Big Batteries

Science Café Topic: Big Batteries for Powering Our Homes and Businesses

with Robert F. Savinell, PhD

June 11, 2018

While the supply of electricity must always match demand at any time, turning power plants on and off, or up and down to do so is terribly inefficient. And, in the case of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, nature controls when power can be produced by turbines and solar cells. But big batteries can convert electric energy into a chemical form that can be stored, which can then be converted back into electricity when needed, somewhat like Amazon warehouses that store millions of products so that they are immediately available whenever a customer needs them. In this talk I will first address the challenges of using a conventional lithium-ion battery, like we have in our phones and computers, for very large storage systems. These batteries store electricity in very high energy density materials surrounded by combustible materials, which have the potential to explode and cause fires. A safer and potentially lower cost battery being developed during the past decade is the “flow battery”, and at CWRU we are developing one such battery. (Excerpt from Science Café website)

The books below provide a look at the topic of Dr. Savinell's talk for those interested in exploring further, especially from an historical perspective on how we got to where we are today with our energy storage needs. Click the titles to link to the library's catalog to place a hold or to get additional information.

The Electric Battery : Charging Forward To A Low-Carbon Future by Kevin Jones (2017)
- [The Electric Battery] begins with a short history of the battery since about 1750, followed by brief explanations of how batteries work; the political, economic, and ecological issues surrounding their construction and disposal; and their current and potential applications in transportation, and in home and industrial use. The book also examines the use of large batteries as part of electric grids and alternative forms of energy storage. (Excerpt, Choice Review)
Power From The Wind : Achieving Energy Independence : A Practical Guide To Small-Scale Energy Production by Daniel Chiras (2017)
- Power From the Wind is the completely revised and updated edition of the go-to guide for individuals and businesses interested in installing small wind energy systems. Written for the layperson, this practical guide provides an accurate and unbiased view of all aspects of small wind energy systems. (Excerpt, Book Summary)
Innovators In Battery Technology : Profiles Of 95 Influential Electrochemists by Kevin Desmond, Kevin (2016)
- As the world’s demand for electrical energy increases, it will be the ingenuity and skill of brilliant electrochemists that enable us to utilize the planet’s mineral reserves responsibly. This biographical dictionary profiles 95 electrochemists from 19 nations who during the past 270 years have researched and developed ever more efficient batteries and energy cells.
Batteries For Electric Vehicles: Materials And Electrochemistry by Helena Berg (2015)
- This fundamental guide teaches readers the basics of battery design for electric vehicles. Working through this book, you will understand how to optimise battery performance and functionality, whilst minimising costs and maximising durability. The first of its kind, and written by an industry expert with experience in academia, this is an ideal resource for both students and researchers in the fields of battery research and development as well as for professionals in the automotive industry extending their interest towards electric vehicles. (Excerpt, Book Summary)
The Powerhouse: Inside The Invention Of A Battery To Save The World by Steve LeVine (2015)
- Far from producing a laboratory textbook, Mr. LeVine has written something like a thriller. Above all, “The Powerhouse: Inside the Invention of a Battery to Save the World” is the story of a race among top U.S. scientists, Silicon Valley visionaries (and shysters), and rivals spanning China, Japan and elsewhere. All are vying to lead the development of a battery that will enable electric vehicles to challenge the dominance of the internal-combustion engine. (Excerpt, Wall Street Journal)
Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars, And The New Lithium Economy by Seth Fletcher (2011)
- In the mid-1800s Fletcher says, clean, cheap lead-acid batteries were developed that by the early 20th century were preferred for use in automobiles over "unreliable, complicated, loud, and dirty" gasoline-powered cars - until it came time to refuel. Thomas Edison tried to invent a safe, longer-duration battery, even experimenting with small amounts of lithium, but then Charles Kettering patented an automatic starter for gas engines, and the battle was lost. Smog and 1970s gas shortages revived interest in electric cars-and lithium batteries. More importantly, many technical challenges must be overcome before electric cars and buses become everyday modes of transportation. But Fletcher remains optimistic. He balances science and history with a closeup look at business practices and priorities, providing lucid and thorough coverage of a timely topic. (Excerpt, Publishers Weekly)

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