A battery of innovative choices—if we commit to investing
By Noah Kittner, Daniel M. Kammen | January 2, 2018
Renewable energy – such as photovoltaics and wind power – is rapidly moving into the mainstream, with global solar capacity set to outproduce nuclear energy capacity for the first time. But a major holdup has been how to store the electricity produced by renewables; consequently, good, cheap, long-lasting battery storage has been the Holy Grail of R&D in this area. But how close are we in reaching this goal? To track progress, the authors have introduced a new, “two-factor” model of analyzing innovations in energy storage that accounts not only for total sales of a particular technology but also for the degree of investment in innovation, measured by looking at the number of new patents issued in energy storage technology. Read this new article in the January/February issue of our digital Journal.
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Issue: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Volume 74 Issue 1
Keywords: R&D, batteries, energy storage, innovation, renewables
Topics: Uncategorized
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Noah Kittner
Noah Kittner is a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow and a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group at the... Read More
Daniel M. Kammen
Kammen holds appointments at the University of California's Energy and Resources Group, its Goldman School of Public Policy, and its Department of... Read More
