lithium-ion

Chemical companies BASF and Toda Kogyo have teamed up to launch a joint venture firm based in Japan to manufacture cathode active materials (CAM) for use in lithium-ion batteries.

The company BASF Toda Battery Materials will focus on the research and development, production, marketing and sales for cathode materials for the automotive, consumer electronics, and stationary storage markets.

Pic: (Left) Dr. Joerg Christian Steck, Representative Director & President of BASF Japan, (Right) Mr. Shigeru Takaragi, President, TODA KOGYO CORP.

Lithium-ion and lead-acid battery separator firm Polypore International has been sold for around $3.2billion in two separate deals.

The US company sold its Energy Storage business to Japanese firm Asahi Kasei Corporation for around $2.2billion and its Separations Media segment to US based 3M Co for around $1billion.

Commercial operations have begun on the world’s first passenger ferry to be powered exclusively by lithium-ion batteries.

Norwegian ferry operator Norled introduced the Zero Cat 120 catamaran ferry which uses 1MW of battery power.

The system contains a Siemens BlueDrive Plus C energy management system and Corvus Energy’s 224 Corvus AT6500 modules, which give a total capacity of 1.46MW.

Around 1MW-worth of batteries are onboard in two banks, one at each end of the ferry, powering two 450kW electric motors to drive Rolls-Royce Azipull thrusters with CP propellers.

Two 260kW batteries are being used at each shore station to recharge the boat’s batteries during the 10 minute interval between crossings to avoid uneven drain on the local grid. The main charge will be overnight, using hydro-electrically generated electricity.

The ship’s on-board power needs are also met by the batteries, with a HVAV system that makes full use of waste heat recovery to minimise power required.

The 80m long, double-ended aluminium hulled ferry is designed to make the 5.7km crossing of the Sognefjord in 20 minutes. It will make 34 trips each day, carrying up to 360 passengers and 120 cars.

The ship, designed and built by Fjellstrand of Norway

A 150kWh energy storage system using ultracapacitors and lithium-ion batteries to support grid stability in both residential and industrial settings has been deployed in Ireland.

The Tallaght Smart Grid Testbed uses a combination of Li-ion batteries, a Microgrid stabaliser and Maxwell Technologies’ ultracapacitors for active power support in the grid's distributed network.

The demonstration uses existing Maxwell modules containing 2.7V, 3000F cells to supply 50kW for 20 seconds.

The ultracapacitors will perform fast functions such as frequency response, while the batteries are used for peak shifting and operating reserve.

The system works in combination with German renewable energy systems developer and distributer Freqcon's Microgrid Stabilizer.

The batteries of the Stabilizer have a storage capacity of 150kWh and will addresses the electricity intermittency challenges that accompany high renewable energy penetration.

The Testbed, run by the South Dublin County Council and the Micro Electricity Generation Association (MEGA), will test how energy storage can minimise electricity distribution issues and grid instability.

It is one of many similar projects in Ireland as the country works toward its goal of 40 percent renewable energy generation by 2020.

With multiple sources of renewable energy generation, Ireland’s grid network has to cope with voltage and frequency issues before distributing the electricity to end users.

Dudley Stewart, secretary general of MEGA, said: "Smart grid projects are a priority in Ireland, and, depending on the local set-up, the grid challenges can vary greatly.

"Freqcon's Microgrid Stabilizer can be customized for individual projects, and the combination of batteries and Maxwell ultracapacitors is a promising solution.”

Dr. Franz Fink, president and CEO of Maxwell, said, "As the European Union, China, the United States and other countries around the world work toward their renewable energy consumption and generation targets, ensuring optimal renewable energy production will be critical.

“With a reduced number of fossil-fuel-based synchronous generators in operation, grid stability is becoming a challenge, and we expect ultracapacitors will play an important role in addressing this issue."

Unlike batteries, which produce and store energy by chemical reaction, ultracapacitors store energy in an electric field.

This electrostatic energy storage mechanism enables ultracapacitors to charge and discharge in fractions of a second, perform normally over a broad temperature range (-40 degrees Celsius to +65 degrees Celsius), operate reliably through a million or more charge/discharge cycles and resist shock and vibration. 

Lithium iron phosphate battery manufacturer A123 Systems is suing Apple Inc. for alledgedly poaching five key members of its staff.

A123 has accused five former employees of violating Invention, Non-Disclosure, Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation agreements in the lawsuit filed in Massachusetts state court on February 13.