BioSolar’s says biobased Super Battery tech can crush energy storage costs

In California, BioSolar said that its Super Battery technology currently under development that can double the capacity, cost four times less, and can potentially break the $100/kWh cost barrier needed for mass market adoption of energy storage. Achieving the $100/kWh cost barrier would effectively reach what is referred to as the “holy grail” for energy storage.

Dr. David Lee, the company’s CEO, said, “A battery contains two major parts, a cathode and an anode, that function together as the positive and negative sides. Today’s state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery is limited by the storage capacity of its cathode, while the anode can store much more. Inspired by nature, we are developing a novel cathode based on inexpensive conductive polymers and organic materials that can fully utilize the storage capacity of conventional anodes.”

According to a recent study performed by GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association, it is predicted that the energy storage market in the United States will triple in 2015, and will grow from $128 million in 2014 to $1.5 billion by 2019. Currently, the market is very concentrated, as over 70% of installed energy storage capacity uses lithium-ion batteries, as the technology is proven and bankable.

BioSolar is currently funding a sponsored research program at the University of California, Santa Barbara to further develop its super battery technology. The lead inventors of the technology are UCSB professor Dr. Alan Heeger, the recipient of a Nobel Prize in 2000 for the discovery and development of conductive polymers, and Dr. David Vonlanthen, a project scientist and expert in energy storage at UCSB.