Energy Storage

Polestar will provide battery and charging systems for Candela's highly efficient flying boats. The battery deal will enable Candela to scale up production swiftly, bringing mass-market electric boats one step closer to reality.

The current iteration of Li-ion batteries, which are based on graphite anodes, liquid electrolytes, and cathode materials such as NMC and LFP, are generally considered to be reaching their performance limits. However, from cell materials to battery designs, there are still several routes that can lead to further improvements in performance and cost.

A bit of brushing may be the secret to making better rechargeable lithium batteries. Researchers have introduced a technique to tune the surface of anodes for batteries by simply brushing powders into them. The powder adheres to the anode and becomes a thin, lithiated coating that effectively prevents the formation of damaging dendrites.

Forecasts taken from IDTechEx report "Thin Film & Flexible Photovoltaics 2023-2033"

Imagine being able to generate electricity by harnessing moisture in the air around you with just everyday items like sea salt and a piece of fabric, or even powering everyday electronics with a non-toxic battery that is as thin as paper. A team of researchers has developed a new moisture-driven electricity generation device made of a thin layer of fabric - about 0.3 millimetres in thickness - sea salt, carbon ink, and a special water-absorbing gel.

Whilst battery electric trucks are already capable of delivering many urban and regional duty cycles, the energy density of current Li-ion battery technologies means that long-haul applications (> 400km), which require significant daily mileage, are very difficult to deliver with a BEV truck, due to the weight, volume, and cost of required batteries. Fuel cell electric trucks which use hydrogen, stored at high pressure (commonly 350 bar) in tanks on the vehicle, as a source of fuel to generate electricity offer an alternative zero-emission solution which can deliver long-haul range.

With increasing scrutiny of the environmental impact of current building practices, the electrification of mobile construction machinery offers construction companies a relatively near-term opportunity to demonstrate their environmental credentials.

Schunk is a German-based company, manufacturing components for high-tech products from carbon, ceramics, and metal. IDTechEx spoke with Jens Voellner (Business Development Manager) with regards to bipolar plates for fuel cells.

While 2022 continues to add to the challenges electric vehicle (EV) makers face, markets are still growing. Indeed, electric car sales for the first half of 2022 reached ~3.5 million, according to IDTechEx research.

ESS Inc announced a strategic partnership with Energy Storage Industries Asia Pacific to distribute and manufacture iron flow batteries utilizing ESS technology in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania to meet rapidly growing demand for long-duration energy storage in the region.

FlexFarming is a UK-based vertical farming company that has developed a unique 'farm-as-a-battery '(FAB) concept.

E-magy and ZSW demonstrated a less than 1% battery cell expansion for the first time in a silicon-dominant lithium-ion battery. With the company's unique nano-porous silicon, batteries are made with only silicon as the active anode material, boosting the energy that can be stored in a single battery.

Researchers have developed a new method to improve solid-state hydrogen fuel cell charging times. Hydrogen is gaining significant attention as an efficient way to store 'green energy' from renewables such as wind and solar. Compressed gas is the most common form of hydrogen storage, however it can also be stored in a liquid or solid state.

FREYR Battery announced the establishment of a technology resources campus and business unit in Japan. The new business unit is the company's first physical location in Asia and will focus on efforts to facilitate and scale-up FREYR's testing and development of the 24M Technologies battery platform.

GenCell Energy is entering a market cooperation with Milani S.p.A.. The partners have joined forces to maximize market penetration of GenCell's zero-emission hydrogen-to-power and ammonia-to-power alkaline fuel cell technologies to power critical applications in C&I buildings throughout Italy and across Europe.

Eaton are a global power management company, providing products and services in electrical, aerospace, hydraulic, and vehicle sectors.

IDTechEx attended The Battery Show, one of the biggest conferences and exhibits for companies working in anything battery related. The conference and exhibition was held live in Stuttgart, Germany from 28th-30th June 2022. This premium article provides an overview of some of the key thermal management materials being presented at the exhibition. This includes thermal interface materials, gap fillers, insulative foams, aerogels, and fire suppression technologies.

Researchers have created a new type of flow battery that is predicated upon a composite material that they invented, which is a nanofluid where the nanoparticles are battery-active materials, that they called nanoelectrofuel.

Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas warming Earth and is emitted in large quantities in the flue gas from industrial and power plants. A new method for removing CO2 from these flue gases involves piping the emissions through a porous material based on the chemical melamine. DETA, a chemical bound inside the porous melamine, grabs CO2 and removes it from the gas, with nitrogen vented to the atmosphere.

Senec GmbH offers a coordinated ecosystem of solar systems, power storage, cloud solutions, and wallboxes.