Organic battery hailed as cheap renewable energy solution

A cheap rechargeable battery that harnesses energy by using the electrochemistry of organic molecules found in green plants like rhubarb rather than metals is being touted by Harvard researchers as a breakthrough for renewable energy.

The technology is outlined in the Jan. 9 edition of the journal Nature.

This potential renewable-energy game-changer could play a huge role in our transition off fossil fuels to renewable electricity.

The flow battery would be hooked to solar panels on the roof of a commercial building. The energy stored in the battery could power the building or be used whenever there’s a need for it

Although still in the research stages early testing indicates that the Harvard battery performs just as well as the electricity storage batteries that use metal ions in various charge states.

A clean, safe battery at almost 1/3 the cost of todays storage batteries is exactly what our planet needs.