I believe you can also store energy in a super conducting loop (the current just keeps going around forever.)
So maybe we'd get a new type of battery if we have room temp superconductors. I haven't been able to find any power density figures on such a device though, so I'm not sure if it would be an improvement over Lion batteries. Anyone know?
They're currently used to regulate power grids from unexpected load changes. Superconductors are good at absorbing and releasing large amounts of power very quickly (since there's no resistance), so they are ideal for situations like this.
There is a still a big energy cost in cooling these things though.
So maybe we'd get a new type of battery if we have room temp superconductors. I haven't been able to find any power density figures on such a device though, so I'm not sure if it would be an improvement over Lion batteries. Anyone know?