New energy storage device charges ahead

clipped from www.energyefficiencynews.com US researchers believe that they are a step closer to solving the energy storage problem for renewable energy sources and electric vehicles (EVs). Both EVs and renewable – but intermittent – energy sources, such as solar and wind power, rely on energy storage. Current batteries for EVs don’t yet hold enough energy to cover long distances and are slow to recharge. Similarly, solar and wind power are intermittent and need to be paired with storage devices to provide a useful supply, but the current technology is too expensive and inefficient. “Conventional devices to store and deliver electrical energy – batteries and capacitors – cannot achieve the needed combination of high energy density, high power, and fast recharge that are essential for our energy future,” explains researcher Gary Rubloff of the University of Maryland. you want is a combination of high power and high energy density to hold large amounts of energy, provide that energy at high power and be able to recharge rapidly