Alternative batteries are solving the biggest problem in renewable energy

This article is an installment of Future Explored, a weekly guide to world-changing technology. You can get stories like this one straight to your inbox every Thursday morning by subscribing here.Many of the cheapest, cleanest sources of power are dependent on environmental conditions — turbines can’t spin if the wind isn’t blowing, and solar panels can’t harvest energy if the sun isn’t shining (usually).Fossil fuels don’t have that consistency problem — you can burn coal or natural gas at any time to produce electricity — so we rely on them for times when renewable energy isn’t available.Storing renewable energy when the supply is high can accelerate the transition to a world powered by clean energy, but traditional lithium-ion batteries — like the ones in your smartphone — aren’t perfect for this use.Many of the cheapest, cleanest sources of power are…

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