New battery could change world, one house at a time

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/article_b0372fd8-3f3c-11de-ac77-001cc4c002e0.html

Inside Ceramatec's battery is a chunk of solid sodium metal mated to a sulphur compound by an extraordinary, paper-thin ceramic membrane. The thinner the barrier between the sodium and sulphur, the cooler it can operate. If you can get below 98C, sodium stays solid, and you've got enough energy to run a house safely. The battery will cram 20-40 kilowatt hrs into a package the size of a refrigerator, and operate below 90C. It will deliver a continuous flow of 5 kilowatts of electricity over 4 hours, with 3,650 daily discharge/recharge cycles over 10 years. With the batteries expected to sell around $2,000, that translates to <3¢ per kilowatt hour over the battery's life. Conventional power from the grid typically costs ~8¢ per kilowatt hour. --- First Solar is now saying that it takes $1 a peak watt to manufacture, and another 80 cents for installation. So they're saying that you can get photovoltaics for under $2 a watt.
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