As our population increases and our need for power grows, the potential for devastating negative effects on our environment is enormous.
Traditional dirty fuel sources such as oil, coal, and gas provide us with power, but they also emit dangerous pollution into the air. This pollution has harmful health effects on all living things, and it increases global temperatures.
In order to continue to develop safely, technological innovation is needed. And researchers from France and Spain have answered the call in incredible fashion.
According to Interesting Engineering, a collaborative team from the University of Bordeaux and the University of the Basque Country has developed a building material that is both strong enough to handle structural loads and also functions like a rechargeable battery.
At the heart of the material is something called metakaolin, a synthetic aluminosilicate that, when combined with an activating solution and electrodes, becomes a functional battery.
The hope is that the next generation of buildings will be able to generate and store their own power. This could have substantial positive effects on the environment. Buildings themselves wouldn't need to take power from our grids, and this would help lower costs for everyone.
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And the environmental benefits go beyond simply using renewable energy. The material doesn't produce nearly as much pollution as traditional concrete does when being produced. According to a study from Princeton University, concrete production accounts for 8% of all global pollution.
And this is only the latest innovation in this field.
A team from Sweden has been working to develop its own version of concrete that can also serve as a rechargeable battery, utilizing carbon fibers and a metal-coated carbon mesh. And a company called Brenmiller Energy has been using crushed rocks to store heat, which can then be turned into renewable energy and transferred to consumers.
The team behind the project was understandably excited about the potential of the new material. As the researchers wrote in their report, "Our findings highlight the potential for integrating energy storage into building materials, paving the way for sustainable infrastructure development."
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