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The liquid electrolytes in flow batteries provide a bridge to help carry electrons into electrodes, and that changes how chemical engineers think about efficiency.
The way to boost electron transfer in grid-scale batteries is different than researchers had believed, a new study from the University of Michigan has shown.
The findings are a step toward being able to store renewable energy more efficiently.
As governments and utilities around the world roll out intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, we remain reliant on coal, natural gas and nuclear power plants to provide energy when the wind isn t blowing and the sun isn t shining. Grid-scale flow batteries are one proposed solution, storing energy for later use. But because they aren t very efficient, they need to be large and expensive.