several potential advantages over present methods of meeting peak power requirements. Such batteries would be modular in construction, quiet, emit no pollutants, and require no on-site fuel storage. These features will permit batteries to be distributed throughout a utility network, including locations near the point of end use. Typically, batteries would be charged during the 4- to 8-hour daily off-peak period and discharged into the network as the demand increased. (2) Technology Requirements The primary problems to be solved for electric utility application are cost and life. For automotive applications energy density and power density in terms of both mass and volume require substantial improvement. We estimate that, as the cost approaches $250/kW, energy storage with batteries will have a substantial impact on the energy economy. For utility applications these batteries will have to have a lifetime of thousands of cycles over a period of several years. For automotive applications these batteries, in addition to economy and long life, will have to have energy densities approaching about 200 Wh/kg. (3) Scope of the Program Argonne National Laboratory is developing high performance, high temperature, lithium/sulfur batteries for off-peak energy storage by electric utilities and for automotive applications. Recent work indicates that Li/S cells delivering enough power to make them useful can be developed in the near term. Under this program ERDA will continue to investigate electrochemistry, identify and solve materials problems, design a battery system, and solve problems of insulation, temperature, and safety. A cell design using lithium-aluminum alloy and FeS or FeS^ electrodes appears capable of achieving the desired cost and performance goals. Full-scale cells are now being built and tested. Objectives of this program are the building of a megawatt-sized facility for the application of storage batteries to electric utilities and the development of a 35-kWh battery for an automobile. A great deal of progress had been made on sodium/sulfur systems by
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