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I learned recently that nearly ideal batteries already exist for the purpose of storing energy from solar: nickel-iron batteries (side note: Edison made more mo
by jhallenworld 12y ago
I learned recently that nearly ideal batteries already exist for the purpose of storing energy from solar: nickel-iron batteries (side note: Edison made more money from selling these batteries than from any other invention). They last a very long time (50 years), are durable (not damaged by full discharge) and can be made from cheap materials. The energy density is not high, but this is probably not a major issue for home energy storage.
- marcosdumay 12y agoNickel-zinc looks more attractive. What you do need on such application is a fast discharge, and nickel-iron doe not have it. Now I'm wondering what would it take to create an iron-zinc battery, and how to make it last... Nickel is not a metal you want to waste around.
- infogulch 12y agoI didn't know about NiFe batteries. With a long lifetime, deep discharge durability, and cheap non-toxic construction they look quite promising. Except overall efficiency isn't great, and it looks like they require regular maintenance. Of course, maintenance becomes less of a problem at neighborhood/grid-local scale.