q&a: mit professor donald sadoway on the future of battery storage and renewable energies

For more than 2000 years, scientists have been trying to capture the energy of the sun.
In 212 BC, for example, the famous Archimedes system was used to ignite fire on enemy ships-
Kind of like an ancient hot Ray.
Over time, there has been an obvious development in the method of capturing solar energy (
May become less dramatic)
But scientists have always faced the question of how do you best store energy from the sun and how do you distribute it cheaply and efficiently on scale?
From my point of view, as a person who is very concerned about the environment and the future of the Earth, these issues are one of the most pressing issues of society.
Global warming is a threat to human survival. we must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
But I am also an investor who believes that fossil fuels and carbon emissions will eventually be completely eliminated.
The \"clean energy revolution\" has begun. in order to achieve this goal, we must cultivate new ideas and start again, listen to the most daring visionaries who solve these problems on a global scale.
Recently, I have had the opportunity to talk to one of those visionary: a scientist who has spent his entire career (and inventing)grid-
Renewable energy storage mechanisms.
Professor Donald Sadoway, a current professor at MIT with more than a dozen patents, became the \"most influential person of the year\" for his pioneering research 2012 Times \".
He was even referred to as \"Mick Jagger\" by battery science researchers, which I asked about his qualifications during the conversation.
\"I\'m not sure if I want to relax Mick in my lab,\" Professor Sadoway told me . \".
\"But, from a metaphorical point of view, they may be saying that I dare to do something different.
What\'s the difference?
Professor Sadoway was a bit rebellious among battery researchers.
Most industry executives and researchers believe lithium
Ion batteries will pave the way for the future of solar storage.
For example, Tesla\'s Powerwall uses rechargeable Lithium
Ion batteries for fixed energy storage can power your home through solar light. The lithium-
The ion market is expected to be worth $93.
According to Grand View research, it was 1 billion by 2025, but Sadoway thought lithium-
Ion has restrictions that should not be underestimated.
\"In the modern world, no one will be content with green power only for some time,\" he said . \".
\"We have been expecting power on demand.
The wind will not blow all the time, and the sun will not shine all the time.
The warehouse is missing. Lithium-
The ion battery is outside and it works on your phone and computer, but no one has installed lithium-
Unless it\'s part of some demos, ion batteries at grid scale.
The cost is still too high.
I see all the things that are changing about reliable grid availability --level storage. ” (
For more information on this, watch Sadoway\'s TED talk \"The missing link to renewable energy \".
Earlier this year, Professor Sadoway published the results of his new battery technology in nature, the world\'s most prominent science magazine.
\"The battery is based on electrodes made of sodium and nickel chloride, using a new type of metal mesh film that can be used in power grids
\"Large-scale installations enable intermittent power sources such as wind and solar energy to provide reliable base-load power,\" notes MIT\'s press release . \".
This is certainly an innovative idea, and Sadoway believes it will lead us into a new era of sustainable energy storage.
Sadoway said at the press conference: \"I think this is a breakthrough because this battery is the first time in 50 years
Its advantages include cheap, rich raw materials, very safe operating features and the ability to charge through many
Discharge cycle without degradation
Can finally become practical
Professor Sadoway has more than 40 years of experience and his breakthrough is at a critical moment towards a renewable future.
As a global society, we only need to find better ways to nurture and store wind and solar energy.
Before it\'s too late
Continue reading our Q & A with Professor Sadoway\'s editor, where he talks about the future of sustainable energy solutions and battery design.
Arne Alsin: what does it take to get our society out of fossil fuels, in your opinion, to lead to more renewable energy technologies?
Donald Sadoway: What I learned is that unless it can give you a product that is comparable to what we have now, no one will accept any of this cleaning technology, even better than what we have now, and the price is comparable to what we have now.
If I show up, I\'ll say, \'I can sell you steel with zero greenhouse gas emissions, but it\'s a little cheaper than the steel you can buy, and it will cost a little more money. . .
People won\'t buy it.
So in the early discovery phase, I took the cost as a factor.
This is the weakness of the University-
When people have just invented the coolest chemicals, they are based on research. . .
But if what you want to do is completely destroy the world steel industry or the world aluminum industry, you \'d better consider the cost on the first day --
No, 1,000 days.
This really changed the way I did my earliest research on campus.
Alsin: can you tell me what is the difference between your battery and lithium?
Why could it be better?
Sadoway: something that makes this so noticeable to me and closes the door of lithium --
Different ions from lithium
Our data comes not only from the campus, but also from [my startup]
Ambri is that our battery has been in operation for more than four years with a discharge depth of 100%.
They have recorded more than 5,000 cycles and these cells keep 99-
Plus the percentage of their initial capacity.
This means that it has the ability to fit the grid-level storage. Lithium-ion doesn\'t.
So all we have to do is match lithium.
If you don\'t choose liquid metal instead of lithium, then anyone will be a foolion.
Alsin: how does it work?
Sadoway: the liquid metal battery works because it has electrodes made of liquid metal, not lithium-
Ions with electrodes made of solid.
Conventional batteries usually have solid electrodes and liquid electrolyte.
In our case, we have liquid electrodes and molten salt, which is also a liquid electrolyte.
The way the battery works is that there is a density difference, and one of the metals is high density, which is located at the bottom of the battery, and then on top is a molten salt that acts as an electrolyte.
Then at the top of the molten salt is a low density liquid metal. . .
The three layers are self-separated like oil and vinegar.
This is the basic premise behind it. at MIT, we invented a variety of chemicals that can be used as the electrode selection at the top and the electrode selection at the bottom.
Alsin: What is lithium?
The ion researchers say your research?
Are you a controversial person in this area?
Sadoway: I think people will look at it and they will say, \'Well, it\'s OK for Professor Sadoway to post in the world\'s leading journals.
Nature is arguably the most important science magazine on Earth.
Some call it the \"portal to the Nobel Prize \".
But they will say it is not practical.
I accept criticism.
In the end, the market is the arbitrator.
If you\'re looking for someone from Debbie Downer, talk to someone who sells batteries.
The artillery are pessimists, they are skeptical, they are very tribal. So lithium-
Lithium for lithium ion batteries
They thought I was wearing a liquid metal war paint, so they said a few words of condemnation.
But I don\'t care.
It doesn\'t matter what the battery man says.
That\'s what the market says.
If we get a product and its performance is in line with what I believe, and there is no capacity attenuation and round-trip efficiency, giving you cheaper power than what we have now, these things will fall off the shelf.
Because the market doesn\'t care.
The moral of the story is that the innovation of the battery will not come from the battery industry.
In fact, the battery industry may hinder the development of new battery technologies.
Alsin: What do you mean?
Is this a dilemma for innovators who will create the next generation of energy?
Efficient battery?
Sadoway: Yes, the incumbent will not point the way for the future.
The chaos in the big industry will come from outside the industry.
We see this over and over again.
Ready to see the interference from the most unlikely places.
Alsin: Do you think battery science will accelerate when you consider carbon dioxide emissions?
Sadoway: Yes, but the problem is, like there are incumbents in battery production, there are incumbents in battery research.
And 99% lithium battery research
Ion is incremental improvement.
You can\'t just wave your wand and say, \"Innovate!
They have no ability.
So it goes back to who funded it. Government?
Private enterprises?
When it comes to something beyond lithium, we must certainly innovate more boldly. ion.
We have to apply \"How big is the impact if it succeeds?
We must have the courage to fail.
As investors, we believe we are going through a revolution in renewable energy.
Or break if you want.
How do you think the energy disruption will develop over the next 50 years?
Sadoway: Well, I think there is an effort in terms of vandalism.
I think there\'s a lot of interest in replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. wind and solar—
But I think the truth is that we don\'t see enough massive destruction.
In my opinion, all the predictions are off the ground.
You can play in a semi-final.
And a pair of coefficients and items of 2030 and 2050 are obtained.
But basically all you do is grab what\'s going on with the early adopters and try to make it mainstream.
According to my judgment, the reason why renewable energy does not take over is that they will stop using if they are not stored, because if you use 100% solar energy, close all your fossil fuel burning plants, what are you going to do after dark?
Alsin: So what happens when we get to the grid
Storage capability?
Sadoway: You have to have all the parts in the puzzle.
While the cost of photovoltaic solar has fallen sharply over the past 15 years, prices are still falling all the way.
But now, as I said before, what will you do after dark?
Some aspects of the system have been allowed to be far ahead, while others are far behind.
The chain is as strong as the weakest link.
So, if I give you solar energy for free, you can\'t do it right now because you don\'t have storage, it\'s useless if you don\'t have solar storage.
If you give people a choice, \"Would you rather green or dirty?
They say Green.
Now, if you say green power is a lot more expensive than dirty power, how much do you want to pay more on your bill every month? $5? $10? $100?
You will find that they are not willing to pay too much for all the green electricity.
Alsin: What do you think about Tesla\'s Powerwall and their solar innovation?
I applaud Tesla for coming up with our goal, but I\'m not sure if we have data to show that you can take Powerwall every day and use it to a discharge depth of 100%, let you spend the evening after the sun rises.
My understanding of the usage patterns specified by Powerwall is rarely used.
This is a step in the right direction, but obviously I don\'t believe in lithium
Ion of this app, otherwise I will handle it.
That\'s why I\'m working so hard on liquid metal batteries because I don\'t think lithium is suitable for the gridlevel storage.
It works fine on the phone or computer, but I even question its utility in 70 KWCar hour.
Alsing: You said in a recent New York Times editorial that we can\'t count on commercialism without the necessary research.
What do you think this is like?
Sadoway: I think
In the competition stage, it must come from government agencies where they finance radical innovation.
They have five to fifteen years of planning vision.
They don\'t worry about the possibility of success.
On the contrary, if they succeed, they will consider the potential impact.
They realize that they may offer more than a dozen grants, most of which will fail, but the few who succeed will change the rules of the game.
This is the way we must go.
Tell me about Ambri. your startup—
What kind of goals and challenges are you looking?
Sadoway: It\'s been 7 years now and I hope we have products on the market now so it\'s a long journey.
The reason is that, as MIT invented here, the electrochemistry works very well.
We have never encountered any problems related to electrochemistry.
But all this has to do with the massive conversion into marketable products, which means that the battery will have thousands of batteries.
How did you make this?
We\'re not going to make it to the price of competing with fossil fuels.
So, you know, you have to build this thing with cheap Earth
Rich materials.
It must be a cheap ceramic that does not crack and can withstand a variety of thermal drift.
Alsin: a clean energy reporter described you and your work as Mick Jagger, a battery researcher.
How do you compare?
I don\'t know!
I mean, you don\'t want to hear me sing.
I\'m not sure if I want to relax Mick in my lab.
But, from a metaphorical point of view, they may be saying that I dare to do something different.
When I was a teenager, the Rolling Stones and The Beatles appeared on the scene, and I always preferred rough musicians.
So I don\'t know where this guy got it, he compared me to Mick Jagger, not Paul McCartney, but he made the right choice!