Zinc and Air Battery

• NantEnergy made a rechargeable zinc and air battery that stores power at a lower cost than lithium ion batteries  
• The batteries are currently used to power 110 villages in Asia and Africa 
• The batteries are anticipated to be able to use in trains, buses, cars and scooters 
• Costs less than $100 per kilowatt hour where as lithium ion batteries are $300-400 an hour
• The batteries can provide power for up to 72 hours on one charge 

I found this article extremely interesting since there is a growing need for sustainable energy storage. Currently batteries are pretty expensive per kilowatt hour and come with risks of fire. The new zinc and air powered battery by NantEnergy is charged by solar power and lasts 72 hours on a single charge. The technology is currently being used in 9 countries to power villages which is pretty awesome considering they are using renewable energy. The batteries show great promise in replacing generators and would suffice to supply people with electricity during hurricanes and natural disasters without the use of natural gas. The price of natural gas is also increasing so the need for renewable energy is very apparent. 

The zinc batteries offer an opportunity to store renewable energy that can be used later. Storing renewable energy would help states like California offset their need to pay other states for surplus power. The batteries could be very useful for California to reach their carbon free goal in 2045. I think the potential of zinc batteries to help offset carbon emissions not only in California but in other states as well could be huge. I think it would be interesting to see how the batteries could help other states off set their own emissions. For example, if the batteries could be used in Washington to help store solar power during the sunny season that would then be used later in the winter months when the sun is rarely out. 

The last thing that I think will be interesting to see is how EV companies respond to this new technology. Currently the lithium ion batteries that Tesla and other EV's use costs about $350 per kilowatt hour. The zinc battery only costs $100. Tesla's current goal is to drop their price to $100 but NantEnergy has beat them there. The use of a less expensive battery would allow Tesla to create its affordable family car. I think it will be interesting to see if Tesla tries to adopt this new battery in order to reach their goals more quickly. However, Tesla has invested millions into their own battery factory so it might be too much of a loss to switch to something new. The zinc batteries are also have a smaller eco-logical impact when it comes to depleting resources. Tesla is very keen on sustainability so I think zinc batteries are an opportunity to take less from the environment in their production as well as when they're in use.  I think it will be interesting to see how EV companies react and take to this technology.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/business/energy-environment/zinc-battery-solar-power.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FSustainable%20Business&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection