Adelaide firm claims battery breakthrough

Adelaide-based advanced battery expert, 1414 Degrees, has announced it has created a new silicon battery that costs a fraction of lithium-ion cells but stores up to 36 times more energy in the same space.

The researchers involved in the pioneering battery's development told the Australian Financial Review the molten silicon storage device can store 500kWh of energy in a 70cm cube.

Compared with Tesla's recently launched 14kWh Powerwall 2 lithium-ion storage battery, the device created by 1414 degrees stores 36 times more energy.

Not only does the new tech have a higher density that conventional battery cells, the molten silicon batteries are far cheaper to produce, at about one-10th of the price of lithium-ion.

If a business needed 10MWh storage device for solar, wind or renewable energy storage, Tesla would need to supply an incredible 714 Powerwalls at a huge cost of $7 million. The Australian solution supplied by 1414 Degrees would cost just $700,000.

Sourcing its silicon raw material from a by-product from smelting metal quartz ore, the use of silicon addresses environmental concerns surrounding lithium ion cells.

The device stores electrical energy by, initially, heating and melting a block of pure silicon at an extremely high 1414 degree Celsius.

Once molten, the heat held can be harnessed by turbines to convert the heat energy back to electrical energy. Any waste heat is re-used to heat the block.

With insulation, the molten silicon can stay hot enough to generate electricity for up to two weeks, although the current system is designed to discharge daily.

The cost-savings and packaging advantages are obvious for an automotive application and could prove key in eliminating range anxiety by offering pure-electric cars a range that will eclipse the most frugal diesels.

At the same time, the substantially lower price of the molten silicon storage device could democratise pure-electric vehicles for everyone.

In 2016 car-makers were thought to be paying around $190/kWh for lithium-ion battery cells, down from around $390/kWh in 2014.

The R&D tech company, based in south Adelaide, hopes its new molten silicon will also prove the technological breakthrough needed to make wind and solar farms viable Down Under.

Before that happens 1414 Degrees says it is hoping to raise $10 million in a shares sell-off to fund the build of the first two 200MWh storage trials for a commercial-scale test using a wind farm and hydroponic herb farm.