Energy Storage

Previously, the village only had access to electricity for 4 hours a day, but withl a solar energy supply and storage system the quality of life for the 750 inhabitants of Vila Restauração in the Amazon has improved considerably, having transitioned from a mere 4 hours of electricity a day to an uninterrupted supply.

This premium article will introduce the suite of cathode materials commercially available and the next-generation materials being developed. It also highlights the impact price increases to raw materials could have on cell and battery costs and prices, underpinning many of the strategies regarding cathode development and choices.

IDTechEx attended the Future Propulsion Conference in Birmingham, UK, a two day conference held on the 2nd and 3rd March 2022. The event was co-hosted by AVL Powertrain UK and Imperial College London, bringing together industry and academic experts within the powertrain development field. This article presents highlights from the conference presentations. Conference speakers included Ballard Motive Systems, Changan UK, CNH Industrial, Leyland Trucks, JCB, FEV, Cummins, and Ricardo.

StoreDot has secured a multi-million-dollar investment from Ola Electric. Ola Electric is planning to incorporate and manufacture StoreDot's fast charging battery technologies for future vehicles in India.

Researchers uncover new avenue for overcoming the performance decline that occurs with repeated charge-discharge cycling in the cathodes of next generation batteries.

Viridi Parente, based in Buffalo in the US, is a green tech company developing electric powertrains for compact construction machines through its Green Machine brand, and lithium-ion battery stationary energy storage through its Volta Energy brand. IDTechEx spoke with Viridi Parente CEO Jon M. Williams to find out more about the company's efforts to bring renewable energy solutions to the construction market.

Charging speeds for electric vehicles (EVs) vary, from as little as 15 minutes using an ultra-rapid 350 kW charger, to as much as 24 hours when relying on a domestic wall outlet. Eventually, we could reach a point where recharging barely takes longer than filling up with fuel.

Researchers have found a way to prevent electrical malfunctions in yarns designed to store electrical energy. Ultimately, the findings could help advance the development of "smart textiles" that would capture energy from the wearer's movements and power sensors and wearable electronics.

Altris specialises in producing a highly sustainable cathode material for rechargeable sodium-ion batteries. The company is driven by the idea that safer, more environmentally friendly and affordable batteries are vital in order to realise a truly sustainable future.

Research has led to the discovery that quantum technologies may promise new mechanisms to charge batteries at a faster rate.

The intermittent supply of green electricity requires large-scale storage to keep our power grids stable. Since normal batteries do not scale very well, the idea of using flow batteries, which store electricity in a fluid is attractive. However, these batteries contain rare metals and are expensive. Scientists have designed a flow battery electrolyte that may solve both problems.

Suzuki Motor Corporation is to investapproximately 150 billion yen (approximately 104.4 billion rupees) for local manufacturing of electric vehicles and battery electric vehicle batteries.

With cities around the world looking to transition their bus fleets to zero emission technologies, this article looks at the role of fuel cell buses. Battery electric buses are already being widely adopted and are demonstrating their ability to deliver cost effective operations, meeting the performance requirements of short city bus routes. However, hydrogen fuel cells buses are seeing increasing interest as a way to deliver more arduous bus schedules.

The revolutionary promise of nanocarbons has been touted for more than 3 decades, but despite the extraordinary properties and commercial hype, the success has been limited - until now. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may not be as glamorous as their younger sibling graphene, but IDTechEx forecast the annual demand to exceed 70 ktpa by 2032 as for the first time the manufacturers experience a mass-market pull rather than a material push.

Circulor announces a comprehensive partnership with Rock Tech Lithium and Fraunhofer UMSICHT to ensure the production of German-made lithium hydroxide with the lowest possible environmental impact.

Envision AESC announces a new partnership with Mercedes-Benz as the luxury automotive brand gets ready to go all electric. Under the new agreement, Envision AESC will supply high-performance battery cell modules to support end to end production of all-electric Mercedes-EQ vehicles in Alabama.

Fluence announced that the Spanish renewable energy company Gransolar Group's battery division, E22, has signed an agreement with Fluence to deploy the Fluence IQ Bidding Application at its first battery-based energy storage project in Australia - a 5 MW / 7.5 MWh system in Victoria.

SEA Electric continues the push into the zero-emissions school bus space with the piloting of a Blue Bird Type C school bus powered by a SEA-Drive® 120b power-system.

This premium article investigates the instability challenges facing the commercialization of perovskite PV. It provides an overview of how degradation occurs, including both environmental factors and intrinsic material traits. This article also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of stabilising the perovskite film through material engineering and the various external encapsulation methods that are being explored.

Minesto has decided to concentrate this year's operations with its Dragon Class marine energy converters at the established and grid-connected site in Vestmannasund, Faroe Islands. This plan will mitigate supply chain delays and at the same time allow Minesto to take advantage of significant synergies and new opportunities for more cost-effective operations, electricity production under an existing Power Purchase Agreement, and hence a quicker route to commercial roll out.