The battery made of glass is very powerful and one of the latest generation batteries, entirely made in glass. This battery has the ability to store a lot of energy at a much lower temperature than ordinary batteries.
Who is the inventor of the new glass battery?
The German native but naturalised American, John Goodenough, is the one behind the development of one of those inventions that will pass on to history as one of the discoveries of the century.
Born in ‘22 and with a great motivation, Mr Goodenough has taught physics at Austin’s Texan University and has never put in the drawer his passion for science. Without a doubt, his intentions have always been a little fanciful.
Between the ‘70s and the ‘80s, for example, he managed to give shape to a rechargeable battery based on lithium-ions. Basically, if it was not for him, we could not have used PCs, smartphones, mobile phones and many other tools that work on battery.
Without any fear of being contradicted, we can affirm that Mr Goodenough has the merit of having altered the course of history and of our lives. Despite his age, his research has never stopped.
To support this theory, a Tweet published by Enrich Schmidt, the CEO of Google who has released the new discovery of this great scientist. Among other things, something interesting that should be added in this regard is that one of the companies that has staked everything on hi-tech and on young people has mentioned the sensational invention of this ninety-four year old man who is still perfectly capable of changing the fate of our present and of our future.
One thing is certain: such an invention would allow us to greatly increase the use of electric cars by increasing their autonomy and, above all, by significantly lowering their price. A company like Google, of course, could only be satisfied with the enthusiasm of such an invention and, for that reason, Google did not waste time and decided to spread Mr Goodenough’s theory.
The characteristics of the new glass battery
But let’s go into more detail and find out the features of this battery in a concrete way. First, you have to take into account that we are talking about a very powerful and one of the latest generation batteries, entirely made in glass. According to Mr Goodenough, this battery has the ability to store a lot of energy at a much lower temperature than ordinary batteries.
Another important aspect not to be overlooked is the fact that these batteries are simpler to make. The essential element is sodium, nothing hard to find in every corner of the world. Basically, we would have to deal with a battery made of glass and sodium.
Therefore, as a matter of fact, we could consider it as a low-cost battery. To make it, the so-called solid state cells have to be used; they have the potential to release a lot of energy.
This type of battery would have a much longer life cycle than its traditional counterpart. This aspect would make it possible to optimize the use of electric cars. With glass batteries, in fact, you would have the option to store a larger amount of energy and ensure a longer mileage.
Not only: these batteries could prove crucial even for solar and wind power plants. At this point, it is clear that glass batteries could represent the answer we are all looking for in renewable energy. Accumulating energy represents the biggest question of our times.
To be able to move to a “zero emissions” global economy, it is necessary to find the best way to store energy. Everywhere in the world, scientists are working to solve this problem; however, they haven’t received any concrete result yet.
Therefore, it is clear that Mr Goodenough’s studies can represent a real turning point. The staff that is following his research has decided to give priority to this project that could give a new impetus to a new set-up for the economy of the whole world.
An alternative to fossil fuels
The objective is to considerably reduce the consumption of the so-called fossil fuels. Only in this way, we will be able to cope with the climate change that every year puts the entire population of the world under pressure. For the time being, however, it is only a discovery that could represent an important milestone, but at the same time an ambitious start-up point.
Obviously, before going from theory to practice, it will take time. For the time being, we can only deal with lab experiments. Producing it on a larger scale requires a whole series of steps that need to be carried out with due care and respect for the time required.
Before we will see these batteries mounted on electric cars, we will have to wait for a while. Julia Attwood, a Bloomberg analyst who deals with new energies has confirmed that it would take time before we can switch to an industrial production of tested glass and sodium batteries, tested and developed by Mr John Goodenough’s fervent mind. A very interesting point to consider is that Mr Goodenough had to wait for 11 years before he could see his lithium-ion batteries being used on a large-scale.
The discovery was made in the ‘70s and only in 1991, lithium-ion batteries entered our lives and have amazingly changed our habits. At the time, Sony decided to produce this type of batteries while meeting the needs of end consumers.
The discovery was made in the midst of the oil crisis when the need to find an alternative to oil was an absolute priority. At this point, there is nothing left to wait and hope that Mr Goodenough will be able to see his new invention realized and used on a large scale, surely destined to change our habits and give new impetus to an economy still too much tied to the past but ready to look to the future and to make room for renewable energies.