of materials science and engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Whitacre's startup, 44 Tech, based in Menlo Park, CA, will receive $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, as part of the 2009 Recovery Act, to develop the technology. The funding, announced last week, is part of a $620 million package for improving the electricity grid.
The startup's batteries could be not only cheaper but also longer-lasting than lithium-ion ones, Whitacre says. This would make them particularly useful for storing large amounts of electricity cheaply--something that will be essential for making renewable energy the primary source of energy in the U.S., rather than just the supplemental source it is now. Such storage will make it practical to store energy from wind turbines and solar farms for use when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining.
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/24043/?a=f