The World’s Smallest and Largest Batteries

The world’s smallest battery is hundreds of times thinner than a human hair! It is six times thinner than a bacterium and 60,000 times smaller than an AAA battery. A cross between a battery and a super capacitor, the battery is a nanowire where one-half of the wire is a negative electrode and the other half is a positive electrode. Once the lab prototype is ready for commercial use it could be used to power implanted medical devices, microscopic wireless networks, and chemical and biological sensors. 

Click to watch The Medusa Twist in action.

China has announced the development of the largest battery in the world. The battery storage device is constructed of arrays of batteries “larger than a football field” that can store and deliver 36 megawatt-hours of electricity. The battery is connected to wind and solar power generation and a renewable energy transmission system.

The race is on as the technology for grid power storage is gearing up. A few large-scale lithium-ion battery storage projects are in operation in the United States and several more giant capacity batteries are scheduled come online in 2013 with the goal of helping to maintain and store a reliable supply of renewable electricity. 

 

 

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http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/worlds-smallest-battery-is-60000-times-smaller-than-a-single-aaa-battery-04-08-2011/
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http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/science-scope/worlds-largest-battery-built-by-china-warren-buffets-car-company/11919
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-01/china-builds-worlds-largest-battery-36-megawatt-hour-behemoth
http://www.forbes.com/sites/uciliawang/2011/10/27/worlds-largest-lithium-ion-battery-farm/