For years now, many have looked upon solar power as a sort of supplemental energy source to the power that comes from the U.S. electrical grid. However with the recent production of a battery said to be ‘revolutionary’, Ceramatec is looking to harness and store the sun’s rays in ways never before thought possible.
With it’s new solar battery, the Salt Lake City, UT. based advanced materials and electrochemistry developer has been garnering an increased amount of attention over the last several months, including this intriguing and informative article from a local Utah news site.
So what is it that makes Ceramatec’s battery so special? The refrigerator-sized battery is said to hold 20 to 40 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which would all be generated by the sun. The average American household uses about 33 kilowatts of electricity a day, so an eco-conscious family could easily run off of the battery’s stored energy as needed.
“These batteries switch the whole dialogue to renewables,” said Daniel Nocera of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “They will turn us away from dumb technology, circa 1900 — a 110-year-old approach — and turn us forward.”
As noted, Ceramatec’s battery is being designed for use in homes throughout the world. It’s expected to be ready for market testing in 2011.