No recharge needed: UK scientists create eternal carbon-14 battery

According to a new article, Glass Almanac describes that a battery can power devices for thousands of years without a single recharge. Thanks to breakthrough research by the University of Bristol and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), this futuristic vision is becoming a reality with the world’s first carbon-14 battery.

This innovative energy source harnesses the natural radioactive decay of carbon-14—an isotope best known for dating ancient artifacts—to generate continuous electricity. By encasing the material in diamond, one of the hardest substances on Earth, the battery safely converts radiation into power in a process likened to “nuclear solar” energy.

With a half-life of 5,700 years, carbon-14 enables the battery to retain half of its energy after millennia. “Diamond batteries provide a safe and sustainable way to generate continuous energy at the microwatt level,” said Sarah Clark, Director of Tritium Fuel Cycle at UKAEA.

Beyond its longevity, the battery tackles a major environmental issue: nuclear waste. The carbon-14 is extracted from graphite blocks discarded by nuclear reactors, transforming radioactive waste into a powerful and sustainable energy source.

The diamond shell ensures no harmful emissions escape, and the battery can be fully recycled at the end of its life, keeping its environmental impact to a minimum.

Applications for the technology are vast. In medicine, it could power pacemakers and implants for decades. In space exploration, where solar power is limited, it could provide long-lasting energy for satellites and spacecraft.

“We’re thrilled to explore these possibilities with our partners in the industry and research sectors,” said Professor Tom Scott from the University of Bristol.

Though still in early stages, the carbon-14 battery holds promise to reshape the future of clean energy—offering reliable, ultra-long-lasting power while helping solve the challenge of nuclear waste.

By Naila Huseynova