The University of Texas at Austin says that John Goodenough has died. He did research critical to the development of the lithium-ion battery, which has transformed our daily use of portable devices. When he won the Nobel Prize, at age 97, I asked him if he remembered the first time he ever owned a cellphone or some other device with a lithium-ion battery. He said, "No, I don't remember when because I've never carried one of those things in my pockets," and then he laughed. #battery
"In 2022 #Hawaii hit upon an innovative plan to make up for the shutdown of its last coal plant. State regulators created the Battery Bonus program, which subsidized households to add rooftop #solar and #battery storage.
In exchange, the household feeds electricity back into the grid for two hours sometime between 6 and 8:30 pm, when the sun has gone down and Hawaii needs power."
🆕 blog! “We pay 12p / kWh for electricity - thanks to a smart tariff and battery”
I love my solar panels. But the solar panels don't love the British midwinter. Most of the year, my panels produce more electricity than I can use. But in winter we're lucky if they produce 3kWh per day - and most of the time it is considerab…
"Comprising the newly developed anode and cathode, the assembled full cell forms a high-performance hybrid sodium-ion energy storage device, which crosses the energy density of commercial lithium-ion batteries available in the market. According to researchers, the device exhibits the characteristics of supercapacitors’ power density." #EV#CleanEnergy#Battery https://interestingengineering.com/science/sodium-battery-charged-in-seconds
I have upgradeitis. If something newer and shinier comes out, my stupid monkey-brain compels me to buy it. Seven years ago, we installed a solar battery. It was part of an experimental project which looked at creating a community power-grid, so it came at a subsidised price. As I explained to BBC Click, the 2k…
NASA has developed a breakthrough solid-state battery that uses sulfur and selenium as the cathode material. The battery has a record-breaking energy density of 500 Wh/kg, twice as high as conventional lithium-ion batteries. The battery could enable electric aviation and other applications that require safe, powerful, and lightweight energy storage. #battery#NASA#sulfur
If you're wondering what I do on here... it's mostly shitposting things I find funny.
Amusing musings, strange shower thoughts I don't have in the shower, attempts at humour that are weird and obscure and lots of obscure pop culture, movie, tv and music references that I spend ages crafting for 2 people to like. 😆
There's #BadPicsOfFood mocking those that let food go cold for a pic.
I know it’s Halloween weekend - but this isn’t the kind of scare I was expecting. I’ve just found this very badly inflated battery at the back of a drawer!! Any ideas as the safest way to dispose of a very swollen Lithium Ion cell? #LithiumIonBattery#FireWaitingToHappen#maker#battery#help
You may recall a previous post about the problems at #battery start-up #BritishVolt (backer not completely paid bid price; unpaid wages etc.). Now a former employee has lodged a statutory demand for back pay, which if not paid in the next 21 days will likely trigger bankruptcy proceedings.
Its not a good look for the UK's attempt to be serious about investment in the #greentransition - it needs to me more than a seeming project to merely farm state-support (as many suspected it was!)
For supporters of a #hydrogen#transport economy, its all looking a bit like the Betamax/VHS choice in the 1980s (for this of you old enough to recall the river video system);
I don't see much press about large scale temporary electricity storage projects (I am thinking non chemical battery storage). I know they do exist (at Niagara for instance where overnight water is diverted to a storage lake and used to produce power during the day when demand is higher). Are they happening and I am not hearing about them or are they not feasible (engineering, economically or otherwise)?
"In every scenario, the demand for #battery#minerals represents a tiny fraction of the amounts of #FossilFuels now needed to power the world."
"Lead the Charge, an advocacy network tracking the supply chains of the world’s leading automakers, says many are making progress on their efforts to eliminate #emissions, environmental harms and #HumanRights violations. “But as an industry,” it says, “there is a long way to go.”"
The #EU seems to have thrown the UK's #electriccars sector a lifeline with a proposal (responding to representations by industry & UK Govt.) to delay the 10% duty of EV exports to the EU for three (more) years.
Under the post-#brexit trade deal cars with batteries made outside the EU or UK would have had the duty imposed from Jan 1st.
Of course, whether this window will give the sector time to build sufficient UK #battery capacity to then avoid the duty when imposed is another issue!
California power grid now has batteries that can supply 10GW of power, which is a lot. Yesterday they peaked at 4GW vs. total power demand of 25GW in the evening, when solar peters out, per CAISO. (Power demand gets much higher in summer with air conditioning.)
EnergyAustralia’s plans to install a 500 MW/2,000 MWh big battery storage system in the Australian state of New South Wales are gaining momentum, as the Hong Kong-owned generator has secured approval to conduct site investigation works.
#EV#battery repair is dangerous. Here’s why mechanics want to do it anyway.
Fixing car and #ebike batteries saves money and resources — but challenges are holding back the industry.
by Maddie Stone, Dec 08, 2023
"About three times a day, Rich Benoit gets a call to his auto shop, The Electrified Garage, from the owner of an older Tesla Model S whose car battery has begun to fail. The battery, which used to provide several hundred miles of range, might suddenly only last 50 miles on a single charge. These cars are often out of warranty, and the cost of replacing the battery can exceed $15,000.
"For most products, repair is a more affordable option than replacement. And in theory, lots of these Tesla batteries can be fixed, said Benoit, who runs one of the few Tesla-focused independent repair shops in the United States. But due to the time and training involved, the safety considerations, and the complexity of the repair, Benoit said that the bill to fix one car battery at his shop might run upwards of $10,000 — more than most consumers are willing to pay. Instead, he said, many choose to sell or donate their old vehicle for scrap and buy a brand new Tesla.
“'It’s getting to the point where [the car] is almost like a consumable, like a TV,' Benoit said.
"Benoit’s experience heralds a problem that early adopters of EVs, as well as electric micromobility devices like e-bikes and #escooters, are beginning to face: These vehicles contain big, expensive batteries that will inevitably degrade or stop working over time. Repairing these batteries can have sustainability benefits, saving energy and resources that would otherwise be used to manufacture a new one. That’s particularly important for EVs, which contain very large batteries that must be used for years to offset the carbon emissions associated with making them.
But many EV and e-mobility batteries are difficult to repair by design, and some manufacturers actively discourage the practice, citing safety concerns. The small number of independent mechanics who repair EV or e-bike batteries struggle to do so affordably due to design challenges, safety requirements, and a lack of access to spare parts.
“'There are a lot of automakers who do not allow battery repair, even in case of minor damages to the battery case,' a GDV spokesperson told Grist. Automakers sometimes choose to replace the battery if the car was involved in an accident that caused the airbags to activate. Both practices 'will lead to an increase of repair costs,' and ultimately, higher insurance premiums, the spokesperson said.
"New rules around EV battery repairability would come at a critical time. Helps, of Cox Automotive, said that two trends in EV battery design are occurring in parallel: 'Batteries are either becoming very serviceable, or not serviceable at all.'
"Some, like the batteries inside Volkswagon’s ID.4, feature LEGO-like modules that are easy to remove and replace. Others, like Tesla’s new 4680 structural battery pack, don’t include modules at all. Instead, all of the cells are bonded together and bonded to the pack itself, a design Helps described as 'impossible to service.' If a bad cell group is found, the entire battery must be replaced.
“'It’s still a fully #recyclable battery,' Helps said. 'You’re just not able to repair it.'
"#Tesla didn’t respond to Grist’s request for comment."
EnergyAustralia pushes ahead with 2 GWh battery at coal plants (www.pv-magazine.com) German
EnergyAustralia’s plans to install a 500 MW/2,000 MWh big battery storage system in the Australian state of New South Wales are gaining momentum, as the Hong Kong-owned generator has secured approval to conduct site investigation works.