Batteries

The part of the year between the chill of winter and the heat of mid-summer tends to be when renewable energy systems perform best. Longer, milder days when electricity demand is relatively low are when wind and solar power are ramping up and can account for greater shares of grid energy consumption.

Lithium is the key metal for electric vehicle and energy storage batteries. Viewed as a way to strengthen U.S. energy independence, there has been a growing rush for lithium across the country. By 2030, at least six new mining projects are projected to be underway and another 13 will soon follow, mostly in the Southwest. There are more than 100 U.S. projects to which companies have staked claims. Worldwide, there are over 500 proposed lithium mines as the need for batteries skyrockets.

Storing energy in batteries is an increasingly important aspect of the modern world. Electric cars and giant battery banks for electric utilities require high-capacity batteries. The majority of these batteries are lithium-ion batteries that come in a number of different varieties based on the other elements used to make them.

Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are working on developing what they hope will be a greener, more efficient, and less expensive energy storage alternative to lithium batteries.

An upstate New York town that repeatedly found itself without power for days during a string of storms is planning a dramatic step — pulling its municipal…

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As 21st century technology strains to become ever faster, cleaner and cheaper, an invention from more than 200 years ago keeps holding…