Seattle Startup Believes Sodium Could Replace Lithium Batteries

They're not the first to tackle making sodium-based batteries, but think they've got some advantages.

  Seattle startup tackles sodium battery sector

The difference between a sodium-based battery and a lithium-ion is, for starters, the cost. Sodium is 500 times more plentiful in the environment, it can be extracted from seawater very cheaply.  Lithium requires mining. China and Argentina hold the most mining rights, which is why prices have risen over 700 percent in the last five years.

The other internal components are also a lot cheaper. Socium batteries can operate at higher temperatures, and recharge a lot faster. Sodium batteries use the chemical to produce the electrical charge, similar to how lithium is used in lithium-ion batteries. And, sodium-powered batteries are better for long-term power storage.

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The one drawback is sodium batteries are not as useful for portable or moving devices, and have to be bigger than lithium.  That's why lithium ones are used in cellphones etc.  Sodium units are lighter, but have to be bigger,  lithium are smaller but heavier--that's why they're used in vehicles.

But lithiuim batteries are far more dangerous, prone to accidental overheating, catching fire, and causing safety issues. Almost every week, we see news about lithium battery vehicles catching fire, and other simlar mishaps.

  Emerald Battery Labs in Seattle has procured funding from multiple sources to find ways to produce sodium batteries that compete with lithium not only for power, but size and transport (such as in vehicles).  They hope to expand on work that's already been done, that will shorten the process of competing with lithium.

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However, they face some challenges. Two other simliar NW-based battery-design companies have already gone under, and the Federal government is rapidly reducing financial support for costly alternative energies.

The technology could be very useful especiially for large-scale or long-term energy storage, where sodium batteries provide a much safer and rechargeable method of providing energy when needed--especially as backup sources during power failures.