The future of sea salt batteries is scaling up and building strategic partnerships!

Batteries, like the Tesla wall, are pretty expensive, which limits their adoption. One reason for that expense is that current home batteries are based on lithium chemistry. Lithium batteries have a large energy density (energy per weight) which is great for cars, but not needed in house.

What if we could make batteries out of simpler, cheaper technology? Many groups are working on this problem, including Gerrit Miedema and his technical colleagues, part of the international development company Dr Ten.

Local Testing Site

Recently, Cool Davis visited Miedema at the Davis home of Dr Johan Verink which serves as the first testing pilot location in California for Dr Ten’s prototype sea salt battery. Verink’s home is part of a series of pilot R&D test sites supported by a grant from the Department of Energy for a larger feasibility R&D project to refine and evaluate the technology for use in the US. This visit from Cool Davis highlighted the significant potential of sea salt batteries, not only for their environmental benefits but also for their innovative approach to energy storage.

According to Miedema, sea salt batteries represent a promising leap in sustainable energy storage technology, leveraging the abundant and non-toxic properties of sea salt to offer a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative or complement to the conventional lithium-ion batteries. 

This battery is based on a sea-salt based electrolyte and carbon electrodes with kitchen salt as a main component. The battery won the Jan Terlouw Innovation prize and two Blue Tulip Accenture Innovation Awards. The battery has already run more than 64,000 recharge and discharge cycles. The battery can also track and trace the electricity of  solar panels on the whole window of voltages and current of the panel making the sun itself as its manager.  

The sea salt battery project also aims to address some of the critical issues associated with conventional batteries, such as reliance on rare and toxic materials like lithium and cobalt along with cost and comfort of use. This shift could lead to a more sustainable and cost-effective energy storage solution, with Miedema estimating that the cost per kilowatt hour could fall well below $300, compared to the significantly higher costs of current lithium batteries. This innovation does not only reduce environmental impact but also enhances safety, as sea salt batteries are less likely to overheat and can’t catch fire. 

Miedema also remarks there is significant international investment and research in smarter, new battery technology. The Netherlands has several startups focusing on battery research. However, the challenge of aligning political timelines with technological progress remains a barrier to swift advancements. Miedema’s experience with German and Dutch projects highlights the importance of a measured approach to development.

In the Netherlands, I think there’s about 8 serious startups that do battery research. Also various efforts were set in the past in the USA though some of them then started too early and could not bridge the gap towards the then much smaller request for batteries that can store solar energy. Also some of the political timelines may not have aligned then well yet. 

You get funding and then the clock ticks and one frequently has to run in the agenda of the running political party or in complex administrative procedures. The solution needs 100% focus but this is not always easy. When the money’s finished the project ends leaving a progressed situation that needs ‘a let it be’ attitude hoping for a new growth project. A slower well contemplated start often makes many projects more successful, but the rush may bring puzzles for which the first piece is laid on the last day.

Scaling Up and Finding Partners

Part of Miedema’s focus is on scaling up production and finding strategic partners to bring this innovation to market. The US was chosen as a key location as it delivers materials for the battery and has the minerals for it. Scaling up production of these batteries has been challenging; Miedema notes that while the demand for faster production is high, the pace of development must align with the technology’s readiness. Finding the right partners is crucial. 

Dr Verink, the host of the Davis sea salt battery test site and long time Cool Davis volunteer, has a background in environmental engineering and has previously been featured for his sustainable lifestyle. Like Miedema, Verink has a history of research based in the Netherlands; it was a natural fit for Miedema to establish a test site at the home of his colleague.

Scaling up has its hurdles. We could scale up independently, but we saw examples of people who like to invent and do crazy things but when it came time to do a serious job with Excel sheets, things didn’t go as planned. Inventors aren’t always the best business people either since one can hardly do two jobs at the same time.

Right now, we’re scaling up with business partners and we are working on a licensing strategy. We try to set larger R&D pilots in order to stay ahead of other groups and scale up in the field. Most people want to see faster production, and I want to see that too, but I have to accept that it cannot go faster than the technology development of production machines.

 

Despite the hurdles, the excitement around sea salt batteries is palpable. Miedema emphasizes that many people are eager for positive change in energy technology but are often disheartened by the perceived challenges and limitations of current solutions.

I think a lot of people who go through their lives, just doing what they’re doing, would like to make change. But they hear all the narrative about how impossible and expensive everything is or that batteries are bad. So all the solutions that they hear about seem to be bad solutions and so they’re not hearing about all of the other options that are being moved forward by different people.

Dr Ten is a technology company that specializes in product within energy and water sectors. Examples of products Dr Ten is currently working on are batteries, fuels cells, green fuels, green ice, bio-lubricants, and health nutrition. The company was founded by Marnix ten Kortenaar, a scientist and former professional ice skater. In his ice-skating years, they called him Mr. Ten in Japan. When he got his academic degree, his friend called him Dr Ten from which the company derived its name. For more information visit Dr Ten’s website or send a email to info@drten.nl.