Transitioning to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 will require vast amounts of energy storage capacity.
At present, most renewable storage batteries are based on lithium – a mineral found in only a handful of locations, inhibiting supply and impacting on cost.
Now a new type of battery promises to offer a more scalable solution for renewable energy storage in our homes, offices, factories and utilities.
Its developer, Gelion Technologies, was spun out of the University of Sydney in 2015 to commercialise inventions in non-flow zinc-bromide battery technology.
These were developed by the University’s scientific team which was led by Professor Thomas Maschmeyer, the Founder & Principal Technology Advisor at Gelion.
To create its Endure battery, the team revisited an older battery tech called zinc bromine. Zinc is nine times cheaper per electron transfer than lithium and supply is also more available and affordable.
Professor Maschmeyer says the new breakthrough is the gel that they’ve developed that reengineers the potential of zinc bromide to deliver a practical and commercial solution for stationary energy storage.
The Endure battery also has safer properties than lithium batteries which are prone to overheating. The zinc-bromide gel, in contrast, is resistant to a blowtorch of 1000 degrees, he says.
“It does not overheat. We are very comfortable on this point.”