Q&A

Energy startup exec unveils breakthrough battery chemistry to revolutionize energy storage solutions

Will Tope, chief commercial officer of LiNa Energy, joined the Energy Tech Startups podcast to discuss the company's unique technology and growth plans. Photo via LinkedIn

In a world striving for sustainable and efficient energy solutions, United Kingdom-based LiNa Energy emerges as a promising player in the field of advanced battery technologies.

With a focus on overcoming the limitations of traditional lithium-ion batteries, LiNa Energy — a member of the 2023 cohort for Houston-based incubator, Halliburton Labs — presents a unique chemistry that holds the potential to revolutionize energy storage.

In a recent episode of Energy Tech Startups with Will Tope, chief commercial officer of LiNa Energy, we delve into the key aspects of LiNa Energy's technology, exploring the challenges they seek to address and their plans for commercialization.

Energy Tech Startups: What is the main problem that LiNa Energy is trying to solve with their battery technology?

Will Tope: LiNa Energy is driven by a pressing dilemma in today's storage landscape: the limited efficiency and high costs associated with existing storage technologies. They aim to bridge the gap, providing low-cost, long-duration energy storage solutions that can effectively accommodate the increasing penetration of renewable energy sources in power grids worldwide. By addressing this critical need, LiNa Energy aims to unlock the full potential of low-cost, low-carbon electrons for global energy consumption patterns.

ETS: How does LiNa Energy's battery technology differ from traditional lithium-ion batteries?

WT: LiNa Energy's technology distinguishes itself through its unique chemistry and progressive use of ceramics. By combining a stable sodium-based chemistry, developed in the 1970s, with advancements in ceramics from the fuel cell industry, LiNa Energy maximizes safety, heat management, and energy density. Their battery cells feature thin planar ceramic electrolytes, enabling cost-efficient automated manufacturing and reducing the need for extensive thermal management systems. This streamlined approach offers both enhanced performance and cost-effectiveness.

ETS: What are the commercialization plans and target markets for LiNa Energy?

WT: LiNa Energy strategically targets markets with high solar potential, such as India, where the demand for storage solutions arises due to the growing deployment of renewables and the need to shift energy to peak demand periods. LiNa Energy aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of their systems through pilot projects at distribution scale by the end of the year. Leveraging partnerships and strong relationships with key players in the energy industry, LiNa Energy envisions gradual growth in manufacturing capacity worldwide. By offering competitive pricing, they aim to disrupt the market and drive widespread adoption of their innovative battery technology.

As the energy landscape continues to evolve, LiNa Energy's pursuit of affordable, long-duration energy storage technology stands out as a potential game-changer. With their unique chemistry, ceramic advancements, and focus on commercialization in markets with enormous renewable energy potential, LiNa Energy demonstrates a commitment to addressing the world's energy challenges. By challenging the status quo of traditional energy storage systems, LiNa Energy paves the way for a future where efficient and sustainable energy solutions become the norm.

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This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. Click here to listen to the full episode.

Digital Wildcatters is a Houston-based media platform and podcast network, which is home to the Energy Tech Startups podcast.

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A View From HETI

Researchers from Rice University say their recent findings could revolutionize power grids, making energy transmission more efficient. Image via Getty Images.

A new study from researchers at Rice University, published in Nature Communications, could lead to future advances in superconductors with the potential to transform energy use.

The study revealed that electrons in strange metals, which exhibit unusual resistance to electricity and behave strangely at low temperatures, become more entangled at a specific tipping point, shedding new light on these materials.

A team led by Rice’s Qimiao Si, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Physics and Astronomy, used quantum Fisher information (QFI), a concept from quantum metrology, to measure how electron interactions evolve under extreme conditions. The research team also included Rice’s Yuan Fang, Yiming Wang, Mounica Mahankali and Lei Chen along with Haoyu Hu of the Donostia International Physics Center and Silke Paschen of the Vienna University of Technology. Their work showed that the quantum phenomenon of electron entanglement peaks at a quantum critical point, which is the transition between two states of matter.

“Our findings reveal that strange metals exhibit a unique entanglement pattern, which offers a new lens to understand their exotic behavior,” Si said in a news release. “By leveraging quantum information theory, we are uncovering deep quantum correlations that were previously inaccessible.”

The researchers examined a theoretical framework known as the Kondo lattice, which explains how magnetic moments interact with surrounding electrons. At a critical transition point, these interactions intensify to the extent that the quasiparticles—key to understanding electrical behavior—disappear. Using QFI, the team traced this loss of quasiparticles to the growing entanglement of electron spins, which peaks precisely at the quantum critical point.

In terms of future use, the materials share a close connection with high-temperature superconductors, which have the potential to transmit electricity without energy loss, according to the researchers. By unblocking their properties, researchers believe this could revolutionize power grids and make energy transmission more efficient.

The team also found that quantum information tools can be applied to other “exotic materials” and quantum technologies.

“By integrating quantum information science with condensed matter physics, we are pivoting in a new direction in materials research,” Si said in the release.

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