Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post Reply
weatheriscool
Posts: 12946
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Development of stretchable and printable free-form lithium-ion batteries
https://techxplore.com/news/2022-03-str ... eries.html
by National Research Council of Science & Technology
A Korean research team has developed a soft, mechanically deformable, and stretchable lithium battery that can be used in the development of wearable devices, and examined the battery's feasibility by printing them on clothing surfaces. The research team, led by Dr. Jeong Gon Son from the Soft Hybrid Materials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST; President: Seok-Jin Yoon), announced that they had developed a lithium battery wherein all of the materials, including the anode, cathode, current collector, electrolytes, and encapsulant, are stretchable and printable. The lithium battery developed by the team possesses high capacity and free-form characteristics suitable for mechanical deformation.

Owing to the rapidly increasing demand for high-performance wearable devices—such as smart bands, implantable electronic devices such as pace-makers, and soft wearable devices for use in the realistic metaverse—the development of a battery that is soft and stretchable like the human skin and organs has been attracting interest.

The hard, inorganic electrode of a conventional battery comprises the majority of the battery's volume, making it difficult to stretch. Other components, such as the separator and the current collector for drawing and transferring charges, must also be stretchable, and the liquid electrolyte leakage issue must also be resolved.
yves386
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2022 4:27 pm

Re: Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post by yves386 »

have some questions about solar-to-electric energy that pertain to some statements one of my county commissioners made recently. Evidently there is some kind of rush to get some of our gov't buildings solar powered.
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post by caltrek »

Part of Biden's Answer to Higher Gas Prices is to Boost U.S. Battery Production
by Rebecca Bellan
March 31, 2022

https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/31/biden ... materials/

Extract:
(TechCrunch) President Joe Biden will trigger the Defense Production Act to secure U.S. sources of critical minerals and materials like lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and manganese that are used to make batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage.

The Defense Production Act allows the president to direct private companies to prioritize orders from the federal government, to allocate materials for national defense and take actions to restrict hoarding of needed supplies. Because Biden is calling for a boost in domestic production, his administration might offer loans to American companies that mine and process battery materials, make purchases or even allow companies to coordinate with each other, which in other circumstances might be an antitrust issue.

“The Defense Production Act could provide capital for exploration, mining, processing and production of lithium and other minerals for electric vehicles and stationary grid storage batteries to help strengthen the foundation for a transition to cleaner energy use in the U.S.,” Kelli Hopp-Michlosky, who heads up communications at U.S. chemical manufacturing company Albemarle, told TechCrunch.

Albemarle recently started to assess a potential restart of lithium extraction at its Kings Mountain site, according to Hopp-Michlosky, who also noted the company is open to working with the U.S. government on projects using its Silver Peak, Nevada and Kings Mountain, North Carolina resources.

Even though “the Department of Defense will implement this authority using strong environmental, labor, community and tribal consultation standards,” some climate activists worry that rushing production of precious minerals via extraction processes will bring about the next gold rush that will ultimately lead to more environmental degradation.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
Posts: 12946
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

'Freeze-thaw battery' is adept at preserving its own energy
https://techxplore.com/news/2022-04-fre ... nergy.html
by Tom Rickey, Pnnl, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Scientists have created a battery designed for the electric grid that locks in energy for months without losing much storage capacity.

The development of the "freeze-thaw battery," which freezes its energy for use later, is a step toward batteries that can be used for seasonal storage: saving energy in one season, such as the spring, and spending it in another, like autumn.

The prototype is small, about the size of a hockey puck. But the potential usefulness of the science behind the device is vast, foretelling a time when energy from intermittent sources, like sunshine and wind, can be stored for a long time. The work by scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was published online March 23 in Cell Reports Physical Science.

"Longer-duration energy storage technologies are important for increasing the resilience of the grid when incorporating a large amount of renewable energy," said Imre Gyuk, director of Energy Storage at DOE's Office of Electricity, which funded the work. "This research marks an important step toward a seasonal battery storage solution that overcomes the self-discharge limitations of today's battery technologies."
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post by caltrek »

Federal Probe of Battery Fires Ups Pressure on Electric Car Industry
by Alexandra Jones
April 5, 2022

https://www.courthousenews.com/federal- ... -industry/

Introduction:
(Courthouse News) — After five automakers announced battery recalls for their fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles, the U.S. government said it is stepping in as well to determine whether cars powered by high-voltage devices are at more risk than others of going up in flames.

The investigation opened Friday, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which says it will write to the battery giant LG Energy Solution and “ensure thorough safety recalls are conducted where appropriate.”

South Korea-based LG is estimated to have roughly 138,000 batteries in automobiles across the country across various makers. General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Stellantis and Volkswagen are named in the document as having issued recalls with the devices in the last two years.

Against startling headlines and a dearth of data from a nascent industry, though, the insurance industry’s Highway Loss Data Institute reported in April 2021 that its small sample study showed comparable scores for electric vehicles and gas-run vehicles in the number of non-crash fire claims they see per 1,000 insured vehicle years.

The study focused on fires “that happen not because of a crash but rather when vehicles are sitting still in garages or driveways or parking lots,” explained Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, noting these happen in conventional and electric vehicles alike.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
Yuli Ban
Posts: 4631
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 4:44 pm

Re: Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post by Yuli Ban »

US scientists have developed a battery that can retain 92% of its initial capacity over periods of 12 weeks, with a theoretical energy density of 260 W/hour per kg. It was built with an aluminum anode and a nickel cathode, immersed in molten-salt electrolyte.
Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed an aluminum-nickel (Al-Ni) molten salt battery that, under thermal cycling, exhibits high retention of cell capacity over periods of weeks.

The scientists described the small prototype as a “freeze-thaw battery” that cuts off the self-charge function when a battery is idling. “It’s a lot like growing food in your garden in the spring, putting the extra in a container in your freezer, and then thawing it out for dinner in the winter,” explained researcher Minyuan Miller Li.

The battery is charged by heating it to around 180 C, with its ions flowing through the liquid electrolyte. The device is then restored to room temperature and the electrolyte becomes solid, thus trapping the ions that transport the stored energy.


A big battery breakthrough to go with it all!
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
weatheriscool
Posts: 12946
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

A 4 V-class metal-free organic lithium-ion battery gets closer to reality
https://phys.org/news/2022-04-v-class-m ... loser.html
by Tohoku University

A joint research team from Tohoku University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has made a significant advancement towards high-voltage metal-free lithium-ion batteries that use a small organic molecule—croconic acid. The breakthrough moves us closer to realizing metal-free, high-energy, and inexpensive lithium-ion batteries.

Unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries, which depend on rare-earth materials such as cobalt and lithium, organic batteries exploit naturally abundant elements such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. In addition, organic batteries have greater theoretical capacities than conventional lithium-ion batteries because their use of organic materials renders them lightweight. Most reported organic batteries to date, however, possess a relatively low (1–3V) working voltage. Increasing organic batteries' voltage will lead to higher energy density batteries.
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post by caltrek »

How to Build a Better Battery
by Rebecca Heilweil
April 18, 2022

https://www.vox.com/recode/23027110/sol ... la-gm-ford

Introduction:
(Vox) A relatively straightforward way to build a better battery involves incorporating different materials into the conventional lithium-ion technology. New materials come with their own benefits and drawbacks, and some combinations might be better for electric vehicles than others.

One of these combinations is called a lithium iron phosphate battery, which incorporates lower-cost materials into the battery’s cathode. While these batteries can’t pack in quite as much energy as other lithium-ion batteries, they allow automakers to build more batteries for less money and, thus, offer more EVs at a lower price. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are already widely used in China, and Tesla announced last fall that it would start using this chemistry in its standard-range vehicles.

As its name implies, a solid-state battery uses a solid electrolyte instead of the traditional electrolyte. This solid material isn’t one giant block, but rather a layer of material like glass or ceramic. Solid electrolytes are more compact, which means that solid-state batteries can be smaller and store more energy. Another benefit is that solid electrolytes aren’t as flammable as traditional lithium-ion batteries, and also don’t require the same cooling infrastructure.

Eventually, lithium-ion batteries may not look like batteries at all. They might just become a part of what they’re powering. That’s the idea behind structural batteries, which would have a battery double as another part of a vehicle, like the body of a car or the fuselage of a plane.

This could address a fundamental challenge with batteries, which is that they’re incredibly large and heavy. Allowing a vehicle part to also serve as an energy source could, theoretically, cut down on an EV’s overall size. It would also mean, potentially, using fewer raw materials overall.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
Yuli Ban
Posts: 4631
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 4:44 pm

Re: Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post by Yuli Ban »

How an accidental discovery made this year could change the world
Scientists have discovered a chemical phase of sulfur that stops battery degradation. They were so shocked by the discovery that they checked 100 times to ensure the result was real. As with most accidental discoveries, the scientists haven’t yet figured out what is actually happening. So further research is needed. If successful, lithium-sulfur batteries could give electric vehicles a range of thousands of miles.
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Post by caltrek »

Future Chevy Corvette EV Will Use Battery's Heat to Extend Its Range
by Jaclyn Trop
April 25, 2022

https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/25/futur ... its-range/

Introduction:
(TechCrunch) It’s official: a fully electric Chevy Corvette is coming — with new battery technology to boost its range, acceleration and efficiency.

When it arrives, the battery-electric sports car will benefit from a new energy-recovery feature GM announced on Monday for the Ultium battery platform underpinning its EVs. The upgraded system uses a patented heat pump that GM says will help electric vehicles charge and accelerate faster and boost range by up to 10%.

General Motors will release a hybridized version of its iconic Chevrolet Corvette sports car next year, with a battery-electric model to follow, General Motors President Mark Reuss announced Monday on LinkedIn.

“Yes, in addition to the amazing new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and other gas-powered variants coming, we will offer an electrified and a fully electric, Ultium-based Corvette in the future,” Reuss posted on LinkedIn. “In fact, we will offer an electrified Corvette as early as next year. Details and names to come at a later date.”

The new Ultium energy recovery system already powers the automaker’s Hummer EV and Bright Drop EV600 commercial van and will be used in forthcoming all-electric models, including the Hummer SUV and Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and Blazer SUV.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
Post Reply