Economist Podcasts Current affairs: how batteries will green the grid
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Sep 5, 2024 
Vijay Vaiteswaran, The Economist's global energy editor, teams up with Anjini Trivedi, a global business writer, to discuss crucial innovations in battery technology that promise to green our electricity grids. They dive into how advanced battery systems are key to harnessing renewable energy sources like wind and solar. The conversation also touches on the booming tourism sector in Asia, highlighting changing traveler preferences. Plus, they explore how to have meaningful discussions with kids about the implications of AI in their lives.
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Renewable Energy Intermittency
- Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are intermittent and require energy storage solutions.
- Batteries offer a solution to this intermittency challenge, enabling a transition to cleaner energy.
Energy Storage Innovations
- Energy storage is scaling up due to innovations like carbon-negative skyscrapers and compressed CO2 storage.
- New battery technologies using iron instead of lithium, like Form Energy's 100-hour battery, are emerging.
Drivers of Battery Storage Scaling
- Two factors drive energy storage scaling: increased renewable energy use and the rise of electric vehicles.
- Overcapacity in lithium-ion battery production for EVs has led to lower prices, benefiting grid-scale batteries.