Faraday1 launched with Superdielectrics hybrid energy storage technology

A new cutting-edge energy storage technology developed by green energy company Superdielectrics Group Plc is the result of an ongoing collaboration with leading researchers at the University of Bristol and the Chesterford Research Park-based company.

Superdielectrics was incorporated in 2013 with a vision to create affordable, sustainable, energy systems – meaning affordable, grid-independent energy, anywhere in the world.

Such systems require economically-viable energy storage: until now, that has meant lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries. But Superdielectrics’ patented new polymer-based energy storage technology solves the issue of dealing with rapidly fluctuating and intermittent renewable energy which makes it difficult to store solar and wind energy economically.

The result is the Faraday 1, a hybrid energy storage technology which combines electric fields (physics) and conventional chemical storage (chemistry) to create a new aqueous polymer-based energy storage technology. The Faraday 1 has completed over 1 million hours of testing and already out-performs lead-acid batteries and has the potential, with further development, to match or exceed existing lithium-ion batteries.

Professor David Fermin, head of the Bristol Electrochemistry and Solar Team and Net Zero Ambassador for the University of Bristol, said: “It is a privilege to be part of the most exciting technology in the energy sector that I have seen involving our organisation.

“These state-of-the-art supercapacitors have the potential to become a game-changer in energy storage. Superdielectrics’ devices are not only highly competitive against mature technologies in terms of energy and power density, but they are also free of critical elements, using earth-abundant materials with a lower environmental impact than other energy storage technologies. I can see Superdielectrics developing into a major player in this global market, providing safe and affordable sustainable energy for everyone.”

Faraday 1 technology boasts:

- Aqueous polymer-based technology solving the issues of storing fluctuating and intermittent renewable energy;

- A highly efficient store of energy that charges over 10 times faster than lead-acid batteries with high-cycle life;

- Negligible fire risk; and

- Low costs thanks to use of abundant raw materials.

It is also recyclable and addresses a $50bn a year lead-acid battery market, including electric scooters, forklifts and off-grid markets.

Professor Marcus Newborough, Director of R&D of Superdielectrics, said: “The combination of the benefits of rapid charging and sustainability used for energy storage now make it possible to create worldwide affordable and clean energy systems.

“In the future, the continuing development of our pure supercapacitor technology could surpass all existing battery technologies.”

Jim Heathcote, CEO of Superdielectrics, said: “The team at Superdielectrics has worked incredibly hard to develop a ground-breaking technology that has the potential to revolutionise the energy storage market. Our breakthroughs deliver the potential, at last, to create the sustainable, global decentralised energy systems that the world desperately requires.

“The properties that our technology possesses enables it to compete with and exceed current solutions in the energy storage arena across a number of key metrics whilst leading the way in sustainability, recyclability and affordability.

“This is a remarkable achievement by all concerned and we now look forward to commercialising our platform and products.”