Storage Breakthrough? Don't Hold Your Breath

In a recent post in his ever informative blog Nick Butler reports on "real progress" being made in energy storage. He then cites two pieces of research utilising in one case quinones and in the other azobenzenes and claims that these suggest that "real progress is now being made and that major breakthroughs are close". I'm afraid that I'm too much of a cheapskate to subscribe to Nature or to Nature Chemistry but having read the abstracts, which are available to all at the links above, I am inclined to reach for a large pinch of salt. I do have the advantage of having experienced the trials and tribulations of National Power/Innogy's attempts to commercialise the Regenesys product over fifteen or so years ago. This flow battery system even reach prototype stage - with a large facility being constructed at Little Barford Power Station - although this was never fully commissioned. The two processes highlighted by Nick are way behind Regenesys in development terms so I really don't think that "major developments are close". To give Nick his due, he provides an excellent analysis of why effective storage is imorant and he does heavily caveat his optimism in the closing sentances of his post. Let's hope that there genuinely is a major breakthrough in the offing although I, for one, will not be holding my breath.