Game changer?

[hardworkingstiff]

Could this be the product we've been waiting for to address the storage problems for solar and wind power generation?

On the other hand, EEStor's system--called an Electrical Energy Storage Unit, or EESU--is based on an ultracapacitor architecture that appears to escape the traditional limitations of such devices. The company has developed a ceramic ultracapacitor with a barium-titanate dielectric, or insulator, that can achieve an exceptionally high specific energy--that is, the amount of energy in a given unit of mass.

For example, the company's system claims a specific energy of about 280 watt hours per kilogram, compared with around 120 watt hours per kilogram for lithium-ion and 32 watt hours per kilogram for lead-acid gel batteries. This leads to new possibilities for electric vehicles and other applications, including for the military.

The article says there is still some concern about leakage. It seems (to me) to be an approach that if refined could be just what we are looking for to make solar and wind viable without so much standby traditional generation.

http://www.technologyreview.com/business/18086/page1/

 

[LarryFine]

So they have a great watt/hours-per-mass ratio. I wonder how the watt/hours-per-dollar ratio compares.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

So they have a great watt/hours-per-mass ratio. I wonder how the watt/hours-per-dollar ratio compares.

That is an important question. Hopefully the technology works so well that mass production will lower the cost significantly.

IMO, one of the roadblocks to the renewable energy path was the current storage technology. A breakthrough in electrical storage is necessary to move renewable energy forward.

 

[physis]

The truth is that the technology is no where near in existance, although there are some seemingly optomistic endeavors with aluminum rather than lead batteries. But still, as mean as it might sound, the reality is, for the time being, this whole green energy thing just isn't real, It's more like a parade of hippies, or, most often anymore, self appointed media pundits,

 

[jrannis]

If you read through the whole article, it seems like they want to use the ultra capacitors to compliment batteries in the immediate future and then, at some point, attempt to replace short distance car batteries.
Maybe the wind up flashlight and radio designers will benefit somehow in the short term.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

If you read through the whole article, it seems like they want to use the ultra capacitors to compliment batteries in the immediate future and then, at some point, attempt to replace short distance car batteries.

I didn't get that the 1st time I read it and I just scanned it again and still didn't see it. I did see where they said:

This is why ultracapacitors, with their ability to release quick jolts of electricity and to absorb this energy just as fast, are ideal today as a complement to batteries or fuel cells in electric-drive vehicles.

I read it in context with the article and understood it to be talking about existing technology. The next paragraph they say:

On the other hand, EEStor's system--called an Electrical Energy Storage Unit, or EESU--is based on an ultracapacitor architecture that appears to escape the traditional limitations of such devices.

I've always been under the impression that the "green" power generation had the storage problem (current battery technology) being a severe head-wind. This looks like a new concept that over the next few years may (or may not) reduce that head-wind.

It's good to see progress in storage technology.

 

[dereckbc]

Granted renewable energy application need a breakthrough in storage technology. I am a huge fan of Electric Vehicles.

I have also read and heard all the PR's from EEStore just like Nanosolar. For now it is vaporware, and the technology does not exist.

There are some semi-supercapacitors on the market but like all capacitors they have one huge problem, they have a 50% charge effeciency, and to store large amounts of energy requires extremely high voltages in the 100 KV range and more. To convert that to say something useful like a 200 VAC 3-phase the components do not exist today, or at least any that can make it safe for consumer use.

More than likely Litium-Ion hold the best promise, as the 4th generation are already in th etesting phase which eliminate many of the problems like high internal resistance, charge/discharge cycles, and battery degration with power to weight ratios of 200 Wh/kg.

Using today's battery tech we already make EV's with a range of 200 to 300 miles between charges, you can buy one today. The problem with them is the life cycle of about 500 charge/discharge cycles, and 20% capacity degration per year requiring the batteries to be replaced every couple of year at $10K per pop. That has to change, and I am confident I will see it happen in my life time.

 

[Jraef]

EEStor has a specific contract to develop a battery system for an EV car manufacturer, ZENN Motors, who has paid for the research in advance (with venture capital from the founder of ZENN). So they are purposely cryptic about the way they discuss automotive applications, because they get flooded with inquiries that they are prohibited from responding to, which makes people believe it's a scam. I have an aquaintance who makes small electric vehicles and has been chomping at the bit to get access to the EEStor capacitor system, only to find that they will not even return his calls.

From everything I have read, the release is forthcoming (2009) and the latest is a speculative interpretation of Lockheed Martin's search for a project manager to run a start-up that appears to be related to EEStor. This blog seems to be the most up-to-date source for the tiny snippets of information that leak out.

http://bariumtitanate.blogspot.com/

But my take is, until I see it, I will remain a skeptic. Bigger scams have been perpetrated, some very recently as a matter of fact. A year ago, the vast majority of people investing with Bernie Madoff thought he was a genius!

 

[physis]

There are some semi-supercapacitors on the market but like all capacitors they have one huge problem, they have a 50% charge effeciency, and to store large amounts of energy requires extremely high voltages in the 100 KV range and more. To convert that to say something useful like a 200 VAC 3-phase the components do not exist today, or at least any that can make it safe for consumer use.

And also, capacitors, especially electrolitic, have a tendancy to be really large, light, but large.

 

[physis]

they are purposely cryptic about the way they discuss automotive applications, because they get flooded with inquiries that they are prohibited from responding to, which makes people believe it's a scam. I have an aquaintance who makes small electric vehicles and has been chomping at the bit to get access to the EEStor capacitor system, only to find that they will not even return his calls.

And for some reason I love the nature of capitalism. I didn't when I was younger and I'm having to seriously reconsider the subject again. especially given the last five years of this supposidly great concept.