Advances in batteries/energy thread

[Old Rocks]

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?

Now that is the present situation. Rapidly changing as we post.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Lockheed says makes breakthrough on fusion energy project
Lockheed says makes breakthrough on fusion energy project - Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp said on Wednesday it had made a technological breakthrough in developing a power source based on nuclear fusion, and the first reactors, small enough to fit on the back of a truck, could be ready for use in a decade.

Initial work demonstrated the feasibility of building a 100-megawatt reactor measuring seven feet by 10 feet, which could fit on the back of a large truck, and is about 10 times smaller than current reactors, McGuire told reporters.

In a statement, the company, the Pentagon's largest supplier, said it would build and test a compact fusion reactor in less than a year, and build a prototype in five years.

Now this would help us off coal and natural gas! This is huge....

 

[RGR]

Lockheed says makes breakthrough on fusion energy project
Lockheed says makes breakthrough on fusion energy project - Yahoo News

Now this would help us off coal and natural gas! This is huge....

It would be great!! And until then, we've got plenty of coal, natural gas and existing nukes to keep firing up these advanced batteries some of us have in our cars!! so what is the time frame on this one, somewhere between never never land and pie in the sky?

 

[ScienceRocks]

Solar as Industrial Revolution - By the end of next year, the first test cars using 100 percent solar will come out, and you will be able to drive 80 kilometers, or about 18 miles, fully powered.

Q. Can you elaborate on this personal use and its application in our daily life?

A. The two advantages are flexibility and portability. The thin-film is so light you could have it on your jacket, on your hat and it could then power up your phone. It can embrace curves; that’s another big advantage. You can’t do that with a crystal panel. We are currently testing thin-film with Aston Martin Racing on the roof and rear windscreen of the car to power air-conditioning and other electrical functions in the car.

In the future, we’re planning to work with more commercial car manufacturers. Right now, we already have it on the rooftop of some commercial cars in China, and for now, you can help reduce the usage of the gasoline by 20 to 30 percent; but in the coming two to three years, you will be able to replace more. According to our calculations, you need six square miles of our solar module to generate electricity to power an electric car. By the end of next year, the first test cars using 100 percent solar will come out, and you will be able to drive 80 kilometers, or about 18 miles, fully powered.

 

[ScienceRocks]

French-German collaborators claim solar cell efficiency world record (46%)

A new world record for the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity has been set by a multi-junction solar cell that converts 46% of the solar light into electrical energy.
Multi-junction solar cells are based on a selection of III-V compound semiconductor materials. The world record cell is a four-junction cell, and each of its sub-cells converts precisely one quarter of the incoming photons in the wavelength range between 300 and 1750 nm into electricity. When applied in concentrator PV, a small cell is used with a Fresnel lens, which concentrates the sunlight onto the cell. The new record 46.0% efficiency was measured at a concentration of 508 suns and has been confirmed by the Japanese AIST (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology), one of the leading centers for independent verification of solar cell performance results under standard-testing conditions.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Researchers convert sunlight to electricity with over 40 percent efficiency
4 hours ago

UNSW Australia's solar researchers have converted over 40% of the sunlight hitting a solar system into electricity, the highest efficiency ever reported.

The record efficiency was achieved in outdoor tests in Sydney, before being independently confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at their outdoor test facility in the United States.

The work was funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and supported by the Australia-US Institute for Advanced Photovoltaics (AUSIAPV).

"This is the highest efficiency ever reported for sunlight conversion into electricity," UNSW Scientia Professor and Director of the Advanced Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) Professor Martin Green said.

Read more at: Researchers convert sunlight to electricity with over 40 percent efficiency

 

[ScienceRocks]

Superconducting coil to slash costs and improve efficiency of direct-drive wind turbines
By Darren Quick
December 4, 2014

Conventional offshore wind turbines are expensive and complicated pieces of machinery – in a large part because of their complex and maintenance-intensive gearboxes. Dr Shahriar Hossain from the University of Wollongong in Australia is looking to slash production costs and drastically improve efficiency replacing these gearboxes with a superconducting coil.

Wind turbine gearboxes connect the low-speed shaft, which is turned by the rotation of the blades, to the high-speed shaft that drives the generator, increasing the rotational speed of the low-speed shaft from around 30-60 rpm to the rotational speed required by the generator to produce electricity – which is usually around 1,000-1,800 rpm.

To avoid the cost, maintenance and efficiency-loss problems associated with the use of gear boxes, Dr Hossain, a materials scientist from the UOW's Institute of Superconducting and Electronic Materials with funding by the Australian Research Council in 2013 under the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme, is developing a magnesium diboride superconducting coil made from magnesium and boron that he says is very cheap and easy to manufacture and would allow wind turbines to operate with no gearbox at all.

 

[ScienceRocks]

CleanTech Sector Gets A Boost As A Technological Breakthrough In Batteries Transforms The Potential Of Electric Cars

Why do we consider this new battery disruptive?

The lithium battery, which specialists suggest could fundamentally alter the global car market, can triple the driving range of an electric vehicle and significantly lower its costs. Batteries in existing electric cars can account for as much as 30 per cent of the cost a lower cost battery therefore could improve significantly the price performance of current electrical cars. Not only do existing batteries cost a lot because of the components, they also need temperature control systems to stop them overheating or catching fire. The new battery does not need the same systems as it can function safely at a wide range of temperatures, which accompanied with the fact that it is approximately 20 per cent cheaper than existing batteries should reduce costs.

 

[RGR]

CleanTech Sector Gets A Boost As A Technological Breakthrough In Batteries Transforms The Potential Of Electric Cars

Why do we consider this new battery disruptive?

WE…don't. But the low cost of liquid fuels right now sure makes it a bitch, don't it? Electric car sales are going to go into the crapper, if they haven't already. I mean seriously, when folks can fill up their cars now cheaper than they could their motorcycles a year or more ago (as I just did) the EV sitting in the garage certainly isn't near the economic choice it once was.

I don't care of course, I bought mine because I'm a gizmo guy, but it certainly is noticeable when I can fill up a car for <$20.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Aquion Energy Reveals Second-Gen AHI Battery Technology, 40% Increase In Energy
Aquion Energy Reveals Second-Gen AHI Battery Technology 40 Increase In Energy CleanTechnica

November 13th, 2014 by James Ayre

Aquion Energy recently revealed the second generation of its Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHI™) battery and energy storage system technology.

The new second generation of the AHI technology reportedly offers an increase in energy “of up to 40%” — without any increase in the size/weight of the S-Line Battery Stack or the M-Line Battery Module product lines.

“We have been hard at work making the world’s best long duration battery even better. The improved chemistry of the second generation Aqueous Hybrid Ion battery yields more energy, and will deliver more value for our customers,” stated Scott A. Pearson, CEO of Aquion Energy. “We are unveiling the new technology at Solar Power International because Aquion’s unmatched long duration batteries enable optimal self-consumption of distributed solar generation and ease the burden of intermittent renewable energy on the grid. These two applications are the key to unlocking broad adoption of clean solar electricity as a mainstream energy source.”

This means smaller batteries for the same energy....More power can be placed into the same area.

This is good news!

 

[ScienceRocks]

Europe’s Largest Energy Storage Plant Began Its Trial Run
Europe s Largest Energy Storage Plant Goes Online

December 16th, 2014 by Roy L Hales

Originally published on the ECOreport.

Europe’s largest energy storage plant is now online. Energy & Climate Change Minister Amber Rudd switched on the new UKPN SNS facility in Leighton Buzzard yesterday. The fully automated 6MW/10MWh energy storage unit has commenced its trial run. As the existing infrastructure dates back to the 1970s, this facility represents an immediate +£6m savings over traditional network reinforcement methods such as transformers, cable and overhead lines. More important, this could be the beginning of a technology transition that research from Imperial College could save the UK £3bn a year by in the 2020s, based on the deployment of 2GW of energy storage.

“The project will shortly enter into the trial phase – where the performance of the system, and its use for a wide range of different network applications and benefits will be explored over the course of two years. In addition, the project is researching how different business models might work for storage, as well as recommendations into appropriate changes to the regulatory frameworks,”said Project Director Nick Heyward, UK Power Networks.

There are other smaller scale storage systems already installed in England, including another on UK Power Networks distribution network at Hemsby, near Gt Yarmouth. These are mainly looking at the technical impact of storage, rather than the economic and market challenges.

While we’ve no immediate plans to build any more; there is much interest from developers and investors who are considering energy storage. It is very likely there will be more storage installed in future years, as the level of intermittent renewable generation on the system grows further.

Two of the world’s leading energy storage companies collaborated on this £18.7 million project. S&C Electric fosters the improved efficiency and reliability required for intelligent grids in North America, the UK and around the world. Berlin-based Younicos contributed custom-built intelligent software architecture and components.

 

[ScienceRocks]

New Tandem Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency Record Set By PhD Student

December 17th, 2014 by James Ayre
New Tandem Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency Record Set By PhD Student

A new tandem thin-film silicon solar cell efficiency record was recently set by a PhD student at TU Delft by the name of Hairen Tan.

The new record conversion efficiency of 14.8% was achieved via the use of a variety of “innovative techniques” for which Tan was awarded the Young Research Award at the 6th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, held recently in Kyoto.

To be specific, the record was set through the use of amorphous silicon and nanocrystalline silicon absorber layers which were stacked in a way that allowed for the improvement of light spectrum utilization. In addition, Tan also utilized a “modulated surface texture” approach that he developed himself — thereby scattering and absorbing the light more efficiently.

This approach was done via the creation of a “novel surface morphology” of a glass substrate, achieved via etching — or, “nano-scale features of a transparent electrode deposited on the etched glass,” as Tan put it.

 

[RGR]

What a wonderful PhD student!! And you bought the patent Matthew, or just doing more advertising for industry?

 

[HenryBHough]

Anything that innovates in the energy field should be welcomed provided it's genuine, not just a shot at grabbing government subsidies then stealing away into bankruptcy.

As to disruptive, yeah. IF something comes along that's more cost effective than whatever is presently being used; oil, coal, natural gas, biomass, etc. then there WILL be disruption. Value of conventional means of producing (extracting, refining, distributing) will decline. Jobs in those businesses will vanish. Not all the people displaced will be able to find work in the new industry.

So suck it up.

Of course liberals will scream of free stuff for the displaced workers and some will try to halt innovation dead in its' tracks on that account. But remember the classic buggy-whip analogy. Of course the Buggy-Whip Craftsmen's Union didn't exist to lobby Congress at the time but that little sort of oversight is long behind us.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Calyxo To Launch New Thin Film Modules With Efficiencies Of Over 14%
New Thin Film Modules From Calyxo Clean Green Efficient
December 19th, 2014 by Anand Upadhyay

Calyxo GmbH has claimed that its new thin film product range, which will be launched in 2015, can achieve more than 14% module efficiency. These modules will be manufactured on the state of the art production line which opened a year back. The new thin film modules will be available under the name CX4.

Dr. Michael Bauer, CTO / COO said “It’s a great achievement to concurrently both ramp-up a new production line and use it to meet the targeted performance goals for the new product development. We believe that we can achieve over 14% efficiency with the new product generation. We are convinced that the unique Calyxo deposition process, in addition to its cost advantages, has the potential for the highest semiconductor layer qualities”.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Researchers open possible avenue to better electrolyte for lithium ion batteries
9 hours ago by Lynn Yarris

X-ray absorption spectra, interpreted using first-principles electronic structure calculations, provide insight into the solvation of the lithium ion in propylene carbonate. Credit: Rich Saykally, Berkeley

The lithium-ion batteries that mobilize our electronic devices need to be improved if they are to power electric vehicles or store electrical energy for the grid. Berkeley Lab researchers looking for a better understanding of liquid electrolyte may have found a pathway forward. A team led by Richard Saykally, a chemist with Berkeley Lab's Chemical Sciences Division, David Prendergast, a theorist with Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry, and Steven Harris, a chemist with the Lab's Materials Sciences Division, found surprising results in the first X-ray absorption spectroscopy study of a model lithium electrolyte.

"A crucial process in lithium ion batteries is the transport of lithium ions between the electrodes," explains Saykally. "Commercial lithium-ion batteries contain a liquid electrolyte comprising a lithium salt dissolved in an alkyl carbonate solvent system. There's disagreement in the battery industry on the nature of the local solvation environment of lithium ions in these solutions, a critical issue because the desolvation of the ions as they move through the negative electrode is believed to limit the electrical power that can be made available."

Read more at: Researchers open possible avenue to better electrolyte for lithium ion batteries

 

[ScienceRocks]

Thermoelectric power plants could offer economically competitive renewable energy
13 hours ago by Lisa Zyga

A thermoelectric power plant might use energy harvested from ocean waves to pump cold water up through a heat exchanger/generator near the surface. The heat exchanger is made of thermoelectric materials which can use the temperature gradient …more

(Phys.org)—A new study predicts that large-scale power plants based on thermoelectric effects, such as small temperature differences in ocean water, could generate electricity at a lower cost than photovoltaic power plants.

Liping Liu, Associate Professor at Rutgers University, envisions that thermoelectric power plants would look like giant barges sitting in the tropical ocean, where electricity is generated by heating cold, deep water with warm, shallow water heated by the sun. Liu has published a paper in the New Journal of Physics in which he analyzes the feasibility of such power plants.

"This work is about the new idea of large-scale green power plants that make economic use of the largest accessible and sustainable energy reservoir on the earth," Liu told Phys.org, speaking of the oceans. This is because the sun heats the surface water to a temperature that, in tropical regions, is about 20 K higher than water 600 m deep. Essentially, the surface water acts as a giant storage tank of solar energy.

Read more at: Thermoelectric power plants could offer economically competitive renewable
energy

Now here is a renewable that might kick solar and winds ass.

 

[RGR]

Could offer...maybe...potential....a student found....

How about you check back in when you have a REAL product you can tell us about, how you used it, what it cost you, how well it worked refueling your car, etc etc?

 

[ScienceRocks]

The next few years I expect to install solar. But it is still kicking ass in the mean time.

Did you know that 12.4% of oregon energy comes from wind?

 

[RGR]

The next few years I expect to install solar. But it is still kicking ass in the mean time.

Apparently not in a way that YOU can tell us about. I recommend some experience, then you might understand better the advantages, and disadvantages, of solar. Like that sun shining problem, a bit tricky for those PhD students to solve methinks.

Did you know that 12.4% of oregon energy comes from wind?

In 2013, 13.8% of fuel for my car came from wind. So I've got Oregon beat, and then I figure that the panels kick in another 20%. Why is it that those of us who actually use this stuff know it can be a bit difficult to get those numbers to 100%, although admittedly Oregon is perhaps 12.4% better than you are already, and I'm a full 33.8% up on your fossil fuel consuming lifestyle. How excellent solar must be if you can't be bothered....funny thing that....the courage of your convictions is apparently.....zero. Get back to us when you aren't just a run of the mill fossil fuel guzzling America.