Rhubarb and other simple green plants could be the source of materials for a new generation of batteries with the potential to transform energy systems, according to new research by Harvard University.

The prospect of low-cost storage has long been a nirvana for the renewable energy industry with the intermittent nature of wind and solar energy restraining their competitiveness against fossil fuels such as coal.

Lab-scale organic molecule flow battery developed at Harvard. Credit: Eliza Grinnell, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Globally, companies and governments are pouring billions of dollars into developing batteries that can store energy safely, cheaply and at scale.

Flow batteries, a type of rechargeable fuel cell using chemical compounds dissolved in liquids, have seen some of the biggest advances but development has been held back by the high cost of materials used such as vanadium – initially developed by the University of NSW.