The Green Optimistic

Based on recent discoveries by University of Waterloo University scientists from Ontario, a team of Stanford researchers developed an electrode that can provide more energy density in lithium-sulfur batteries. Their experiments promise an improvement of 4 times the capacity of a standard lithium-ion battery, if current issues are overcame.

People tend to think electric cars will be more expensive and unaffordable than their petrol/diesel relatives. Furthermore, people usually expect high maintenance costs, because of the batteries.

Thermopower waves are a phenomenon that happens when powerful waves of energy shoot through carbon nanotube wires, creating electricity. The researchers from MIT are responsible for this discovery, thus opening a new area of rare energy research.

Pentadyne Power, based in Los Angeles, is seeking $15 million in funding to launch a flywheel energy storage technology in electrified railroads, to save the energy consumed when the train leaves the station.

Yi Cui, a researcher from Stanford and his team have succeeded making office paper into an electrode by dipping it into nanotube ink. The resulted dipped paper becomes a strong, flexible and highly conductive material that could be incorporated into lightweight batteries or serving as an electrode in high-energy ultracapacitors. The nanotube-treated paper can store much more energy than classic batteries.

Printable batteries have long been sought after, but only recently scientists have been able to figure out a way to make them in a viable technological process. Mie Industry Enterprise Support Center (MIESC) has built a prototype lithium storage battery in the form of a sheet, by using only printing technology.

Porsche has already been recognized all over the world as building quality performance cars, despite their “heavy” price and big engines. It looks like now Porsche is trying to green itself out and use an innovative hybrid technology based on a flywheel, installed in a racing car.

Underground caverns may have never been seen as energy containers, but a Utah-based private equity group promises to use them filled with compressed air to generate electricity the classic way – by spinning a turbine.

The interesting fact is that the material resembles a fabric, and can be shaped into different objects, so maybe in the future mobile phone users won’t have to have a battery in their cellphone, just because its case will do the job.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) by itself makes up a very low performance electrode, because the electrons move very slowly through it (can take years until you could fill a millimiter-thick TiO2 piece). When you reduce its thickness, though, TiO2 acts like a very good electrode.

Toshiba Corp aims that by the end of 2010 will build a next-generation electric power system in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. According to the company, the system will come with storage batteries to stabilize the supply electric energy by solar panels, wind turbines, etc.

Hitachi Vehicle Energy Ltd and Hitachi Ltd have developed a lithium-ion rechargeable battery that has a high output density and a high energy density for PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles).

Just few days ago, Tesla Motors announced that they will start the collaboration with Panasonic for the development of the next generation battery cells for the EV.

A team of Japan researchers have developed a lithium polymer battery that can be produced using only printing technology. The team is led by Advanced Materials Innovation Center (AMIC) of Mie Industry and a Japan-based incorporated foundation (Enterprise Support Center – MIESC).

Lithium Ion batteries have been the preferred storage medium in hybrid vehicles lately. Qinetiq, a UK-based defense technology company, is investing money in their new type of Li-Ion battery, that could be half cheaper than regular models being used today.

The new charging technology works by raising charging power to as much as 300 kW, so the batteries can be recharged on the go.

The partnership between Kia and Hyundai resulted in some huge steps forward regarding fuel cell technology. Kia has just released some footage about their latest FCEV prototype called Borrego (Mohave for the Korean market).

Panasonic Corp, who recently took over more than 50% of Sanyo Electric’s shares, has a plan of marketing lithium-ion batteries for home use, and they want to finish that plan around 2011.

As the automotive industry has oriented itself towards green energy usage, the need of a “supreme” alternative resource is obvious. And what is more obvious is the demand of Electric Vehicles. EVs need to store their energy in batteries: mainly Lithium-Ion batteries. As of this particular reason, Lithium seems to be one of the most searched resource.

Sodium is several orders of magnitude more available than lithium, and that makes it cheaper to use in batteries. Taking into account the destination of the projected batteries, to act like a buffer for storing renewable electricity, low voltages are enough, so making the technology cheaper by using a water-based electrolyte wasn’t hard to think of.