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Researchers in Switzerland have innovated a way to store energy in cement
- The research process involved the addition of carbon fibres to a cement mixture to make the material tough and conductive
- While the energy density of these batteries is low compared to rechargeable batteries, if applied to large infrastructure, it would constitute a large volume that makes up for the low energy density.
Researchers in Switzerland have innovated a way to store energy in cement, potentially turning buildings into batteries. According to data from the International Energy Agency, buildings are one of the largest energy consumers (over 33% of all energy globally) and over 40% of all carbon emissions.
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According to Emma Zhang, a researcher in the department of architecture and civil engineering at Chalmers University of Technology noted that coupling these buildings with solar cell panels can make buildings self-sufficient and sustainable. This could also serve as an energy source for highway/bridges monitoring powering sensors that detect cracking or corrosion.
The research process involved adding carbon fibres to a cement mixture to make the material tough and conductive. Afterwards, electrodes are embedded in the material; one electrode consists of a metal-coated carbon-fibre mesh with iron for the anode and the other with a nickel-coated mesh.
While the energy density of these batteries is still very low compared to commercial rechargeable batteries, if applied in buildings, bridges and other infrastructure, it would constitute a large volume that makes up for the low energy density. These cement batteries have an added advantage as they are not toxic, expensive or have ethical mining issues.