Small-scale demo, large-scale promise of novel bromine battery
The availability of low-cost, high-capacity energy storage technology could profoundly change today's energy landscape. The ability to store electricity when supplies are abundant and deliver it later when they're not would permit widespread use of intermittent sources such as solar and wind; ensure efficient, reliable power delivery by both central and distributed grids; and make possible portable energy storage for developing nations and for mobile industrial operations. Electrochemical systems such as batteries and fuel cells seem promising candidates for the energy-storage job. They can be sited wherever they're needed, and they can be discharged and recharged quickly and efficiently. Coupled with a solar or wind farm, for example, they could store electricity when the sun shines or the wind blows and then deliver it in minutes when the day gets cloudy or still.