OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Oak Ridge National Laboratory said it is working with a new kind of battery to help combat climate change — capturing carbon dioxide and releasing it as clean energy while also helping store renewable energy from solar panels or wind turbines.
The battery takes energy from renewable sources, similar to a regular battery. However, using the stored energy when wind and sunlight are not available generates an electrochemical reaction that should capture carbon dioxide and, as a byproduct, create chemicals that can be used in other products.
The battery technology can used by large-scale power plants and in similar kinds of facilities.
"One of these new battery types maintained its capacity for 600 hours of use and could store up to 10 hours of electricity. Researchers also identified, studied and overcame the primary challenge, a deactivation caused by chemical buildup, that had been an obstacle for the other battery formulation," said a release from ORNL about the batteries.
Researchers on the batteries include Ilias Belharouak, Ruhul Amin, Marm B. Dixit, Mangya Li, Sabine M. Neumayer and Yoacai Bai.
"It's not only capturing CO2, and not giving anything, but capturing and energizing and electrifying certain components of that plant, which means that you will rely less and less on fossil fuels," said Belharouak. "The other impact here is to make the grid more resilient. Because, you know, grid stability depends on, a lot of times, there are fluctuations for renewable energies, right? ... Those batteries can correct those intermittency issues."
He said the batteries can supplement energy in times when solar panels can't generate electricity, or when wind turbines can't turn.
