This is the biggest battery breakthrough ever

[Geriatrix]

http://www.grist.org/list/2011-06-08-no-joke-this-is-the-biggest-battery-breakthrough-ever

A pioneer in battery research who already successfully launched a $350 million company to supply batteries to the likes of GE and Chrysler has done it again -- only this time, "it" represents the complete reinvention of battery technology as we know it.

This technology is in the research phase, but if it can be cost-effectively brought to market -- and there's every reason to believe that it could be -- it could revolutionize the way we store and transport energy, in the process fully replacing fossil fuels and especially oil.

The key to this new technology is that the metals that would normally be solids in a conventional battery have been broken into nano-size particles that are suspended in a liquid. The batteries, known as "semi-solid flow cells," store their power in a black gunk that looks like motor oil, which has earned it the nickname "Cambridge Crude." Because charge is stored in this liquid, it would be possible to "fuel up" an electric car with charged liquid electrolyte, just like fueling up at a conventional gas pump.

This could eliminate one of the primary issues with turning electric cars into true analogues for the modern automobile -- namely, that transferring energy into them takes significantly more time than the comparable process of filling a car up with gasoline.

A second knock against electric vehicles is that their batteries are less energy-dense, and therefore heavier, than an equivalent amount of gasoline. But the new semi-solid batteries could be up to twice as energy-dense as conventional lithium-ion batteries, which means that car manufacturers could get twice the range out of the same battery mass, or go for a lighter vehicle overall.

The batteries could also be constructed at lower cost than conventional ones, which makes them suitable for giant, grid-scale applications like storing power from intermittent renewables.

So, just to sum up: This discovery represents cheap, energy-dense liquid batteries that could make renewable power cheaper and electric cars truly competitive. And did we mention they can also be charged like conventional batteries? If they fail to name their first viable prototype Magic Unicorn, they're missing out.

 

[Bobbin]

Yet another tech we will never hear about again.

 

[Bern]

Which oil company buys this?

Yet another tech we will never hear about again.

I don't think it will NEVER be heard of again <puts conspiracy tinfoil hat on> I think there is a good possibility some of the large oil companies buy this research and actively work on it, but keep it secret. That way they can delay these technologies until the oil gets to an unsustainable price level. Then they can "suddenly" whip out the next best thing in clean, renewable energy they have "spent years working on" and claim they have made a recent breakthrough.

If I had an oil company I would definitely be spending as much of my profits on renewable R&D as possible so when the reserves do start running a bit too low I could blow away the other main companies with my cheap new energy tech.

 

[scotty777]

Yet another tech we will never hear about again.

The thing is, all the car companies need people to buy cars, and oil. As more and more people opt for electric, and hopefully this stuff too, then companies that support the movement will be laughing all the way to the bank .

 

[Bobbin]

I don't think it will NEVER be heard of again <puts conspiracy tinfoil hat on> I think there is a good possibility some of the large oil companies buy this research and actively work on it, but keep it secret. That way they can delay these technologies until the oil gets to an unsustainable price level. Then they can "suddenly" whip out the next best thing in clean, renewable energy they have "spent years working on" and claim they have made a recent breakthrough.

If I had an oil company I would definitely be spending as much of my profits on renewable R&D as possible so when the reserves do start running a bit too low I could blow away the other main companies with my cheap new energy tech.

Ye and I hardly doubt it isn't a conspiracy, just good business really.

 

[Creag]

I don't think it will NEVER be heard of again <puts conspiracy tinfoil hat on> I think there is a good possibility some of the large oil companies buy this research and actively work on it, but keep it secret. That way they can delay these technologies until the oil gets to an unsustainable price level. Then they can "suddenly" whip out the next best thing in clean, renewable energy they have "spent years working on" and claim they have made a recent breakthrough.

If I had an oil company I would definitely be spending as much of my profits on renewable R&D as possible so when the reserves do start running a bit too low I could blow away the other main companies with my cheap new energy tech.

Not sure I'd call that conspiracy. I think it's probably very closely aligned to the truth. It will be patented, double, triple and quadruple patented to ensure it never sees the light of day. Bury it in a bunker 10 kilometres down and detonate a nuclear bomb right on top of it. Fill the crater with a reinforced concrete mixture infused with titanium. Cover the final cavity of 500 metres with earth and erect a religious shrine or place of worship on top it. No one will be allowed to go there! Etcetera! Etcetera! Etcetera!

The bottom line is that profits will be ripped to shreds by any new technology which will undermine their product. And it's not too dissimilar to a mobile phone operator's zealous overprotection of the notorious interconnect fee.

 

[BobsLawnService]

Or instead of conspiracy theories maybe it won't go into mainsteam usage because the infrastructure to distribute the stuff doesn't exist and won't until a critical mass of people adopting the technology is reached. It's a catch 22 situation.

 

[grok]

Wonder what it's made of? It needs to consist of cheap sustainable raw materials else we'll just have the oil crisis again.

 

[Palimino]

It will be patented, double, triple and quadruple patented to ensure it never sees the light of day. Bury it in a bunker 10 kilometres down and detonate a nuclear bomb right on top of it. Fill the crater with a reinforced concrete mixture infused with titanium. Cover the final cavity of 500 metres with earth and erect a religious shrine or place of worship on top it. No one will be allowed to go there! Etcetera! Etcetera! Etcetera!

I want to agree, but I think the risks in that action are too great. The research and the ‘breakthrough’ could be duplicated by another company (they know the tech. exists – they are not working blind). Everything is lost!

As well, too much faith rests in the American patent system (already under threat). If China or a country that does not respect the patent system (stupid IMO) does the research, patents will be irrelevant. I would venture that ANY country would not respect patent rights for something this big. It would be brought to market and exploited as soon as possible. ‘Big Oil’ interests will try to sabotage it. Oil investments (mainly WASPS) will be unloaded. There are oil companies and much wealth, profit, power and lifestyles involved. The fight will be vicious.

 

[Palimino]

There are oil companies and much wealth, profit, power and lifestyles involved. The fight will be vicious.

I forgot to mention all the countries with a monocrop economy – OIL – and they have got very rich from it. Overwhelmingly, they employ expatriate workers so their citizens are not trained, they can’t do anything themselves. They will disappear into a sand dune without oil. They know this and will join the fight on the pro-oil side. Prize-winning camels are not sufficient. Air conditioned structures are preferred to tents. Oil wealth has spoilt them.

 

[Bern]

renewable

Wonder what it's made of? It needs to consist of cheap sustainable raw materials else we'll just have the oil crisis again.

Wonder what it's made of? It needs to consist of cheap sustainable raw materials else we'll just have the oil crisis again.

Solar would be the biggest contender, I mean if Germany can top the world stakes at close to 10 000MW with the limited sunlight they get the rest of us don't really have an excuse. I think sometimes the cost of renewables is overstated, yes there is a cost to produce the equipment, but the energy for manufacture can be sourced from the renewable plants reducing the footprint and unlike coal/oil/etc once the system is built there are minimal wastes produced.

Those new batteries can be used to store the power

 

[K3NS31]

Thanks for that info

 

[scotty777]

Wonder what it's made of? It needs to consist of cheap sustainable raw materials else we'll just have the oil crisis again.

Why? They basically just have to make the stuff, and then basically recharge it... There's no overheads like when it's burned, it's gone. If they make x-amount, there will still be x -amount, just it needs a quick charge, which can be done at other places... Like you can have large solar farms in the Kalahari, which just keep charging the stuff, then sell it to 'petrol' stations. The biggest problem with this stuff is the fact that it's open to new companies coming along, the big oil companies will have to compete directly.

 

[hawker]

It sounds like it could work in theory, very interesting stuff!

 

[Palimino]

They basically just have to make the stuff, and then basically recharge it... There's no overheads like when it's burned, it's gone. If they make x-amount, there will still be x -amount, just it needs a quick charge, which can be done at other places... Like you can have large solar farms in the Kalahari, which just keep charging the stuff, then sell it to 'petrol' stations. The biggest problem with this stuff is the fact that it's open to new companies coming along, the big oil companies will have to compete directly.

Because it’s not burnt (thus gone) but just discharged, I would venture that ‘battery stuff packs’ would simply be exchanged for a charged one. In that case, there is very little difference with a light, super-efficient, solid battery that can be recharged. The only difference is if it was substantially lighter. The benefit of it is if the existing infrastructure could be used (garages) and it can be ‘pumped’. If it doesn’t disappear (like petrol) there is no particular advantage that I can see.

Still a good idea though.

 

[Picard]

Yet another tech we will never hear about again.

I believe this is too good to be true.

or

It will take about 50 years before the economics of this technology make it commonplace.

 

[SaiyanZ]

They still need to recharge the battery. Power will need to be generated by some means in order to charge it.

 

[mikeyb]

They still need to recharge the battery. Power will need to be generated by some means in order to charge it.

I'm pretty sure people on here know how batteries work

 

[hawker]

They still need to recharge the battery. Power will need to be generated by some means in order to charge it.

If they didn't, they would've found limitless energy and that would be mind blowing/answer to all of the worlds problems/profitable.

 

[Bobbin]

Well I was watching "The Future Of..." where they were demonstrating a new sort of bubble-wrap like material you could just roll out and it would absorb the sun's energy better than solar panels because they invented/manufactured it very closely based on the photosynthesis process of plants.

Apparently is was also pretty cheap to make.

I still have yet to see people clambering on their roof all around the neigbourhood rolling out bubble wrap stuff

I dunno, call me pessimistic about new tech even though I work in IT.