A Chinese company says it has developed a nuclear battery that supplies power for decades without recharging. Beijing-based Betavolt also says its postage-stamp-sized cells are so safe they can be used in medical devices. “The atomic energy battery developed by Betavolt is absolutely safe, has no external radiation, and is suitable for use in medical devices such as pacemakers, artificial hearts and cochleas in the human body,” the company said. The company says its first battery supplies just 100 microwatts of power at three volts, but it envisions cellphone and drone batteries that will keep those devices operating for 50 years or more. The company did not discuss scalability to power, say, airplanes but it does seem to think the sky is no limit.
Betavolt devoted a lot of space in its announcement to calming fears about the energy source’s environmental impact. “Atomic energy batteries are environmentally friendly. After the decay period, the 63 isotopes turn into a stable isotope of copper, which is non-radioactive and does not pose any threat or pollution to the environment.” It also says the batteries won’t explode if physically damaged and can’t catch fire.
