A safer, greener, and cheaper battery

The battery is made from globally abundant resources and can be used to back up power grids

Spotted: Electrification of day-to-day activities, such as transport and heating, is essential if the world is to transition away from its reliance on fossil fuels. But as new electrified technologies come online, the overall demand for electricity is set to sky-rocket. According to German startup So-Cer, electrification of mobility will double the demand for electricity, while electrification of heating will triple it. And as variable renewables are added to the energy mix, there is an increasing need for smart energy storage solutions that balance supply and demand.

So-Cer has developed a reliable and affordable battery that can help to address both the rapidly growing demand for electricity and the addition of renewables – a situation the company refers to as the ‘energy balance challenge’.

Using only locally sourceable raw materials and base components, the brand aims to reach a lifetime storage cost of less than one cent per kilowatt-hour of storage. This would make the So-Cer Battery the most cost-effective option on the market, and the go-to choice for homeowners and businesses alike.

One of the key issues with many current battery solutions is their reliance on materials—notably lithium and cobalt—that are extracted using environmentally harmful processes and are only available in certain regions of the world. By contrast, the So-Cer cell leverages cutting-edge battery technology that does not require lithium or cobalt. Instead, it uses salt, water, carbon, nickel, stainless steel, and alumina – all of which are globally abundant resources. This makes the So-Cer cell an attractive option for reducing international procurement dependencies.

In addition, the company claims that it is the safest of its kind on the market, being non-combustible and non-explosive with no degassing, no thermal runaway, and no conduction.

The cell’s power rating is comparable to that of current lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and is being marketed for stationary applications because of its chemical properties. 

Other recent battery-related innovations spotted by Springwise include a modular lithium extraction plant, sodium-ion batteries for remote communities, and a company turning used electric vehicle batteries into home energy storage systems.