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University of California San Diego research to improve lithium-ion electrode architectures with nano-scale designs [VIDEO]

Thu, 10/03/2013 - 17:57 -- Anonymous
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Research led by an electrical engineer at the University of California, San Diego is aimed at improving lithium-ion batteries through possible new electrode architectures with precise nano-scale designs.

The researchers created nanowires that block diffusion of lithium across their silicon surface and promote layer-by-layer axial lithiation of the nanowire’s germanium core.

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AES commences operation of 40 MW lithium-ion storage facility in Ohio

Wed, 10/02/2013 - 10:40 -- Anonymous
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AES Corporation has notched 100 MW of installed grid-scale storage with commercial operation of a 40 MW lithium-ion facility in Moraine, Ohio.

The project, at Dayton Power & Light’s Tait Generation Station, provides fast-response frequency regulation services to PJM Interconnection to help stabilize the power grid.

The 40-MW facility is the fifth facility by AES to run on its storage operating system, called sOS. The system is a fast-response control architecture that automates the operation of AES-delivered battery-based energy storage arrays.

The Tait battery array includes more than 800,000 battery cells and connects through the station’s transformers, operated by DP&L and DPL Energy LLC, through an independent agreement with PJM.

University of Colorado Boulder spins off solid-state lithium-ion battery with ceramic electrolyte

Tue, 09/24/2013 - 10:54 -- Anonymous
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The University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) has completed a technology transfer agreement for the development and commercialization of a solid-state lithium-ion rechargeable battery with ceramic electrolyte.

The solid-state lithium-ion battery uses a ceramic electrolyte to separate the metal anode from the cathode will be taken further by Solid Power LLC, a CU-Boulder spinoff company founded by Se-Hee Lee and Conrad Stoldt, both associate professors of mechanical engineering.

Lee and Stoldt are attempting to solve lithium-ion thermal runaway concerns by eliminating the liquid electrolyte. Research into the development of solid-state batteries has gone on for a couple of decades, but creating a solid electrolyte that allows ions to pass through it as easily as a liquid electrolyte is difficult.

Instead of using a solid mass of material, Lee and Stoldt created a “composite cathode,” essentially small particles of cathode material held together with solid electrolyte and infused with an additive that increases its electrical conductivity. This configuration allows ions and electrons to move more easily within the cathode.

“The real innovation is an all-solid composite cathode that is based upon an iron-sulfur chemistry that we developed at CU,” Stoldt said. “This new, low-cost chemistry has a capacity that’s nearly 10 times greater than state-of-the-art cathodes.”

Last year, Lee and Stoldt partnered with Douglas Campbell, a small-business and early-stage product development veteran, to spin out Solid Power.

“We’re very excited about the opportunity to achieve commercial success for the all solid-state rechargeable battery,” said Campbell, Solid Power’s president. “We’re actively engaging industrial commercial partners to assist in commercialization and expect to have prototype products ready for in-field testing within 18 to 24 months.”

German materials firm Heraeus launches conductive porous carbon powders for lithium-ion battery electrodes

Mon, 09/23/2013 - 10:49 -- Anonymous
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German materials engineering firm Heraeus has launched Porocarb, a family of conductive porous carbon powder to improve ionic conductivity in electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.

A team of developers from the new product group led by Christian Neumann spent more than three years developing these novel carbon particles with pore-size distribution ranging from 10 and 1,000 nanometers and internal pore volumes up to 2.5 cubic centimetres per gramme.

"The pore size gap between carbon felts in the low micrometer range and mesoporous carbons with pore sizes is lower than 50 nanometers, thus opening up new areas of application," said Neumann.

“Porocarb could be used as an additive to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries as well as a catalyst support for fuel-cells. This new product makes it possible to increase the capacity of lithium-ion batteries in smart phones without increasing the size of the battery or to make the battery even smaller without affecting capacity."

When Porocarb powder is added to electrode slurries, high-porosity areas remain after the electrode compression. This leads to more effective ion kinetics while keeping the overall electrode density high, making it possible to double the thickness of the electrode layer without lowering performance, says Neumann.

Porocarb is based on Heraeus’ experience of manufacturing synthetic fused silica. Carbonaceous precursors are deposited on all porous inner surfaces of the silica template, which is separated chemically from the self-similar carbon framework that has developed.

Lithium-ion cell not battery pack costs will halve by 2020 – LG, Johnson Controls

Wed, 09/18/2013 - 09:32 -- Anonymous
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Top executives at LG Chem and Johnson Controls said the cost of lithium-ion cells used in electric and hybrid vehicles are likely to be about half of today's price by 2020, but overall costs of packs are unlikely to fall by as much.

Speaking at The Battery Show in Novi, Michigan, they warned costs of lithium-ion battery management systems could remain high because of a lack of standardization among hybrid car manufacturers.

"We have an internal target to go down by at least a factor of two by 2020," said Prabhakar Patil, chief executive officer of LG Chem Power, a division of lithium-ion battery maker LG Chem. "I am very positive in terms of the slope that I see."

Brian Kesseler, the president of Johnson Controls’ Power Solutions said cell costs may indeed fall by half, but overall costs of battery packs, which include the control systems that surround the energy source, are unlikely to decline that quickly without standardization across auto makers, he told the Wall Street Journal.

"The real issue is the cost of the total system," he said. With each auto maker using a customized system to run its electric vehicles, it's unlikely to overall cost of an electric vehicle is likely to decline dramatically.

Argonne National Laboratory estimates that the average cost is about $500 for each kilowatt-hour of energy storage.

 

Johnson Controls unveils 48v lithium-ion micro-hybrid battery

Tue, 09/17/2013 - 12:48 -- Anonymous
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Johnson Controls has unveiled its first-generation 48V lithium-ion micro-hybrid battery at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany.

Leveraging a dual voltage architecture, Johnson Controls’ micro-hybrid battery system combines a 12V starter battery and a 48V lithium-ion battery, which it claims could provide up to 15% fuel savings in vehicles. The battery will be available for testing with key automotive customers this December.

The 48V battery is designed with the capacity to quickly capture energy from braking and can support higher loads such as air-conditioning and active chassis technologies. The 12V battery provides power to the vehicle starter, interior and exterior lights, and entertainment systems such as radios and DVD players.

The prismatic lithium-ion cells and complete systems for the prototypes will be made at Johnson Controls’ facility in Holland, Michigan. The battery is designed with standardized components and size to help drive scale and minimize cost, it claims.

Ray Shemanski, vice president and general manager of the Original Equipment Group for Johnson Controls Power Solutions, said: “We expect Micro Hybrid technology will be adopted in Europe first, due to more stringent fuel economy and emissions standards, and then quickly move to U.S. markets in the next few years with global adoption starting in 2020.”

Lithium-ion goes sub-marine

Thu, 09/05/2013 - 14:35 -- Anonymous
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Naval sub
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General Atomics of San Diego has supplied lithium-ion batteries to the US Navy for use in mini-submarine prototypes. The mini-subs will be used to transport Navy SEALs in covert combat swim missions.

The contract, worth US$12.5M, was awarded to the battery manufacturer from the Naval Surface Warfare Centre to supply prime power aboard the submersible vehicles.

General Atomics has experience in nuclear and alternative energy, electromagnetic aircraft launch and recovery systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles that rely on battery power.

Ground broken at Europe’s biggest battery park

Thu, 09/05/2013 - 12:51 -- Anonymous
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Caspar Baumgart, Thomas Paetzold, Erwin ring Selle, Jürgen Becker, Angelika Gramkow, Clemens Triebel (left) at the groundbreaking ceremony
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Construction has begun on the site to house Europe’s largest commercial battery park. German utility company WEMAG and Berlin-based renewables expert, Younicos, have begun working on the site that is due to be online in September 2014.

The site in Schwerin, northern Germany, will house a 5MWh battery to offset short-term power fluctuations from renewable energy sources to assist with stabilising grid frequency. Samsung SDI is supplying the lithium-ion cells with an assurance of 20 years performance guaranteed.

This is part of a Germany-wide effort to increase the use of renewable energy to lessen the dependence on fossil fuel and nuclear-generated electricity.

See the full report in the Summer issue of BEST magazine (issue 41) to read more about the Younicos and WEMAG project. 

Tesla gets Samsung onboard to ramp up production

Thu, 09/05/2013 - 12:05 -- Anonymous
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The Model S goes global
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Tesla Motors is ramping up production of the Model S with the anticipation of sales reaching 21,000 in 2014. The EV manufacturer has sought out a secondary supplier of lithium-ion batteries; Samsung SDI has been announced, alongside existing supplier Panasonic.

The diversification of battery supplier shows that Tesla is confident the Model S will continue to sell in high numbers, that it is strengthening its battery supply to meet the expected numbers. Tesla is testing Samsung SDI’s batteries before the deal is confirmed.

Concurrently, a European Tesla plant has opened in Tilburg, Netherlands, to assemble cars from US-made components for the European market.

UK’s largest grid-connected battery switched on in Orkney

Thu, 08/22/2013 - 16:20 -- Anonymous
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Kirkwall Power Station
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The UK’s first large-scale lithium-ion battery has been connected to the electrical grid on the island of Orkney – in the Scottish Isles in the UK – as part of a trial by Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD).

The installation of the 2MW battery at Kirkwall Power Station on the island is to store excess energy produced from renewable sources. The island group has more producing ability than capacity for storage in the grid, resulting in wasted energy.

Mark Rough, Head of commercial activity for SHEPD said the installation will not provide an immediate solution to the current constraints of the Orkney distribution network, however he hopes the study will show batteries to be a cost-effective way of freeing up capacity on the network to help facilitate new connections of low carbon generation.

The battery, made by Mitsubishi, has been part of a two-year test in Nagasaki, Japan. The Low Carbon Networks Fund is funding the project. 

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