New material could enable wind energy to be stored in batteries

As promising as wind energy is, its held back by the fact that it can’t be transported in small amounts that individuals can use. Combustible fuels can be stored inside containers and solar energy can be generated by portable solar panels. The only way to transport wind energy is with batteries. Batteries are very expensive though. However, a new type of battery developed by Harvard researchers could alleviate the financial strains. 

Utilities would love to be able to store the power that wind farms generate at night—when no one wants it—and use it when demand is high during the day. But conventional battery technology is so expensive that it only makes economic sense to store a few minutes of electricity, enough to smooth out a few fluctuations from gusts of wind. Harvard University researchers say they’ve developed a new type of battery that could make it economical to store a couple of days of electricity from wind farms.