Solid-State Batteries

In Context

• The QuantumScape Corp, backed by Volkswagen AG is working on developing “Solid-State Batteries” with an aim to commercialise it by 2025.

About Solid-state Batteries

• These batteries use solid electrodes and a solid electrolyte, instead of the liquid or polymer gel electrolytes found in lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries.

• Solid-state batteries can provide solutions for many problems of liquid Li-ion batteries, such as flammability, limited voltage, unstable solid-electrolyte interphase formation, poor cycling performance and strength.

• In the charging & discharging cycle, ions transfer to and fro between the anode (negative electrode generally made of graphite) and cathode (positive electrode made of lithium).

Advantages of the solid-state battery technology

• Higher cell energy density (by eliminating the carbon anode)
• Lower charge time (by eliminating the need to have lithium diffuse into the carbon particles in conventional lithium-ion cells)
• Ability to undertake more charging cycles and longer life.
• Improved safety and Lower cost.
• Increase capacity of EV batteries

India’s Battery Push (Steps Taken)

• Work is on the project of around 4,000 MWh of grid-scale battery storage systems that control the country’s power grid.
• The Indian government launched the ‘National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage.
• Proposal in setting up manufacturing facilities for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) battery storage in India
• RELIANCE INDUSTRIES LTD has announced plans to set up an Energy Storage Giga factory.
• State-owned NTPC Ltd has floated a global tender for a grid-scale battery storage project.

Source: IE