Las lithium batteries They would soon be forgotten. There is a stranger chemical element that rusts to function. When it came to light foolproof formula to revive lithium batteries and make them infinitethe world came to a standstill, but this time we could be seeing the end of batteries as we know them.
Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in products we know very well, such as electric cars, smartphones, laptops, electric toothbrushes and others. They are rechargeable and have a number of advantages that put them at the top of the current market.
According to a report published by Nature In 2021, the market for these batteries will increase from $30 billion to $100 billion from 2017 to 2025. But given the arrival of this new option, will their predictions come true? Let’s see!
This is the device that could replace lithium batteries from now on
The redox flow batteries are based on the organic electrolyte in which it works CIC energiFUNE They represent a clearly economically viable alternative for the storage of large-scale stationary energy and for the integration of the long-awaited renewable energy sources.
The latter is an important aspect and one of its strengths due to the complex situation of devastating environmental degradation Europe and the rest of the world. To combat this difficult reality, the European Union has developed the European Green Dealwhat our roadmap is to deliver Europe a sustainable economy that aims to be climate neutral by 2050.
To achieve the energy transition that everyone is talking about, it is necessary to invest in renewable energy sources and new storage alternatives. Although several options have appeared, they have not been possible until now, because to be truly useful they must meet strict requirements for high cyclic power, efficiency, fast response and low cost.
For this reason, the SET Plan for stationary energy storage sets clear objectives with regard to values and sustainability for the year 2030. In terms of costs, the objective is 0.05 euro kW/h/cycle and, as far as sustainability is concerned, 10,000 cycles and 20 years of life.
Why can redox flow batteries replace lithium batteries?
To start, we’ll explain what redox means: ‘red’ comes from reduction and ‘os’ comes from electron oxidation or release. This type of vanadium electrolyte battery works by spinning a liquid electrolyte pumped from tanks into a tank in circles. pile of electrochemical cells with a membrane that separates anode and cathode.
The oxidation and reduction reactions at the electrodes result in a potential difference between the solutions in each space of the membrane. This process makes energy storage possible.
A structure that not only meets the requirements of the SET plan, but also decouples energy and power to adapt it to the capacity needed. This avoids the excess that other batteries require when they require long discharges and long storage times. The cost of this solution promises to be within the values required by the SET plan.
A solution with a future, but one that needs more research
It’s been more than 5 years CIC energiGUNE started his activities in this field. It should be noted that his initial research culminated in the publication of patent WO 2015/048550 on “Organic electrolytic compounds for redox flow batteries”.
The consortium consists of 9 other leading companies in materials, storage systems and renewable energies, all working to ensure that redox flow batteries deliver the best performance, extend their lifespan and are easier to recycle.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with this one. chemical element to determine whether or not we say goodbye to the lithium batteries. However, with the large number projects that have recently come to lightit is clear that they have already changed.