The Crescent Dunes project in the Nevada desert harnesses the sun's power to heat a reservoir of potassium and sodium nitrate to 560C. This molten salt storage system can maintain temperature for 10 hours after sunset, converting stored thermal energy into electricity via a turbine. In the United Arab Emirates, a sprawling clean energy project covering an area equivalent to 12,600 football fields combines 5.2GW of solar power with 19GWh of battery storage, creating the world's largest battery scheme to power half a million homes through the night.
Liquid Air Cryobattery in Trafford
On the site of a former coal plant in Trafford, Greater Manchester, construction has begun on the Carrington "liquid air" cryobattery. Developed by British startup Highview Power, the project captures renewable energy when abundant and stores it as liquid air. Surplus renewables cool air to -196C, reducing it to one-700th of its volume. When energy is scarce, the liquid is allowed to become gas again, expanding through a turbine to generate electricity without emissions. Once operational by year-end, it will deliver 300MWh of storage and 50MW output for six hours, powering almost half a million homes. Former mayor Andy Burnham called the development "the most exciting since the Victorian period for Greater Manchester."
Molten Salt Storage in Nevada and Denmark
In Nevada's desert, 10,000 panes at the Crescent Dunes scheme heat a reservoir of potassium and sodium nitrate to 560C, maintaining temperature for 10 hours after sunset. This molten salt system converts heat to electricity via a turbine. These batteries also power most modern guided missiles and nuclear weapons as reserve batteries. In Denmark, a 1GWh large-scale molten salt battery unveiled this year stores clean electricity for up to two weeks by heating salts to approximately 600C, producing high-temperature steam for industrial processes.
Sand Battery in Finland
In Pornainen, southern Finland, a sand battery using 2,000 tonnes of crushed soapstone stores clean energy as heat, providing 1MW thermal power and 100MWh capacity. Standing 13 metres tall and 15 metres wide, it covers almost a month's heat demand in summer and close to a week in winter. This allows the district to eliminate oil use in its heating network and reduce wood chip use by about 60%. The battery is 10 times larger than an earlier version launched in 2022, highlighting sand batteries' potential to cut emissions.
Sweat-Powered Wearable Tech in Japan
Researchers at the Tokyo University of Science have developed a thin wearable patch that generates electricity from human sweat. Using an enzymatic biofuel cell, it captures lactate released in sweat and converts it into power. When sweat contacts the cell, enzymes trigger a biochemical reaction releasing electrons. This allows electricity generation without an external power source during everyday activities like walking or exercising.
