While the concept of storing thermal energy in molten salt has been around for decades, a new approach - from one of Google's sister companies - combines hot energy with cold to create a temperature difference that can be utilised to generate power.

When Adam and Eve were donning their iconic leaf in the Garden of Eden, back in those creation days, little did they know that a few generations down the line, their very outfit would be looked at as a possible energy storage device, or battery. As far fetched as it may sound, this ain't the stuff of fairy tales...