E103: Every battery tech in the pool

We’re wrapping up the Smart Grid Series with a rocket scientist who thinks the next big thing in batteries might actually be … zinc. My guest is Mike Burz, co-founder and CEO of Enzinc, which is commercializing a zinc “sponge” anode developed with the U.S. Navy. The breakthrough: solving the dendrite problem that has historically killed rechargeable zinc batteries. The result? A safe, recyclable, low-cost chemistry that could power everything from scooters to data centers — and replace lead-acid or nickel-cadmium in millions of applications. We cover: Why storage is the foundation of a renewable grid The Navy’s quest for a battery as safe as lead acid, but with the energy of lithium How a metal sponge structure prevents dendrites and enables true rechargeability Why zinc is abundant, cheap, and fully recyclable — unlike lithium The “Intel Inside” business model: supplying drop-in anodes to existing manufacturers First demos: e-bikes, golf carts, and telecom backup Longer-term possibilities: zinc-air chemistries for aviation and long-duration storage Why this is not about killing lithium but about giving the grid (and vehicles) safer, more appropriate options Links & resources: Enzinc — https://enzinc.com/ All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/ Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/ Become a member for ad-free episodes: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ What you can do & what’s next: Please subscribe and share Everybody in the Pool! Send your feedback or ideas for future episodes: [email protected] Smart Grid Series recap: E101: Flow batteries with XL Batteries E102: Synthetic inertia & reliability with Wärtsilä E103 (this episode): Rechargeable zinc with Enzinc Next week, we shift gears — from storage to deployment — with printed solar that could go just about anywhere. 🌞 Together, we can get this done.