Thanks to this technology, you can store the energy produced by solar panels during the day in the foundations of your home and use this energy at night like a powerbank. This offers a significant advantage, especially for intermittent renewable energy sources like solar and wind. The sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow, but with these concrete supercapacitors, you can store energy in the concrete and use it like a powerbank when needed.

This innovation can be used not only for homes but also for building roads that can wirelessly charge electric vehicles while they are in motion and for constructing energy storage-based buildings. Imagine your car charging while driving. This technology could create a more durable and sustainable electrical grid.

Of course, like any innovation, turning a house into a powerbank comes with its challenges. Currently, concrete supercapacitors discharge energy quickly, making them unsuitable for applications requiring continuous power output. Additionally, the environmental impact of cement production is a significant issue. Cement production causes substantial carbon dioxide emissions. Dr. Michael Short from Teesside University says, “This concrete energy technology offers fascinating potentials, but more research is needed to scale it up and reduce its environmental impact.”

In the future, this powerbank concrete could pave the way for a more resilient and renewable energy future—if they can solve its environmental impacts, of course.