Electroville: Grid-Scale Batteries
Technology Description:
Led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Donald Sadoway, the Electroville project team is creating a community-scale electricity storage device using new materials and a battery design inspired by the aluminum production process known as smelting. A conventional battery includes a liquid electrolyte and a solid separator between its 2 solid electrodes. MIT's battery contains liquid metal electrodes and a molten salt electrolyte. Because metals and salt don't mix, these 3 liquids of different densities naturally separate into layers, eliminating the need for a solid separator. This efficient design significantly reduces packaging materials, which reduces cost and allows more space for storing energy than conventional batteries offer. MIT's battery also uses cheap, earth-abundant, domestically available materials and is more scalable. By using all liquids, the design can also easily be resized according to the changing needs of local communities.
Potential Impact:
If successful, MIT's affordable, large-scale battery technology would enable the low-cost storage of vast amounts of electricity and facilitate the widespread use of wind and solar energy to power the grid.
Security:
Grid-scale batteries could reduce the need for fossil fuels and provide a buffer against supply disruptions.
Environment:
Grid-scale storage could increase renewable energy production and, in turn, decrease harmful emissions.
Economy:
Energy storage would help reduce fuel prices and stabilize electricity rates, and it would offer new tax revenues to communities in solar and wind development areas.
Contact
ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Mark Johnson
Project Contact:
Prof. Donald Sadoway
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
dsadoway@mit.edu
Partners
Raytheon
Related Projects
Release Date:
10/26/2009