Energy Storage

Toyota has taken another important step towards a broader hydrogen society by announcing that it will provide its hydrogen fuel cell technology to Caetanobus SA in Portugal.

The pumped hydro system is part of a broader 720 megawatt (MW) project which will also include two solar farms and a wind farm based around the old Kidston gold mine in north Queensland.

IDTechEx attended the Global Power and Energy Exhibition in Barcelona from 17 - 20th September 2018

Masdar, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, will helpthe Public Utilities Corporation in building a five-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant with battery storage in the Republic of Seychelles.

The global electric vehicle population reached 3 million units at the end of 2017, which represents approximately 0.23% of the global vehicle population. Electric vehicle producers have responded to consumer's range anxiety by increasing the available range per charge in their vehicles to more than 200 miles. However ultimately the deployment of electric vehicles will depend on the deployment of ubiquitous chargers.

2018 is regarded as the beginning year for battery recycling as the first batch of batteries are gradually coming out of electric vehicles. Umicore has recently announced their investment plan in ramping up battery recycling capacity in preparation for the boom of spent EV batteries. By 2018, we will already have around 33,000 retired electric vehicle battery packs (including electric passenger cars and buses) which amounts to around 1GWh storage capacity.

Lionrock Batteries Ltd. is developing and manufacturing flexible rechargeable battery technologies to address the rapidly growing and evolving needs for energy storage in new wearables, medical devices and other consumer IoT devices.

Ohara Corp is a Japanese company working on ceramic materials. Together with US-based start-up Polyplus, they have developed a solid ceramic electrolyte for Li-based batteries, which enables lithium metal anodes in next-gen battery technologies.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China has recently announced the pilot program of recycling and second use of retired electric vehicle batteries in 17 major regions and cities. China Tower, the world's biggest operator of telecommunication towers, is included as the only company in the pilot program to develop key technologies, explore business models and help establish standards related to second-life batteries.

The new IDTechEx report, "Airborne Wind Energy 2019-2039" comes just as new generation, zero emission electricity production approaches a tipping point. The new generation addresses the new world of distributed power for minigrids and microgrids and replacement of diesel gensets, so it is mobile with no infrastructure. Installation in one hundredth of the time and making electricity where it is needed without power lines across the horizon: what is there not to like?

Hyundai Motor Group has recently announced a commercial partnership with energy company Wärtsilä to utilize second-life electric vehicle batteries for stationary energy storage at both commercial and utility scales. This is not the first piece of news that automotive companies are trying to give a second life to their retired EV batteries as major EV manufactures including Nissan, Renault, BMW, Daimler, BYD etc. have announced various battery second use projects around the world.

Development of supercapacitors with high energy density and long cycle life using sustainable materials for next-generation applications is of paramount importance. The ongoing challenge is to elevate the energy density of supercapacitors on par with batteries, while upholding the power and cyclability.

Trojan Battery Co LLC, is proud to introduce a fresh, new brand. The new look includes a modern logo, vibrant colors, revised product branding and a new tagline: Charging Forward.

A new type of battery could be made partly from carbon dioxide captured from power plants. Rather than attempting to convert carbon dioxide to specialized chemicals using metal catalysts, which is currently highly challenging, this battery could continuously convert carbon dioxide into a solid mineral carbonate as it discharges.

The end-of-life issue of electric vehicle batteries is a key topic in the sustainability of EVs. By 2029, there will be 3 million used battery packs coming out of EVs per year which amounts to around 108GWh available storage capacity (see the IDTechEx's latest report on Second-life Electric Vehicle Batteries). What will happen to this huge amount of retired car batteries?

The Coradia iLint, built by Alstom in Salzgitter, Germany, is equipped with fuel cells which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, thus eliminating pollutant emissions related to propulsion. From 17 September onwards, two such trains will enter commercial service according to a fixed timetable in Lower Saxony.

The research hub is a collaborative effort between the aeronautics, chemical, civil, design and mechanical engineering as well as chemistry and materials science departments. According to the composites centre, the industry was worth £2bn in 2015 and is expected to reach £12bn by 2030.

Skeleton Technologies is now contracted to supply SkelSart Engine Start Module units on all Brush Traction Porterbrook Bi Mode Unit Class 769 flex prime movers.

Fuel cells hold promise as a clean, renewable source of energy. But keeping them dry has long been a challenge, as they produce water during the process of converting hydrogen and oxygen into electricity.

Key areas discussed and displayed at the LCV event include the battery, powertrain, lightweighting, autonomous driving and electric vehicle charging, from not only the technology but also business model and policy perspectives.