Are sodium-ion batteries the future of energy storage?

The lithium battery research activity driven in recent years has benefited the development of sodium-ion batteries. By maintaining a number of similarities with lithium-ion batteries, this type of energy storage has seen particularly rapid progress and promises to be a key advantage in their deployment.

Are sodium ion batteries a viable alternative energy storage system?

Sodium is abundant on Earth and has similar chemical properties to lithium, thus sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have been considered as one of the most promising alternative energy storage systems to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

How do sodium ion batteries work?

This technology opens the door to the massification of affordable electric cars and the efficient storage of renewable energy. But how do they work and what are their advantages? Sodium-ion batteries are a type of rechargeable batteries that carry the charge using sodium ions (Na+).

What are sodium-ion batteries?

As such, sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) have been touted as an attractive storage technology due to their elemental abundance, promising electrochemical performance and environmentally benign nature.

What are the advantages of sodium ion batteries?

Key advantages include the use of widely available and inexpensive raw materials and a rapidly scalable technology based around existing lithium-ion production methods. These properties make sodium-ion batteries especially important in meeting global demand for carbon-neutral energy storage solutions.

Are sodium-ion batteries a viable option for stationary storage applications?

Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) are attractive prospects for stationary storage applications where lifetime operational cost, not weight or volume, is the overriding factor. Recent improvements in performance, particularly in energy density, mean NIBs are reaching the level necessary to justify the exploration of commercial scale-up.