Some resources from federal government sites are currently unavailable; when possible, we’ve provided alternative non-government links to ensure continued data access.

Site maintenance is scheduled for Saturday, 1/17 from 5AM - 1PM EST. The site may be unavailable during this window.

This Iron Flow Battery Could Power a More Renewable Grid

Provided by: Grist |Published on: May 24, 2022

Videos

9101112

Synopsis

In this video from Grist, the host describes a new type of battery that could help solve the energy storage problem for renewables like solar and wind, and outlines the history of how this technology was developed.
The video also describes some basics about how batteries work and compares lithium batteries to iron flow batteries using a peanut butter and jelly sandwich example.

Related Teaching Resources

Subjects: Physics, Engineering

Authors: Grist

Region: North America, USA - West, United States, Global, Oregon

Languages: English

View Resource

Teaching Materials

Positives

This video uses visuals and examples to clearly explain the concept of flow batteries.
The video connects the evolution of this energy storage technology to historical events and outlines its relevance to the future of clean energy technologies.

Prerequisites

It may be helpful to discuss the problem of energy storage for renewable energy technologies before watching this video with students.
Students would benefit from a lesson about atoms, ions, electrons, and how batteries work before viewing the video.
There may be ads before the video.

Differentiation & Implementation

Students in social studies or history classes can use this resource to investigate how energy technologies have changed over time, based on historical events.
Students in science classes can watch this video to learn more about energy storage and batteries and connect it to lessons about atoms, ions, energy, and properties of materials.
Math students can investigate the potential of this technology to address emissions of greenhouse gases using this interactive table of solutions and this resource about global emissions by sector.
Related resources include this PBS video about energy storage and this podcast that discusses wind and solar power and energy storage.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

Related Teaching Resources

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.