Nottingham engineers develop super batteries

This is the belief of researchers at Nottingham University who are developing a new generation of super batteries that will collect, store and, when called upon, quickly release electricity generated by renewables.

Dr George Chen and Dr Christian Klumpner, from the university’s engineering department, are leading one of two Nottingham research teams that have received a total of £1.1m in funds from E.ON to develop ways to meet the energy storage challenge.

Renewable sources such as wind, solar, wave and tidal power only produce energy under favourable conditions, for example when the wind is blowing. Storing that energy is necessary to ensure that supply will continually meet demand.

Chen and Klumpner are combining expertise in electrochemical engineering and power electronics to design an electrical energy storage solution called a supercapattery, which combines the benefits of a supercapacitor and a battery.

It will be constructed from carbon nanotubes — tiny hollow structures made from carbon atoms — chemically engineered with manganese oxide, a semiconductor traditionally found in off-the-shelf batteries.