June 17, 2025, 4:50 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Researchers from the U.S. have developed an energy storage system that requires only a few materials, which are also abundantly available. The mixture is so stable that it could even be used in construction, such as in a load-bearing wall or foundation.
Energy storage systems are needed, among other things, to use self-generated electricity from photovoltaic systems even when the sun isn’t shining. Essentially, these are very large batteries that can power a household. They can be charged and discharged almost infinitely. However, these storage systems come with high investment costs and are still under development. A research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S. has now succeeded in developing an energy storage system made solely from water, soot, and cement.
How Does the Energy Storage System Work?
“The large-scale implementation of renewable energy systems requires the development of energy storage solutions to effectively manage imbalances between energy supply and demand,” states the summary of the research report.
The cement-based energy storage system is a so-called “supercapacitor.” It has an energy density of 220 watt-hours per cubic meter and remains extremely stable. These are electronic devices that can store enormous amounts of electrical charge. This innovation has numerous applications, including integrating the storage systems into house walls or foundations. They are made from materials that “can be sourced locally almost anywhere on the planet, namely cement, water, and soot,” as mentioned in the report.
The soot in the cement forms a kind of branched network of conductor paths. When two plates of this cement mixture are wetted with an electrolyte–such as potassium chloride–and separated by a thin membrane, a functional supercapacitor is created. The cement mixture contains an admixture of three percent soot. While adding more soot increases storage capacity, it also decreases stability.
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What Can the Storage System Be Used For?
In essence, the novel energy storage system can be used anywhere concrete is applied. Due to its high storage capacity, rapid charge and discharge capability, and structural strength, the energy storage system can be used “for sustainable residential and industrial applications,” as well as for self-charging roads for electric cars. They can also serve for energy storage, such as in wind turbines and hydropower plants. Researchers estimate a storage capacity between 20 and 220 watt-hours per cubic meter. The values vary because the soot in the cement is not evenly distributed.
Since the material is quite stable, it can even be used in load-bearing elements in house construction. It could be conceivable to incorporate it into walls or foundations. Additionally, it is almost infinitely scalable, so it could cover the electricity needs of an entire residential building. Calculations suggest that an energy storage foundation with around 45 cubic meters could meet a household’s daily needs.
myHOMEBOOK’s Take
“The energy transition requires solutions to make it feasible. Innovations are needed that can subsequently be implemented. Currently, energy storage remains a major challenge. The novel energy storage system made from cement and soot could be a viable option here.”