The wonders of solar and wind power are incredibly promising, but the true barrier to effective energy use is in the storage. When the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow, the battery takes center stage. Therefore, making energy storage systems as efficient as possible has taken over the labs and minds of researchers around the world.

Giving a new perspective to your mother’s assertion that it’s what’s inside that counts, researchers at the University of Southampton believe it’s perhaps most true when talking about batteries. Their research presents a compelling argument that lithium batteries are the clear choice over traditional lead acid batteries for storing the sun’s energy in photovoltaic systems. Keep reading →