Big investments in lithium-ion battery manufacturing plants won’t significantly reduce the cost of making batteries, a revised outlook that cautions that sustainable growth in electric vehicle sales will happen later rather than sooner. For General Motors, that means the $40,000 Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in electric vehicle powered by a 435-pound lithium-ion battery pack, could stay Continue reading →
Massachusetts-based A123 Systems for the second time in a month announced plans to provide its advanced nanophosphate lithium ion batteries to help stabilize Maui’s power grid as fluctuating clean energy sources – and expensive renewable energy experiments and projects – become more common. via Battery system aims to offer stable clean energy – Mauinews.com | Continue reading →
Throughout the U.S. and in many parts of the world, there is a significant delta between energy consumed during on peak times and off peak times. Because there has traditionally been no effective way to store electricity, it must be generated, distributed and used in sync in real time. Upgrades to the generation and distribution Continue reading →
The EV battery market is a very crowded place these days and becoming more so as competitors, drawn by the hype and buzz surrounding EVs, jump in. Lux Research says all of those companies can’t possibly survive and that strong partnerships are going to be crucial for success. In a new report, Using Partnerships to Continue reading →
The company that helped bring the lithium ion battery to life is expanding its wings. Sony said this month that it will produce lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles and start selling them by the middle of the decade. via Sony to Enter EV Battery Market : Greentech Media.
Saft, a dealer in high technology batteries, has announced that its Saft (News – Alert) Li-ion or “lithium-ion” battery technology is providing the energy storage at the heart of ABB’s new SVC Light concept. This concept will be a key element in the creation of a Smart Grid that can handle significantly increased levels of renewable Continue reading →
Last week, GE Transportation introduced its battery for Smart Grid storage – a sodium halide battery dubbed Durathon, which boasts a cycle life of up to 20 years. Additionally, the company announced a manufacturing plant for the battery in Schenectady, NY, along with a $150 million investment in advanced development of the battery. GE Transportation Continue reading →
GE Energy Storage Technologies (NYSE: GE), a unit of GE Transportation recently unveiled its Durathon battery technology for utility companies. GE says the sodium-based can have an operable life of up to 20 years, providing an alternative to costly new power generation. via GE, Saft Announce Utility-Scale Battery Offerings.
“BYD stands for ‘Build Your Dreams,’” Wang Chuanfu, the company's founder and chairman, said at a press conference at which Los Angeles and regional dignitaries, aides and guests outnumbered reporters by at least 20-to-1. “This is a green dream,” Mr. Wang said in English. Switching to Mandarin, he said, “BYD has three dreams. The first Continue reading →
We usually think of fossil fuels as energy sources. Fuels of all kinds are not sources of energy, but actually are storage devices for energy. Think of them as a kind of battery. This may, at first, seem like a very small distinction without a difference. via Energy from a different perspective.
Now that Electric Transmission Texas, LLC (ETT) has activated the largest utility-scale battery in the United States, it seems the aphorism “everything’s bigger in Texas” has been extended beyond steaks and steer to include the improvement of transmission reliability and smart grid usage. The 4-megawatt NAS sodium-sulfur battery was energized on March 31 to the Continue reading →
Xtreme Power has been pulling the veil away from its decades-old energy storage technology over the past six months or so, getting attention for claims of a “chemical capacitor” that can beat lithium ion batteries in terms of energy storage, efficiency, cycle life and cost. Now the Kyle, Texas-based startup has a big contract to Continue reading →
Intel researchers are exploring nanoscale materials as an alternative to create ultracapacitors with a greater energy density than today’s Li-ion batteries. If successful, the new materials could be mass produced in volumes to power systems ranging from mobile devices to electric vehicles—even smart grid storage units. via Intel explores Li-ion battery alternatives.
The electric grid is a complex machine that has been developed since its inception to become more and more reliable. One way utilities have been able to uphold this standard is by getting energy from power plants that churn out a consistent and predictable level of electricity. However, emerging renewable energy technologies do not. Sometimes Continue reading →
mPhase Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:XDSL) participated on the Thought Leadership Panel at the Smart Grid Implementation Summit last Wednesday, August 19 along with General Electric, Intel, and Deloitte. The discussion highlighted key developments in energy storage technology and the importance of batteries in smart grid architecture. mPhase described its Smart NanoBattery and applications that could enhance Continue reading →
mPhase Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:XDSL) has accepted an invitation to participate on the Thought Leadership Panel at the Smart Grid Implementation Summit on August 19 in Washington, D.C. at 8:15 AM. mPhase will use this opportunity to introduce the benefits and applications of the Smart NanoBattery as it relates to smart grid technology. In particular, extending Continue reading →
The U.S. green technology sector, which suffered a drop in funding early this year, is seeing renewed interest with venture dollars flowing in once again to promising startups and some companies looking to resurrect public offerings that had been set aside. Investment is seen shifting from capital-intensive energy generating technologies, such as solar and wind, Continue reading →
In August of last year I wrote an article titled “Grid-based Energy Storage: Birth of a Giant.” Over the last 12 months I’ve written a series of follow-on articles that discuss the principal classes of manufactured energy storage devices and the companies that are making or planning to make products for smart grid energy storage Continue reading →
Beacon Power Corp. in the USA recently completed connection of a second megawatt of flywheel energy storage to the New England power grid. The new system provides frequency regulation services. Operators of power grids need to maintain electric frequency very close to 60 hertz (Hz), or cycles per second (50 Hz in Europe and elsewhere). Continue reading →
by Martin LaMonica WASHINGTON–Where you see an electric car, your utility sees a battery on wheels. Forward-looking utilities are gearing up to tap into the stored energy that plug-in electric vehicles can provide using smart-grid technology, said industry executives at consulting firm Kema’s Utility of the Future conference here this week. Car batteries can provide Continue reading →
