Sun Jan 12, 2014, 04:52 PM

Organic Mega Flow Battery Promises Breakthrough for Renewable Energy

Organic Mega Flow Battery Promises Breakthrough for Renewable Energy

an. 8, 2014 — A team of Harvard scientists and engineers has demonstrated a new type of battery that could fundamentally transform the way electricity is stored on the grid, making power from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar far more economical and reliable.

The novel battery technology is reported in a paper published in Nature on January 9. Under the OPEN 2012 program, the Harvard team received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to develop the innovative grid-scale battery and plans to work with ARPA-E to catalyze further technological and market breakthroughs over the next several years.

he paper reports a metal-free flow battery that relies on the electrochemistry of naturally abundant, inexpensive, small organic (carbon-based) molecules called quinones, which are similar to molecules that store energy in plants and animals.

This is a solution to the intermittent nature of many renewable energy sources.

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7 replies	Author	Time	Post
Organic Mega Flow Battery Promises Breakthrough for Renewable Energy (Original post)	Agnosticsherbet	Jan 2014	OP
I've liked the idea of flow batteries since I first read about them several years ago	madokie	Jan 2014	#1
In this article, they discussed a flow battery the size of a hot water tank	Agnosticsherbet	Jan 2014	#3
We but scratched the surface of what is to come	madokie	Jan 2014	#4
This great!	djean111	Jan 2014	#2
'flow' batteries always have issues...	quadrature	Jan 2014	#5
That should read Previous flow batteries had issues	madokie	Jan 2014	#6
Technology evolves, gets better, that why it isn't	Agnosticsherbet	Jan 2014	#7

Response to Agnosticsherbet (Original post)

Sun Jan 12, 2014, 05:03 PM

madokie (51,076 posts)

1. I've liked the idea of flow batteries since I first read about them several years ago

back when they were mostly theory.

My hope is that someday they'll develop flow batteries to power our automobiles. I know the technology isn't there yet but that doesn't mean it won't ever be.
Possibly to not even require charging, instead a replenishment of chemicals

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Response to madokie (Reply #1)

Sun Jan 12, 2014, 05:17 PM

Agnosticsherbet (11,619 posts)

3. In this article, they discussed a flow battery the size of a hot water tank

that wold store 24 hours worth of energy for a house, so houses with solar cells would find it easier to be free of the grid. There is a lot of promise here.

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Response to Agnosticsherbet (Reply #3)

Sun Jan 12, 2014, 05:20 PM

madokie (51,076 posts)

4. We but scratched the surface of what is to come

as far as making our electrical energy and storing it
My regret is I probably won't live long enough to see much of it. Due to my age now

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Response to Agnosticsherbet (Original post)

Sun Jan 12, 2014, 05:15 PM

djean111 (14,255 posts)

2. This great!

Aside from ALEC's planned use of the grid to almost blackmail solar users, not having the country depend on massive grids seems a much safer way to be. Weather, terrorists, accidents - all leave an awful lot of people at risk.
And sorry - saying well, what about the funds that are invested in nuclear, etc. just does not cut it. At some point, safety, the health of the planet surely should outweigh profit for a few and the dangers of fracking and nuclear accidents and disposal, to name a few dangers.

Let the people who make money from this stuff live amidst fracking fields dotted with cute little nuclear reactors.

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Response to Agnosticsherbet (Original post)

Sun Jan 12, 2014, 11:49 PM

quadrature (2,049 posts)