The good news is that we are switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy which then is powering the trend to use electric devices. Those devices are much more likely to include batteries rather than requiring power cords, and those batteries have been an issue. Basically, batteries are hazardous materials in tiny packages. They aren’t renewable. They are toxic. They eventually fail. They may not fail until they’ve been used 5,000 times, but they fail. Researchers tried using nanowires, but they were too fragile; so, they coated them with a gel so they could be tested. The gel-coated nanowire batteries lasted 200,000 times, forty times longer. Forty times longer suggests one-fortieth the issue with resource extraction and one-fortieth the issue with recycling or disposal. They still have to be charged. They aren’t eternal. But, they may enable devices where the batteries are permanently installed and never have to be replaced. The device may wear out before the battery – which is another issue. One thing at a time.
(Click on the photo for the link.)
“Researchers Create Incredible Everlasting Battery” – Treehugger
Pretending Not To Panic 