Oliver Gordon of the Energy Monitor reports with costs fast declining, sodium-ion batteries look set to dominate the future of long-duration energy storage, finds AI-based analysis that predicts technological breakthroughs based on global patent data. Gordon writes:
Sodium-ion batteries are set to disrupt the LDES market within the next few years, according to new research – exclusively seen by Energy Monitor – by GetFocus, an AI-based analysis platform that predicts technological breakthroughs based on global patent data. Sodium-ion batteries are not only improving at a faster rate than other LDES technologies but they are also set to be cost comparable with the cheapest forms of dispatchable power, and therefore enter mainstream use, as early as 2027.
Affordable LDES is a fundamental milestone for the global energy transition as it addresses the intermittency of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, which do not produce electricity consistently. By storing excess energy generated during peak production times and releasing it during periods of low production or high demand, LDES systems ensure a stable and reliable energy supply – essential for reducing dependence on fossil fuels and enabling the widespread integration of renewable energy into the power grid.
Using a quantitative method inspired by research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, GetFocus can estimate how rapidly any area of technology is improving, and if and when it will disrupt its market. […]
“If we are able to package it up in a way that makes sense for the average consumer, suddenly they can be less reliant on the geopolitical or energy-price swings. The future is very bright – that could happen in less than a decade.”
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