Markets

Utility companies

Most utility companies produce a glut of electricity during the night, when lights, computers and air-conditioners are switched off.

Zinc-bromine batteries store that excess energy for sale the next day, when appliances are at their busiest, and when the price of power is at its highest.

The electricity that’s stored in the batteries helps prevent blackouts, which take heavy tolls on hospitals, businesses and refrigerators whenever a utility company fails to supply as much energy as its customers demand.

Some utility companies switch on diesel generators when demand exceeds supply, but these polluting generators are banned in many places including California and New York. Others build extra capacity into their power plants then increase the rates they charge to consumers, but energy de-regulation is putting an end to this costly and wasteful practice.

Renewable energy

Electricity produced by renewable energy companies is intermittent and unpredictable. Wind turbines slow down in calm conditions, while solar production is interrupted by night hours and cloud cover. 

Zinc-bromine batteries help renewable energy companies draw an intermittent supply of electricity from unpredictable resources by storing electricity when production rises and releasing it when it’s needed in a steady stream.