Energy Storage

Heating and cooling accounts for approximately 50% of global energy consumption, with 30% of this consumption represented by heating demand from industry. Given that the great majority of industrial heating processes use fossil fuels to generate heat, this has caused industrial heating processes to be responsible for ~25% of global emissions.

Cavern Energy Storage was founded in 2022 and is developing a long duration energy storage (LDES) technology utilizing underground pumped hydro storage in salt domes.

According to IEA's 2023 update to its net zero roadmap, carbon capture technologies, more efficient space cooling equipment, and clean energy transitions are all cornerstones of achieving net zero by 2050 and limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Emerging technologies utilizing metal-organic framework (MOF) materials for carbon capture, refrigerant reclamation, direct lithium extraction, HVAC equipment, and various other chemical separations and purification processes can see the advent of disruptive next-generation technologies that are essential for industrial decarbonization.

Teijin Limited is a Japanese multinational materials and technology group. This company profile covers Teijin's new gas diffusion layer (GDL) product, which is used in hydrogen fuel cells.

The risk of missing out on the competitive advantage quantum computing offers is rising. Governments and private investors worldwide are placing multi-billion-dollar bets that the industry will produce huge long-term returns. Yet, for this to be realized, the theoretical advantage of quantum computers must be translated into real-world commercial value. In this article, IDTechEx explores which applications are being developed today across the materials, chemical, automotive, finance, and healthcare industries.

Saltworks Technologies develops technologies and full-scale systems that treat industrial wastewater and refine lithium into battery-grade products. It has a product range covering chemical, membrane, and thermal technologies, robust sensors, and smart process controls. This profile focuses on Saltworks Technologies' offering in the lithium market.

Thursday 6 June 2024 - Construction, Agriculture and Mining: Specialised Machines Require Specialised Batteries; Machine electrification in different CAM markets; Battery sizing and performance requirements across electric CAM machines; Cycle life requirements across different CAM machines; Upcoming battery technologies and how they fit in with the needs of electric CAM machines

Velocys, a UK-based company, has developed and commercialized microchannel Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reactor technology for converting syngas from biomass and waste feedstocks into synthetic fuels, including advanced biofuels and electro-fuels (e-fuels).

BatteryOne produces and supplies Li-ion batteries for small construction equipment including compaction equipment, rammers, and plates. IDTechEx spoke to BatteryOne at the ERA Convention 2024.

ElectraLith offers an electro-membrane technology for lithium extraction and refining. IDTechEx spoke to José Arredondo, Strategy & Business Development Manager at ElectraLith, and the profile is based on the interview in April 2024.

Maximizing energy density has been one key area of focus in electric vehicle battery development. Optimizations in cell and battery pack designs, alongside the use of higher nickel NMC and NCA cathodes, have led to steady improvement in battery energy density over the past 10-15 years.

Green hydrogen production utilizes four main electrolyzer technologies: alkaline water electrolysis (AWE), proton exchange membrane (PEM), anion exchange membrane (AEM), and solid oxide electrolyzers (SOEC). Each technology has its own operational principles, performance characteristics, and commercial maturity.

Getech Group is a geological surveying, geospatial software, and geoscience data company. IDTechEx spoke to Getech at Innovation Zero 2024. This company profile focuses on Getech's activities in natural hydrogen as well as green hydrogen.

Ensurge Micropower ASA is a Norwegian startup with facilities in San Jose, California. It produces solid-state lithium microbatteries for use in IoT, wearables and healthcare. IDTechEx interviewed CEO Lars Eikland.

Construction, agriculture, and mining (CAM) machine OEMs have recently started their electrification journey. Over the next 10 years, IDTechEx predicts strong growth in this market, driven by the falling price of batteries and the total cost of ownership benefits that electric machines provide. As such, a new battery market will be created, one that IDTechEx's new "Battery Markets in Construction, Agriculture & Mining Machines 2024-2034" report finds will grow to a value of US$7.8 billion at a 10-year CAGR of 27.1% and with an annual demand of more than 50GWh in 2034.

Forecasts from the IDTechEx Research report "Electric and Fuel Cell Buses 2025-2045: Markets, Players, Technologies and Forecasts"

This premium article will analyse the impact price fluctuations in raw materials (lithium, cobalt, nickel) have had on Li-ion cathode prices and cell costs.

This premium article introduces lithium in different natural forms and provides an overview of the current practices to mine and extract lithium from natural resources.

OXCCU (OxCCU Tech Ltd) is a UK-based start-up, spun out from the University of Oxford. The company has developed a proprietary catalyst able to convert captured CO₂ and hydrogen into hydrocarbons in the jet fuel range. IDTechEx spoke to OXCCU at Innovation Zero 2024 in London, UK.

HyProMag are a spin-out from the University of Birmingham, founded in 2018 and commercializing short-loop NdFeB magnet recycling. HyProMag use patented hydrogen-processing technology to separate valuable rare-earth alloys as powders from waste material, which they subsequently reprocess to form new NdFeB magnets. IDTechEx spoke with Dr Robert Arnold, Director of HyProMag, at the Materials Research Exchange 2024 conference in London, UK.