Advances in batteries/energy thread

[RGR]

Oh Boy !!!! Solyndra 2.0.

To a dumbass like you. To the rest of us, it is called research.

Solyndra wasn't about PV research, it was about PV manufacturing. A different type of sun to power scheme, but still the same old scheme. They were beaten by the usual, "what happens when the other guy figures out how to come down the cost curve faster than you do" routine. Sometimes your slightly different idea is irrelevant in the face of market dynamics. My irritation in the entire mess mostly revolves around the government interference in picking (or TRYING to pick) market winners and losers.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Stacking Cells Could Make Solar as Cheap as Natural Gas

A novel manufacturing method could make it practical to stack solar cells and convert more of the energy in sunlight into electricity.

By Kevin Bullis on August 6, 2014

When experts talk about future solar cells, they usually bring up exotic materials and physical phenomena. In the short term, however, a much simpler approach—stacking different semiconducting materials that collect different frequencies of light—could provide nearly as much of an increase in efficiency as any radical new design. And a new manufacturing technique could soon make this approach practical.

The startup Semprius, based in Durham, North Carolina, says it can produce very efficient stacked solar cells quickly and cheaply, opening the door to efficiencies as high as 50 percent. (Conventional solar cells convert less than 25 percent of the energy in sunlight into electricity.)

Startup Demonstrates Ultra-efficient Stacked Solar Cells | MIT Technology Review

 

[ScienceRocks]

Thin-Film Solar Cell Efficiency Record Set By First Solar (Again)

First Solar, the world’s largest manufacturer of thin-film solar photovoltaic cells and modules, has bettered its record of producing the most efficient thin-film solar cell.

The US-based company recently announced that a cell manufactured at its Ohio manufacturing factory and research & development center achieved an efficiency of 21%, the highest on record by a non-concentrating cadmium-telluride (CdTe) cell.

The efficiency of the research cell, certified by Newport Corporation’s Technology and Applications Center (TAC) PV Lab, is 3% more than a cell manufactured by First Solar in February 2014. The encouraging fact about the cell is that it has been constructed using processes and materials designed for commercial-scale manufacturing, thus making is possibly easier for First Solar to quickly switch to the cell’s mass production.

The new cell’s efficiency is now second only to a concentrating version of the CdTe cell in the thin-film solar cell domain. Within the non-concentrating segment, the second-highest efficiency was achieved by a Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) cell at 20.9%. Solar Frontier made that cell earlier this year. First Solar has also gone a notch up on multi-crystalline silicon cells, whose efficiency peaked at 20.4% in 2004.

Also, as noted in a recent CleanTechnica exclusive, First Solar module efficiency doesn’t drop as much in hot temperatures as crystalline silicon solar modules.

The company will now look to replicate its success in the production facilities. The average production module efficiency in Q2 2014 reached 14%, up 0.5% from Q1 2014 and up 0.7% from FY2013. First Solar has set a target to enhance research cell efficiency to 22% in 2015.

Thin-Film Solar Cell Efficiency Record Set By First Solar (Again)

 

[ScienceRocks]

Helion Energy has an update on their project to achieve commercial nuclear fusion.
Helion Energy now has a Helium 3 fuel cycle for its magneto-inertial fusion process

Helion Energy uses Magneto-Inertial Fusion: By combining the stability of steady magnetic fusion and the heating of pulsed inertial fusion, a commercially practical system has been realized that is smaller and lower cost than existing programs.

They want to create modular, distributed Power using shipping container sized, 50 Megawatt modules for base load power generation.

They are using Self-Supplied Helium 3 Fusion. It is pulsed, D-He3 fusion simplifies the engineering of a fusion power plant, lowers costs, and is even cleaner than traditional fusion.

Magnetic Compression: Fuel is compressed and heated purely by magnetic fields operated with modern solid state electronics.

This eliminates inefficient, expensive laser, piston, or beam techniques used by other fusion approaches.

Direct Energy Conversion: Enabled by pulsed operation, efficient direct conversion decreases plant costs and fusion’s engineering challenges.

It is safe: With no possibility of melt-down, or hazardous nuclear waste, fusion dose not suffer the drawbacks that make fission an unattractive alternative.

 

[Abishai100]

A Pinata for Inspector Gadget

Why don't they use media ads to make solar-powered calculators seem more exciting or romantic?

"Buy a solar-powered calculator for your girlfriend this Valentine's Day, and see her smile when she realizes she doesn't need to go looking for batteries for it while traveling to Europe."

After all, a small hand-held calculator is a very convenient restaurant tip-computation tool for your waiter/waitress.







Amazon.com AmazonBasics AA Rechargeable Batteries 8-Pack Pre-charged Electronics

 

[JiggsCasey]

Solyndra wasn't about PV research, it was about PV manufacturing. A different type of sun to power scheme, but still the same old scheme. They were beaten by the usual, "what happens when the other guy figures out how to come down the cost curve faster than you do" routine. Sometimes your slightly different idea is irrelevant in the face of market dynamics. My irritation in the entire mess mostly revolves around the government interference in picking (or TRYING to pick) market winners and losers.

Picking market winners? You mean like when the Dept. of Energy underwrote George P. Mitchell's great fracking experiment? That's different, huh? No "irritation" there, we're sure.

LOL... situational ethics at its best.

 

[RGR]

Picking market winners? You mean like when the Dept. of Energy underwrote George P. Mitchell's great fracking experiment? That's different, huh? No "irritation" there, we're sure.

LOL... situational ethics at its best.

Certainly when I was doing hydraulic fracturing in the late 80's and early to mid-90's, it was without government funding. And it wasn't an experiment, just using a process that has been around longer than you have.

But then you never have known dick about the oil and gas industry, so you getting this type of nonsense wrong is just normal for the oil-ignorant. Now run off and find real information to parrot..and PLEASE tell us you've brought back someone from your church with functioning synapses to discuss this issues, rather than sending forth their parrot in chief?

 

[JiggsCasey]

Picking market winners? You mean like when the Dept. of Energy underwrote George P. Mitchell's great fracking experiment? That's different, huh? No "irritation" there, we're sure.

LOL... situational ethics at its best.

Certainly when I was doing hydraulic fracturing in the late 80's and early to mid-90's, it was without government funding. And it wasn't an experiment, just using a process that has been around longer than you have.

But then you never have known dick about the oil and gas industry, so you getting this type of nonsense wrong is just normal for the oil-ignorant. Now run off and find real information to parrot..and PLEASE tell us you've brought back someone from your church with functioning synapses to discuss this issues, rather than sending forth their parrot in chief?

LOL ... it's the same tired song and dance from you every time I pay a visit... when you finally take a breath and remove the industry's nuts from your mouth, you spew on about the wonders 4-5M bpd of hydraulic fracturing provides to society... all while ignoring the hazards as well as the decline rates...

I stand by what I said. ... You wouldn't even have your big fracking circle jerk if it wasn't for government underwriting from the outset.... Hypocrite.... Stop lying, and start being honest... Your industry of choice is a brief, unsustainable bubble that has contributed to energy inflation and ecocide.

When you address the CLIFFLIKE decline rates, you know you'll be left with no more outs.... It's check-mate, you utter fraud.

I don't have any church, and I don't need one... I crush you with data, economics 101 and common sense. Every single time.

 

[RGR]

LOL ... it's the same tired song and dance from you every time I pay a visit...

Which part? The part where you've been pimping your religious ideas for years and are a parrot? Or can't find anyone with functioning synapses or experience in the field to discuss the topic, them being too busy trying to collect more gullible folks like you?

How many years have you been wrong about peak oil now? 3 years? Half a decade? A decade?

I stand by what I said. ..

Which part? The part where oil was declining when it wasn't? EROEI and your bad math? Your ignorance of the Hirsch report? Or just your cutting and pasting of everything else trying to THINK about the topic that you parrot from?

To be honest, have YOU ever said anything, your parroting and cut and paste skills appear to be your only talents.

When you address the CLIFFLIKE decline rates, you know you'll be left with no more outs.... It's check-mate, you utter fraud.

The decline rates have been addressed by scientist types, and they look more like a curve rather than a cliff.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1109/OF13-1109.pdf

I recommend checking out the various types of declines in figures 5 through 8.

Which ones are the cliff again? Some? All?

Do you even know what base production is? Or how it is established?

PLEASE send us back someone from your church with a brain? PRETTY PLEASE?

 

[JiggsCasey]

Which part? The part where you've been pimping your religious ideas for years and are a parrot? Or can't find anyone with functioning synapses or experience in the field to discuss the topic, them being too busy trying to collect more gullible folks like you?

LOL... no, the part whereby you silently avoid the direct challenge put to you, yet in your infantile desperation to get in the last word within 12 hours (because you live here) spew a lot of meaningless words about church and religion that A) don't apply, and B) don't save your horribly arrogant argument.

How many years have you been wrong about peak oil now? 3 years? Half a decade? A decade?

Conventional production is flat, some 9 years now. Changing the definition of globally traded oil while ignoring a tripling of global price since that time does zero for your rather laughable position.

Which part? The part where oil was declining when it wasn't? EROEI and your bad math? Your ignorance of the Hirsch report? Or just your cutting and pasting of everything else trying to THINK about the topic that you parrot from?

Nope, small bus rider. Just the part where you show obvious bias for your "energy source" of choice which would be no where without government help, and then spew how you don't want the government "picking market winners" when it comes to renewables.

Could you be more of a used car salesman, you douche?

The decline rates have been addressed by scientist types, and they look more like a curve rather than a cliff.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1109/OF13-1109.pdf

I recommend checking out the various types of declines in figures 5 through 8.

Which ones are the cliff again? Some? All?

Do you even know what base production is? Or how it is established?

PLEASE send us back someone from your church with a brain? PRETTY PLEASE?

LOL!!! ... Pretty clear that all those graphs show the average well from your your pet industry is down some 60-80% after 24 months, making it a short-lived bubble endeavor and it's days are very numbered. No wonder you're freaking out on random web sites playing the role of this guy:

Anyhow, you've AIDS'd up yet another thread long enough. I just wanted to make sure other readers were reminded of your situational ethics at play yet again. See you in the appropriate threads, whereby you pretend a 60% annual production decline rate is no big deal.

This is too easy.

 

[RGR]

Conventional production is flat, some 9 years now. Changing the definition of globally traded oil while ignoring a tripling of global price since that time does zero for your rather laughable position.

Distinctions without a difference (conventional) is important to your religious views. I understand. But you no more put conventional oil in your gas tank than you do unicorn farts.

PLEASE send us back someone from your church with a brain? PRETTY PLEASE?

LOL!!! ... Pretty clear that all those graphs show the average well from your your pet industry is down some 60-80% after 24 months, making it a short-lived bubble endeavor and it's days are very numbered. No wonder you're freaking out on random web sites playing the role of this guy:

I asked a specific question. Which decline is a cliff? The ones provided by the scientists, or the similar ones from the Spraberry conventional accumulations in Texas? Prudhoe Bay? The Turner Sandstone in Wyoming?

 

[HenryBHough]

No question lithium batteries have come a long way. Still, I prefer not to fly on airplanes powered by them.

I'm not much for death wishes.

 

[mamooth]

Why don't they use media ads to make solar-powered calculators seem more exciting or romantic?

Smartphones. There's no reason to carry a separate calculator. Maybe ask "why don't smartphones have solar cells?".

News in hydrogen ...

University of Glasgow University news
---
Chemists from the University of Glasgow report in a new paper in Science today (Friday 12 September) on a new form of hydrogen production which is 30 times faster than the current state-of-the-art method. The process also solves common problems associated with generating electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind or wave energy.

[...]

The new method allows larger-than-ever quantities of hydrogen to be produced at atmospheric pressure using lower power loads, typical of those generated by renewable power sources. It also solves intrinsic safety issues which have so far limited the use of intermittent renewable energy for hydrogen production.
---

 

[HenryBHough]

All these solar and wind power advocates tend to overlook the benefits to be had from simply rubbing two cats together on a dry day.

 

[Old Rocks]

All these solar and wind power advocates tend to overlook the benefits to be had from simply rubbing two cats together on a dry day.

Well, if you had two brain cells to rub together, your posts might make more sense.

 

[HenryBHough]

Y'know....I might consider buying an electric car with lithium batteries!

But only when they're equipped with an escape pod for a quick getaway when the fire starts.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Solar Cell Efficiency Conversion Record Hit By JA Solar

Solar Cell Efficiency Conversion Record Hit By JA Solar

Chinese solar manufacturer JA Solar Holdings says it has attained 20 per cent solar energy conversion efficiency in its multi-crystalline silicon solar cell, which it says is a world record for a multi-Si solar cell efficiency.

The new mark came just 9 months after it had set a previous record of 19 per cent efficiency in its multi-Sci cells. The company says the new record means that it can increase power output, and reduce costs for solar modules.

The new record was set by using advanced proprietary light trapping and surface passivation technologies. The company expects to mass produce multi-Si cells using its nw technology into commercial assembly lines in 2015.

“This accomplishment once again demonstrates JA Solar’s unrivaled ability to advance PV technology, and creates value for our customers by increasing power generation and reducing installation costs,” chief operating officer Yong Liu, said in a statement.

Dr. Wei Shan, the company’s chief scientist and R&D manager, said his team expected to set new efficiency gains in the quarters ahead. “We have only just begun. The confidence we had in surpassing 20% efficiency this year extends now to our expectation to realize even more efficiency gains in the quarters ahead,” he said.

 

[ScienceRocks]

New CIGS Solar Cell Record — 21.7% CIGS Cell Conversion Efficiency Achieved At ZSW

September 27th, 2014 by James Ayre

A new CIGS thin-film solar cell conversion efficiency record was recently achieved by researchers at the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Stuttgart.
The new conversion efficiency record of 21.7% beats the previous record of 21% — that was set earlier this year by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems — pretty substantially, and represents a notable improvement in the technology.

New CIGS Solar Cell Record -- 21.7 CIGS Cell Conversion Efficiency Achieved At ZSW CleanTechnica

 

[ScienceRocks]

Next-gen lithium-ion battery charges 20x faster, lasts 20x longer

Next-gen lithium-ion battery charges 20x faster lasts 20x longer

Improved lithium-ion battery technology is coming, charging up your battery to 70% in two minutes, or an entire electric car in 15 minutes
*****************************************************

The next-generation of lithium-ion batteries is really going to ensure that users get all-day, and even more battery life out of their devices. A team of researchers in Singapore have developed this improved lithium-ion battery tech, which is capable of recharging a battery to 70% in just two minutes, yes: 120 seconds.


The clinch, is that this isn't a new battery technology, but it improves on the existing technology that is used. The improvements are coming from a form of nanostructures, where instead of traditional graphite used to create the lithium-ion battery's anode, this new technology uses a cheap titanium dioxide gel, which is a similar material to that used in sunscreen, that absorbs UV rays.


The scientists have discovered a way to turn these compounds into nanostructures that super-speed the charging process, with this change making lithium-ion batteries capable of charging 20x faster, and lasting up to 20x longer. Associate Professor Chen Xiaodong of Nanyang Technological University said in a release "With our nanotechnology, electric cars would be able to increase their range dramatically with just five minutes of charging, which is on par with the time needed to pump petrol for current cars". The researchers hope to have this technology on the market within two years, which should be perfect timing for our next, next-gen smartphones and electric cars.

 

[RGR]

Next-gen lithium-ion battery charges 20x faster, lasts 20x longer

Next-gen lithium-ion battery charges 20x faster lasts 20x longer

Improved lithium-ion battery technology is coming, charging up your battery to 70% in two minutes, or an entire electric car in 15 minutes
*****************************************************

Matt, long time no see! Been wondering where the "batteries are the greatest even if they can't bump off the usefulness, better price and higher energy content of our hydrocarbon powered world yet!" cheerleader went. You drop your pompoms or something?