[ad_1]
She added that important advances in technologies such as the sodium batteries being developed by the Chinese had also been made by researchers in Britain.
“So whilst it may be true, that China are forging ahead with technologies such as sodium ion, it’s technology that from a sovereign provision point of view that we would very much need within the UK as well, not necessarily for electric vehicles but particularly for static storage where sodium is particularly well suited for that,” she added.
Planners believe that Britain’s electricity grid needs to develop massive storage capabilities to manage the shift to net zero and a greater reliance on intermittent sources of renewable power such as wind and solar farms.
However, Ms Thomas said the Faraday Institution’s research programmes, which are funded by the government body Innovate UK, could use more certainty, with current funding set to run out in March 2025.
She said: “That programme is in place. But it needs to have longevity, because whatever happens with gigafactories, and I’m very optimistic there will be more, we will need to do research, because batteries are not finished.
“There’s been a first generation and now we need to do a lot more refinement, to improve their performance so that we get rid of things like [electric car] range anxiety, to lower their cost… and also, as I said, to improve resilience.
“Even if it’s not a matter of hostile actors, we don’t want to be having to go around mining for scarce minerals – it would be preferable to come up with chemistries that are more abundant and easier to access.
“So I think it’s imperative for the UK Government to continue with that research.”
[ad_2]
Source link