UK project to develop sodium-ion battery cells to store excess electricity from solar systems

The collaboration, between researchers at Warwick University’s WMG, battery technology specialist Faradion, and energy storage firm Moixa Technology, will see the partners develop sodium-ion battery cells to store excess electricity produced by solar systems.

Sodium-ion batteries offer the potential to be significantly cheaper than existing lithium-ion batteries. That is because sodium salts are far more abundant than lithium, and can be found in many more parts of the world, according to Rohit Bhagat, associate professor at WMG.

“The main lines for lithium are in places like China, South America and the US, but if you’re in Europe, you really want a more local source for these materials,” he said. “That is what is great about sodium, because it is not limited to a few countries.”

This should make sodium-ion cells 30 per cent cheaper to produce than their lithium-ion counterparts, he said. As a result, the team hope solar energy storage could become affordable to a greater number of households and businesses.