Physics World Weekly Podcast Creating better batteries for electricity grids
Sep 17, 2026
Lynn Ma, an applied scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explores the race to build safer, longer-lasting grid batteries. She discusses why lithium iron phosphate currently leads, how charge rates shape battery life, and the safety challenges of massive storage facilities. She also considers sodium-ion alternatives, supply chains, low-temperature performance and AI tools for predicting battery failures.
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How Batteries Smooth Renewable Power
- Grid batteries shift electricity from low-demand or low-price periods to peaks, making intermittent renewables more useful.
- Storage charges when solar or wind output exceeds demand and discharges when generation falls short.
Renewables Demand Longer Battery Duration
- Expanding renewable generation will require longer-duration storage, not merely more battery capacity.
- Current grid batteries typically provide two to four hours, while future systems will face greater lifetime demands.
Why Grid Batteries Favor Lithium Iron Phosphate
- Lithium iron phosphate paired with graphite currently suits grid storage better than higher-energy chemistries because safety matters greatly at enormous scale.
- The same lithium-based families also appear in laptops and phones, but grid deployments favor lithium iron phosphate.