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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

How a cheap mineral could make a better battery — and help the planet

Calcium could replace lithium in batteries that store solar and wind power.
Row of powerpack units at the Southern California Edison Mira Loma Substation.

Batteries in Ontario, California, store renewable energy for release when demand is high. The price of such systems could fall thanks to the development of an electrolyte for calcium-based batteries. Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty

A newly synthesized chemical could pave the way for the manufacture of calcium-based batteries, which might be safer and cheaper than today’s lithium-based models.

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Nature 573, 166 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-02634-0

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