Military bases and small communities often use lithium-ion batteries, especially to power microgrids found on islands or in remote areas, said Jason Burwen, vice president of the Energy Storage Association..The microgrids are powered by solar panels that capture energy from the sun when it’s shining.Duke Energy is using one of NantEnergy’s storage systems to power a communications tower for the National Park Service in the Great Smoky Mountains, said Randy Wheeless, spokesman for Duke."If this is true, it would be great," Jay Whitacre, director of the Wilson E."If you look at a map of Earth at night and you see where it’s darkest, it’s in Africa, Asia and developing countries," said Soon-Shiong, who is also the owner of the Los Angeles Times."Today the only batteries that are in that price range are lead-acid batteries," said Ramkumar Krishnan, chief technology officer of NantEnergy.(Source). Extraordinary claims require extraordinary support. Previously, two dozen power poles and lines served the customer, and because of the remote location it was expensive and time-consuming to fix outages, Wheeless said.The NantEnergy zinc-air storage system is also being used in cell phone towers in North America, Central and Latin America and Southeast Asia."Companies are working to develop alternatives to lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries commonly used for energy storage, aiming to create a product that’s cheaper and more environmentally friendly. Challenges include developing batteries that are rechargeable, have a long enough life and deliver enough power density, Srinivasan said."Krishnan did not immediately provide performance data on the batteries to support NantEnergy’s claims. "If these guys even get close to this price point of $100 per kilowatt hour it is exciting and disruptive. "I have no reason to think that it doesn’t work, but I also would need to see some evidence to support these claims.Even with its global presence, the amount of power NantEnergy is providing so far is small compared China OEM Bolt Sleeve Anchors Manufacturers to the scale of lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries, Krishnan acknowledged."It’s not just how much it costs when you buy it, it’s how long it lasts," Whitacre added."Whitacre said he would like to see data on how the batteries have performed to assess the impact of what the company achieved. "To reduce cost and be competitive with fossil fuels is critical.California-based NantEnergy said Wednesday it has created a rechargeable zinc-air battery storage system that can provide power at a lower cost than lithium-ion systems.