Researchers at RMIT University in Victoria have developed a water-based battery system that could be perfect for large-scale applications, such as solar and wind farms.
We’re seeing a lot of interesting solutions in the renewable space to cut down on rare earths and critical mineral dependence (because, while some of these materials can be quite rare, mining for them has a noteworthy impact on the environment). Mushrooms, for example, could be perfect for replacing some parts inside of batteries.
Now, it turns out that a water battery could be perfect for renewable energy storage – as in, for storing the unused energy produced by solar and wind farms.
“What we design and manufacture are called aqueous metal-ion batteries – or we can call them water batteries,” lead researcher Distinguished Professor Tianyi Ma said. “Addressing end-of-life disposal challenges that consumers, industry and governments globally face with current energy storage technology, our batteries can be safely disassembled and the materials can …