Firms are exploring sodium batteries as an alternative to lithium
Unlike lithium, sodium is cheap and abundant
They power tiny phones and two-tonne electric cars. They form the guts of a growing number of grid-storage systems that smooth the flow of electricity from wind and solar power stations. Without them, the electrification needed to avoid the worst effects of global warming would be unimaginable. And in 2019 they earned three of their pioneers a Nobel prize.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “A battery ReNaissance?”
From the October 28th 2023 edition
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