October 25, 2024 Research summary: Additive could significantly reduce cost of renewable energy storage Written By: Staff Departments: Materials Science & Engineering Categories: Graduate|Research The research summary below was generated with the help of Microsoft Copilot. Read the full story in our news section. Introduction: Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed an innovative additive that could significantly reduce the cost of renewable energy storage. This breakthrough has the potential to accelerate the transition to clean energy by making storage solutions more affordable and efficient. Key points: Innovative additive: The new additive enhances the performance of bromide-based aqueous organic redox flow batteries, which are an inexpensive and promising technology for grid-scale energy storage. Computational design: Using molecular design techniques, the research team engineered and synthesized a new class of molecules that makes the additive work, improving the efficiency and stability of aqueous organic redox flow batteries. Cost reduction: The additive allows the use of a cheaper, easier-to source material, bromine ions, in these renewable energy storage systems. Scalability: Aqueous organic redox flow batteries are designed to be scalable, making them suitable for widespread commercial use and large-scale energy storage applications. Commercial scale: The team is working to commercialize the additive through a spin-off company, Flux XII, which has already shown it can produce the material at a large scale.