IDTechEx

Work Starts on Second UK Project Using Tesla Megapack Battery

The 34 MW / 68 MWh Contego project near Burgess Hill in West Sussex, United Kingdom, will be one of the largest battery energy storage developments in the UK, with a system of 28 Tesla Megapack lithium-ion batteries, using Tesla's Autobidder AI software for real-time trading and control. Due to be completed in June 2021 and operational soon after, it is part of a strategic energy storage pipeline to be launched globally by FRV.

American Battery Solutions

IDTechEx caught up with Dr John Warner, chief customer officer at American Battery Solutions , a US-based Li-ion module and pack manufacturer.

Invinity Energy System

Invinity is an American Vanadium redox flow battery companies, born from the merging of two well-known vanadium flow batteries companies: Avalon battery and Redt

Focused Ultrasound Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Scientists are pursuing focused ultrasound as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. In a new study, Mehta used MRI scans to show what happens when ultrasound waves target a specific area of Alzheimer's patients' brains. The study demonstrates an imaging pattern resulting from the focused ultrasound treatment that could enhance researchers' understanding of brain physiology.

Can A Robot Operate Effectively Underwater?

Researchers find sea stars' shape plays an important role in their ability to withstand dynamic water forces and remain attached to surfaces.

Carbon Capture Technology: A Long Road Ahead

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies are likely to play a key role in the fight against climate change, with the UN estimating that CCUS could mitigate between 1.5 and 6.3 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalents per year by 2050. The world has already taken its steps along this pathway, however, for CCUS to have a meaningful impact on emissions in a timely manner, it will need to scale up hundreds of times compared with today's levels.

Solar Powered Laptops for Students in Madagascar

The project will develop an energy efficient, all in one, solar powered PC, which can be assembled locally. Once the pilot project is complete, the company aims to provide computer access to over 10,000 students in Madagascar every year.

Polycarbonate Solar Roof for Future Mobility

Teijin Limited and Applied Electric Vehicles have developed a polycarbonate solar roof for future mobility applications. The green solution marks another major step toward the companies' shared vision of zero-emission mobility.

Soft and Comfortable E-Textiles

Advances in wearable devices have enabled e-textiles, which fuse lightweight and comfortable textiles with smart electronics, and are garnering attention as the next-generation wearable technology. In particular, fiber electronic devices endowed with electrical properties, while retaining the specific characteristics of textiles, are key elements in manufacturing e-textiles.

Event Summary: innoLAE 2021 (Innovations in Large-Area Electronics)

On 24-25th of February 2021 IDTechEx attended the Innovations in Large Area Electronics (InnoLAE) conference. Conference attendees were a mix of primarily early-stage companies and academics. This premium article divides a selection of the most interesting and/or commercially relevant talks into 4 sections

Dexerials

Dexerials is a Japanese manufacturer of functional materials, for use in electronic devices. Its main product is its anisotropic conductive film (ACF), for use in displays. Thomas Lynch, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, spoke to Tatsuo Nagamatsu and Koichi Hirose, about their work with ACFs.

Weakness is Strength for this Low-Temperature Battery

Nanoengineers have discovered new fundamental insights for developing lithium metal batteries that perform well at ultra-low temperatures; mainly, that the weaker the electrolyte holds on to lithium ions, the better. By using such a weakly binding electrolyte, the researchers developed a lithium metal battery that can be repeatedly recharged at temperatures as low as -60 degrees Celsius—a first in the field.

Extensive Range of Gas Sensing Applications Enabled by AI

Whether at home, in the office or outdoors, we need to be confident that the air around us is clean and safe to breathe - COVID-19 has clearly highlighted the importance of air quality. Due to the particulates, gases and even airborne viruses ubiquitously present in our modern environment, poor air quality has an increasingly negative impact on our health and well-being.

Terahertz Imaging of Graphene Paves the Way to Industrialisation

X-ray scans revolutionised medical treatments by allowing us to see inside humans without surgery. Similarly, terahertz spectroscopy penetrates graphene films allowing scientists to make detailed maps of their electrical quality, without damaging or contaminating the material.

Thermoelectric Perpetual Submarine

In February 2021, The US agency DARPA awarded contracts to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and Martin Defense Group (formerly Navatek) to build demonstration versions of the new Manta Ray unmanned underwater vehicle with an energy-harvesting system to power it indefinitely, allowing the robot submarine to carry out missions lasting months or years without returning to base or refueling.

Work on Sea Wall Begins for Landmark EWP-EDF One Wave Energy Project

Eco Wave Power has officially commenced preparation works for installation of floaters on the sea wall of the Port of Jaffa, Israel.

Controlled Environment Agriculture - The Industry is Growing Up

On February 25th, 2021, IDTechEx Senior Technology Analyst Dr Michael Dent attended "Controlled Environment Agriculture - The Industry is Growing Up", a conference hosted by Agri-TechE focusing on the emerging vertical farming industry. This Premium Article covers some of the main themes from the conference and provides a short introduction to vertical farming.

Join the Upcoming IDTechEx Webinar on Antimicrobial Technology

Wednesday 10 March 2021 - What are the key antimicrobial technologies on the market today?; How do they work? Mechanisms of action for key antimicrobial technologies; Innovations in antimicrobial technologies - what are companies developing?; and more.

Upcoming Webinar: The Road to Zero Emission Commercial Vehicles

Thursday 4 March 2021 - Summary of the current electric light commercial vehicle, electric medium and heavy-duty truck, and electric bus markets, and IDTechEx's outlook for these sectors; The role for battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell electric vehicles; and more.

Remote Healthcare Robots for the Future

Robots that could take on basic healthcare tasks to support the work of doctors and nurses may be the way of the future. Who knows, maybe a medical robot can prescribe your medicine someday? That's the idea behind 3D structural-sensing robots currently being developed.