Scientists from Australia have recently unveiled what can be described as a policy shift towards better renewable energy storage across the region. This research has been carried out at University of Melbourne and is dedicated to the creation of new materials for the energy storage systems with high capacity and long duration, which is one of the main problems of transition to the renewable energy sources.
The new technology involves a completely new class of substances that allows energy to be stored and released at a higher efficiency than is currently the case with battery systems. It promises to have huge implications to renewable energy systems by improving how systems such as photovoltaic and wind can be incorporated into the electricity network.
Lead researcher Dr. Sarah Chen said that those new materials can be charged and discharged for long periods without significant power loss – beneficial for supply and demand in renewable energy systems. According to Dr. Chen, our technology is capable of bringing the cost of energy storage down and at the same time increasing the storage capacity as well as the overall lifespan.
The development comes at a time when Australia and other countries across the globe are trying to diversify their portfolios to dramatically upscale renewable energy. Energy storage capacity is also considered as a breakthrough that would contribute highly to the reliability of the energy storage to support the future.
Analysts in the sector have referred to the discovery as a major innovation that could make significant differences on the generation of renewable energy. The new technology could provide the much needed cover to solar and wind power thus making them reliable sources of base load electricity.
The current Australian government has shown intent in the research with the Minister for energy and emissions reduction recently making plans to further invest and commercialize the technology. This support can also be attributed to the government’s larger vision that seeks to make Australia a hub of clean energy technology manufacturing.
As the research reaches its practical purposes, the discussions on possible impacts of the findings describe the exceeding level of optimism in terms of enhancing the world’s share of renewable energy. Not only does it mark a major discovery in Australian science but it also realises hope for a cleaner energy source in the world.
