San Diego-based company develops nuclear battery with over 100-year lifespan
Infinity Power hopes to launch its product in the coming years, after receiving the go-ahead from regulators.
A San Diego-based company has developed an extended-life battery that runs on nuclear energy. This is the innovation that Infinity Power brings to the sector. The company has received support from the Department of Defense for its investment in technological progress. The product could hit the market soon.
The new Infinity Power battery is a button battery, tiny in size. According to specialized analysts, it has an overall efficiency of more than 60%, far exceeding the efficiency of less than 10% typical of other radioisotopic energy conversion methods.
Jae W. Kwon, founder and CEO of Infinity Power, explained that his company's battery uses an electrochemical energy conversion method. This is a different method than traditional converters that use semiconductors with adjacent radioisotopic plates or layers.
With this technology, the creators of the nuclear cell ensure that it is capable of supplying tens of milliwatts of power for more than 100 years simply by adjusting key design parameters. Its use would be for small devices, such as medical implants, deep-sea power systems, space power systems, remote area power systems, and microgrid power systems.
This system takes advantage of a highly efficient energy conversion mechanism to generate robust power. To ensure safety and prevent leaks, sophisticated container designs are used.
The battery has the potential for danger due to its radioactive content. In fact, the images show how the battery prototypes are marked with the nuclear symbol.
The risk of leakage is one of the weak points of the nuclear cell, and for this reason, the development of these batteries will be subject to severe regulations. Another weak point is the high production costs necessary to guarantee safe use.