Zinc-ion batteries for stationary energy storage

Summary

The development of safe, inexpensive, and long service life stationary energy storage infrastructure is critical to support the decarbonization of the power and automotive sectors. While lithium-ion batteries are considered the industry standard of excellence for applications requiring high energy density, they may not be the best choice for all applications, particularly stationary energy storage. This study presents rechargeable Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) as a promising technology primed for greater utilization in stationary applications. We consider the main benefits and challenges of ZIBs by comparing key characteristics such as cost, safety, environmental impact, and lifetime with pumped hydro, compressed air, lithium-ion, lead-acid, and redox-flow batteries. The low projected manufacturing costs, high safety, and excellent recyclability of ZIBs highlight the potential success of the technology. However, commercialization efforts are bottlenecked by active material dissolution, a lack of realistic performance demonstrations, and the need for manufacturing validation and cost analysis at the pilot scale. Considering recent advancements to lifetime and capacity of ZIBs, we propose a modified research approach including performance analysis of high-loading electrodes, in situ/operando characterization of reaction mechanisms, and standardized testing protocols and reporting to move beyond the benchtop battery and better facilitate ZIB commercialization.