Posts Tagged energy storage

“Flash Thermography Measurement” Technique Sees Battery Electrode Defects Before Assembly

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Energy Storage, New Inventions on May 11, 2013

A team at Purdue University have discovered a method of detecting defects in lithium ion battery anodes as they are manufactured, before installing them in actual batteries. Their discovery relies on thermal imaging and could increase the reliability of lithium ion cells used in electric cars. Anodes and cathodes are the two electrodes of a [...]

Lithium-Ion Batteries Considered for International Space Station

Posted by Benji Jerew in Energy Storage on April 26, 2013

In spite of fire concerns here on the ground, lithium-ion batteries could be best solution for backup power on the International Space Station. Just like we have concerns with renewable energy being intermittent here on the ground, the International Space Station [ISS] is entirely dependent on renewable energy. Solar panels provide energy when the sun [...]

New Lithium Deposits in Wyoming Could Bring Down Cost of Battery Production

Posted by Mila Luleva in Energy Storage on April 26, 2013

Researchers from University of Wyoming discovered new deposits of lithium in the Rock Springs Uplift in southern Wyoming. The amount of the element is thought to be sufficient to meet the annual U.S. demand, exceeding twice the reserves of the largest lithium producer in Nevada. Although lithium can be recycled and does now disappear from [...]

Micro-Battery Finally Catching up with Electronics Miniaturization

Posted by Benji Jerew in Energy Storage on April 17, 2013

Electrical devices have gotten smaller over time but, in spite of advances in circuit miniaturization, the batteries that power them are still monstrous by comparison. A micro-battery could change all of that. The first cell phone, or what we might recognize as a mobile phone, was produced in 1973 by Motorola, weighed 40oz and took [...]

New Polymer from Waste Sulfur Enhances EV Batteries

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Energy Storage on April 16, 2013

Waste sulfur could see new life due to a chemical process discovered recently by University of Arizona scientists. The lightweight plastic they created can be used to enhance lithium sulfur batteries and improve the range of electric cars or be used in optical systems. “We’ve developed a new, simple and useful chemical process to convert [...]

Aquion Energy’s Water-Based Batteries Backed by Bill Gates

Posted by Mila Luleva in Energy Storage on April 4, 2013

Aquion Energy received an additional boost from major investors, including Bill Gates, to develop a cheap and environmentally-friendly water-based battery system. The new energy storage technology by Aquion Energy received a total of $35 million in investments. The energy storage units are suitable for small and large-scale energy projects, with test units of the so-called [...]

Sodium-Air Battery Development Could Surpass Lithium-Air

Posted by Benji Jerew in Energy Storage on March 21, 2013

Lithium-air [LiO2] batteries have a theoretical energy density of some 3,460Wh/kg but in practice hasn’t been able to surpass that of a sodium-air battery at 1,600Wh/kg. Development of the next-generation rechargeable battery is going to directly impact the performance and capabilities of electric vehicles. Current lithium-ion [Li-ion] battery technology has a maximum density of 250Wh/kg, [...]

Lithium-ion Battery Life Improved by Silicon Beads

Posted by Mila Luleva in Energy Storage on March 20, 2013

The latest innovation in silicon-based lithium-ion battery technology is much more resilient and can boosts energy density. Silicon-nano beads, designed by researchers at the University of Maryland NanoCenter, are found to store nearly 10-times more energy than conventional lithium-ion batteries that use graphene anode. The technology is made of organic molecules attached to tiny nanotubes. [...]

New Boeing 787 Dreamliner Battery Box Should Mitigate Fire Concerns

Posted by Benji Jerew in Energy Storage on March 18, 2013

After smoke erupted from the lithium-ion battery pack aboard one Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and fire in another, the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] grounded the whole fleet. After weeks of testing though, neither FAA investigators nor Boeing engineers have been able to determine the cause of the smoke and fire in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s battery. [...]

Better Lead Acid Batteries Built with Hard Drive Tech

Posted by Leigh Kim in Energy Storage on March 9, 2013

Over the past three years, Gridtential has been slowly developing a better lead acid battery by using chip and hard-disk drive manufacturing processes. Gridtential used a grant from the California Energy Commission to demonstrate that its lead acid battery is far better than standard lead acid batteries. The company’s batteries have two times the energy density [...]

Study Shows How to Stop Lithium Dendrite Formation in Batteries

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Energy Storage on March 9, 2013

When they charge, lithium ion batteries form so-called “dendrites” that limit recharging speed. They can also destroy a battery by internal short circuit. Researchers have now found a solution that impedes their formation. Instead of being charged in hours, electric car batteries could be juiced up in minutes and could last more years than current [...]

Sun Catalytix’s Grid-Connected Flow Batteries Promise Cheap Energy Storage

Posted by Mila Luleva in Energy Storage on March 7, 2013

Sun Catalytix, a company which spun out of MIT in 2009 to bring a low-cost catalyst to the market, has changed its main goal from enabling the hydrogen economy to designing a flow battery for grid storage. The first prototype is expected later this year. The new flow battery will be made of two custom-designed [...]

Cheaper Flywheel Energy Storage System for Homes, on Kickstarter

Posted by Benji Jerew in Energy Storage on March 5, 2013

Velkess, a startup run by Bill Gray, uses fiberglass on a lightweight frame to prove his cheaper kinetic energy recovery system can work in something like a renewable home installation. When you think about clean, renewable, energy for the home, four things likely come to mind, solar panels, wind turbines, or hydroelectric turbines. The fourth is the problem, because lack of [...]

Honda Recycles Rare Earth Metals to Manufacture New Batteries

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage, Hybrid vehicles, Recycling on March 4, 2013

Honda has devised a way, the first process of its kind, to extract the rare earth metals from used batteries and other products, recycling them to be made into new batteries. Electric and hybrid electric vehicles, in themselves are, without a doubt, cleaner vehicles. In operation, they have fewer, even zero, emissions when compared to their petroleum-fueled counterparts. Lifecycle [...]

New Catalyst Gets Hydrogen from Methanol at Normal Pressure/Temp

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Hydrogen Power on February 28, 2013

Because it contains 4 atoms of hydrogen, methanol (CH4O) is generally considered a good hydrogen carrier, but has never been used in actual applications where gas is directly extracted from it and used. A team of University of Rostock chemists discovered a way to extract hydrogen from methanol at low temperatures and ambient pressures. This [...]