DECEMBER 2021 • 129of upwards of 230 miles without
needing to recharge. This is a big deal,
as it doesn’t just make electric cars
more useful (you can go further!), but
it also reduces the “range anxiety”
worry that you will run out of charge
before you can find a charger on a
long trip. And brilliantly, because
electric batteries are improving so
dramatically, we can already see the
results. Last September, 15 per cent of
all new vehicle registrations were pure
electric vehicles. So the change is
starting to happen.
Better batteries does not just mean
better cars, however. They can also
help us decarbonise the entire
national grid. Storing energy has
always been a problem for the grid.
Today, only a tiny amount of
generated electricity is stored for later
use, which leads to lots of power going
to waste. But better batteries make it
technologically and economically
viable to store large amounts of energy
from the grid.
It’s conceivable that in the not-
too-distant future, alongside other
essentials in our homes like a boiler
and a fusebox, we might also have an
enormous battery in the garage. This
would take power from the grid (or
maybe even solar panels on the roof ),
and power appliances and lights in
our homes at the times when demand
for electricity is high. And this is good
for two reasons. First, it would save us
money, as our home batteries could
charge up overnight when electricity
is cheaper and save the electricity for
the day time. But more importantly,
it would help “load balance” the grid.
Battery storage can be used to
smooth-out demand on the grid,
making it more consistent across the
day. This means that instead of energy
going to waste, we can generate less
electricity in the first place and just
use it more efficiently—meaning fewer
power stations are needed.
Home batteries are not yet as
established as electric cars, but they
are also growing in popularity. For
example, Tesla, the electric car
company, already sells a product
called “Power Wall”, designed for the
home, and makes use of old car
batteries in a sleek new shell to power
our homes.
So, given how much technology
has improved batteries over the last
decade, I can’t help but be strangely
optimistic about the future. Batteries
may not be as flashy as phones,
rockets or other new technologies. But
when it comes to technology to fight
climate change, they’re definitely
leading the charge. QIT’S CONCEIVABLE THAT
IN THE NEAR FUTURE WE
MIGHT HAVE ENORMOUSBATTERIES IN
THE GARAGE