MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub) researchers have made an electrifying new discovery, creating a supercapacitor as an alternative to batteries, using cement and carbon black to form the basis for a new, low-cost energy storage system. The technology could enable the use of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and tidal power by allowing energy networks to remain stable despite fluctuations in supply. The MIT CSHub researchers say that their supercapacitor could eventually be incorporated into the concrete foundation of a house where it could store a full day’s worth of energy while adding little or no cost to the foundation and still providing the needed structural strength.
The researchers also envision a concrete roadway that could provide contactless recharging for electric cars as they travel over that road.
Read more here. The MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub is funded by the Concrete Advancement Foundation and Portland Cement Association.
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association