Efficient energy storage is key because we need to be able to access power when the sun is not out and the wind is not blowing.
A recent TED talk delved into this subject. The lecture was delivered by MIT’s Donald Sadoway, who explains in plain English how large-scale batteries that store renewable energy work.
“We need to think about the problem differently. We need to think big. We need to think cheap,” he said. The researcher is working on a three-layered battery that is inexpensive, efficient and uses ‘liquid metal’.
“If we’re going to get this country out of its current energy situation, we can’t just conserve our way out. We can’t just drill our way out. We can’t bomb our way out. We’re going to do it the old-fashioned, American way. We’re going to invent our way out, working together.”
Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.