Eco Factor: Redesigning sodium beta battery helps deliver 30 percent more power.
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s (DoE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have successfully redesigned sodium beta batteries to increase their performance by 30 percent. The team has devised a planar design to replace the previous the cylindrical form which hampered efficient discharge of stored electrochemical energy.
The new design takes advantage of cheaper material and comprises of a thinner cathode with a larger surface area for a given cell volume and also incorporates a layer of solid electrolyte to lower resistance. This allows the battery to be operated at lower temperatures while maintaining a power output 30 percent more than a similar-sized battery with a cylindrical design.
The compact design makes the battery an attractive option for energy storage in power substations besides presenting an affordable battery technology that is one up to its lithium ion counterpart.
Via: Gizmag
