US AI Method and UK Policy Boost Battery Storage Development

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have combined molecular dynamics simulations with physics‑informed machine learning to model the atomic behavior of complex battery materials. Their approach, detailed in Energy Storage Materials and EES Batteries, focuses on hard‑carbon anodes for sodium‑ion batteries, a technology that could provide cheaper, abundant storage for wind and solar power.

In the United Kingdom, analysts project that a fully electrified world will require around 108.5 TWh of dedicated electrical storage by 2100. The country's first long‑duration storage procurement includes lithium‑ion projects with 8‑ to 18‑hour capacities, and recent planning appeals have overturned 80% of local council refusals for standalone grid‑scale battery energy storage systems, clearing a path for wider deployment.