Sodium-ion batteries in the USA. Beating China at their own game!

China has cornered the market in green energy transition technologies in recent years, and very effectively gained control of raw material supply chains so any other country has to go through them to get things done. There is one notable exception though. Sodium. It's so ubiquitous that even China can't monopolise it as a commodity. And that means European and US battery makers have spotted a chink in the Great Dragon's armour!

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[anguscampbell]

There is a large Iron ore mine in the province where I live. The tailings left over after the iron ore pellets are processed contain Manganese in substantial quantities. There is also now a salt mine (i.e. NaCl) being mined not far from me (about 700 miles) so pretty much all the ingredients can be found in any place and in large quantities. There is also a potential 2200 MW hydro site nearby the iron ore mines. Sodium batteries seem to be a better fit for stationary grid storage than the industry seems to realize I think.

[joncuk]

Sounds good for home storage solutions to reduce grid load coupled with solar.

[realvanman]

Sounds like a good option for hybrid vehicle batteries as well. Capable of fast and efficient charging and discharging, yet the extra weight of the battery is less of a concern as it need only be around 20% of the capacity of a fully electric vehicle battery.

[davidboyle]

One of the few websites where I can consistently learn new things. And enjoy doing it! Keep up the wonderful work, Dave.

[pfd]

Using these in place of lithium ion in all the other stationary applications would greatly reduce demand on lithium used and needed for BEVs. Good stuff.

[eriktempelman]

Amazing. This video looks like a news item, but it really is a 101 on battery chemistry and its applications. Thanks from Holland. We'll put this one on the recommended viewing list in the MSc program on the Materials & Energy Transition ❤

[bellshooter]

Absolutely correct! Horses for courses, this specific technology absolutely aligns to static storage, removing hot sodium cells from the use equation.

[patrickmckowen]

Can't wait for the day instead of stories about how well they might work in a certain application but instead how fantastic they have been working and exceeding expectations 😍

[paulk]

One of the best explanations of the Hows & Whys of Sodium Ion battery chemistry & the technology behind it.

[UnkyjoesPlayhouse]

Sodium is getting there, the problem when using it for ESS like an off gird system is the voltage range of the cells, inverters will have to be modified to handle this wide voltage range. Wheras LIFEP4 is 2.5v to 3.65v per cell, Sodium is 1.5 to 4.3.

[dogsbodyish]

Possible use in ships and maybe trains. Sounds a lot more user friendly than most lithium batteries.

[wolpumba]

*Summary of Just Have a Think's video on Natron Energy Sodium-ion batteries:*

*Why sodium-ion batteries? (**1:54**)*

* Material availability: Sodium is abundant, unlike lithium which is geographically limited.
* Price stability: sodium is less prone to price spikes.
* Full discharge: sodium-ion batteries can safely discharge to zero volts, unlike lithium-ion.
* Cost-effective materials: sodium-ion batteries can use aluminium instead of copper.

*Natron Energy's Innovation: (**6:17**)*

* Prussian Blue for BOTH electrodes: Unique use of modified Prussian Blue for both cathode and anode, creating the necessary potential difference.
* Fast charging: Full recharge in under 15 minutes.
* Longevity: Less degradation due to minimal expansion/contraction during charge cycles.
* Safety: Less heat generation means no need for extra cooling, minimizing fire risk.

*Target Market: (**8:54**)*

* Stationary energy storage: Ideal for applications where weight is not a concern, such as data centers, grid stability, and EV charging stations.

*Natron Energy's Progress: (**9:30**)*

* Received significant funding, including a US Department of Energy grant.
* Opened the first commercial-scale sodium-ion battery factory in North America.
* Aiming to expand to gigawatt-scale facilities in the future.

*Overall: (**10:39**)*

* Natron Energy is a promising player in the sodium-ion battery market, offering a compelling alternative to lithium-ion for specific applications.
* They demonstrate an innovative approach to confronting the energy transition challenge.


i summarized the transcript with gemini 1.5 pro

[stevesmith-sbdf]

Natron please go into home storage. The grid is old and overloaded.

[winnaify]

Thank you for this update on alternative to Lithium battery power storage. Good top know some company, Natron, is producing batteries that have more charge/discharge cycles and are much less fire prone than lithium batteries. Always enjoy your very well documented and technically informative Utube videos.

[lagrangewei]

China success is not due to just material. you have to remember that over 50% of the silicon material for solar panel was made by US before China totally destroyed the US solar industry. silicon is just as common, so why didn't the US recover? the reason for developing sodium battery is cost. that's what they are really competing on, until you know the prices if these system, it prematured to believe a solution is found as the goal of these enterprise is not to create technology, but to create a product for sale.

[freeheeler]

Thanks for your informative videos. There is a tremendous and immediate need for big, ugly, reliable and inexpensive home storage batteries. The average three bedroom home will need at least 50 kWh of storage to mostly go off grid. Hey young geniuses, please disrupt the corrupt and complacent utility cartels and give power to your friends, relatives and neighbors with an affordable home storage battery!

[nicolasuribestanko]

I am the owner of a BYD Seagull (known as the Yuan 300 here in Colombia, where I live.) After import duties, it cost me the equivalent of US$30, 000. Since there is practically no charging infrastructure in my country, I rely on my home charger, which takes 10 hours, or a trickle charger, which can be plugged in anywhere but takes 24 hours. Despite these shortcomings, I wouldn't change my BYD for any other car!!!!

[istvantoppler]

Thank you, another very educational program. It is always wonderful to receive factual opposed to fiction.

[eg]

50k cycles - that blows me away!!! 🤩🤩🤩

[davidallyn]

I live in Los Angeles, and there are companies who are working on harvesting fresh water from the ocean. The problem they have is what to do with the salt brine after the purified water is removed. Right now, they dispose of it right into the ocean. And, although it's "clean", it raises the salt concentration in the surrounding area, which marine life doesn't like too much. This may give those plants a market for selling their salt brine to battery manufacturers!! Ah... closed-loop economy may solve the problem again!!