Backlight: The Race for a Super Battery

All over the world, storage techies and battery pioneers are searching for ways to store sustainably generated energy. From the development of fast batteries to storing heat in basalt and salt. More...

Documentary - Science & Technology, Current Affairs & Politics, Environment & sustainability

46'

We are rapidly developing ways to generate energy sustainably, but one of the biggest challenges of energy transition is storage. Efficient and effective storage is essential if we are to be able to manage peaks and troughs in wind and solar energy. All over the world, storage techies and battery pioneers are searching for ways to store sustainably generated energy. From the development of fast batteries to storing heat in basalt and salt. And from using iron powder to carry energy, to constructing enormous towers of blocks that lift concrete blocks to store and distribute energy.

We know how to generate green energy. Although they’re not as fast as using fossil fuels, green energy generation technologies have really come of age over the past decade.  But what about storing that energy? In the world after the great energy transition, a lot of energy will have to be stored in order to cope with peaks and troughs in demand for power. More than that, small- and large-scale storage technologies are essential to enable energy transition to proceed effectively.

Documentary
Rob van Hattum
2021
VPRO
46'
VPRO