By Tyler Hamilton
Monday, January 22, 2007
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A secretive Texas startup developing what some are calling a "game changing" energy-storage technology broke its silence this week. It announced that it has reached two production milestones and is on track to ship systems this year for use in electric vehicles.
The ZENN car will be the first commercial application of EEStor's new energy storage system. The company is expecting delivery of the systems later this year.
Credit: ZENN Cars
EEStor's ambitious goal, according to patent documents, is to "replace the electrochemical battery" in almost every application, from hybrid-electric and pure-electric vehicles to laptop computers to utility-scale electricity storage.
The company boldly claims that its system, a kind of battery-ultracapacitor hybrid based on barium-titanate powders, will dramatically outperform the best lithium-ion batteries on the market in terms of energy density, price, charge time, and safety. Pound for pound, it will also pack 10 times the punch of lead-acid batteries at half the cost and without the need for toxic materials or chemicals, according to the company.
The implications are enormous and, for many, unbelievable. Such a breakthrough has the potential to radically transform a transportation sector already flirting with an electric renaissance, improve the performance of intermittent energy sources such as wind and sun, and increase the efficiency and stability of power grids--all while fulfilling an oil-addicted America's quest for energy security.
The breakthrough could also pose a threat to next-generation lithium-ion makers such as Watertown, MA-based A123Systems, which is working on a plug-in hybrid storage system for General Motors, and Reno, NV-based Altair Nanotechnologies, a supplier to all-electric vehicle maker Phoenix Motorcars.
"I get a little skeptical when somebody thinks they've got a silver bullet for every application, because that's just not consistent with reality," says Andrew Burke, an expert on energy systems for transportation at University of California at Davis.
That said, Burke hopes to be proved wrong. "If [the] technology turns out to be better than I think, that doesn't make me sad: it makes me happy."
Richard Weir, EEStor's cofounder and chief executive, says he would prefer to keep a low profile and let the results of his company's innovation speak for themselves. "We're well on our way to doing everything we said," Weir told Technology Review in a rare interview. He has also worked as an electrical engineer at computing giant IBM and at Michigan-based automotive-systems leader TRW.
Much like capacitors, ultracapacitors store energy in an electrical field between two closely spaced conductors, or plates. When voltage is applied, an electric charge builds up on each plate.
Ultracapacitors have many advantages over traditional electrochemical batteries. Unlike batteries, "ultracaps" can completely absorb and release a charge at high rates and in a virtually endless cycle with little degradation.
Where they're weak, however, is with energy storage. Compared with lithium-ion batteries, high-end ultracapacitors on the market today store 25 times less energy per pound.
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. The power burst that ultracaps provide can assist with stop-start acceleration, and the energy is more efficiently recaptured through regenerative braking--an area in which ultracap maker Maxwell Technologies has seen significant results.
2009년 12월 1일 화요일
High-Energy Batteries Coming to Market
Rechargeable zinc-air batteries can store three times the energy of a lithium-ion battery.
By Kevin Bullis
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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A Swiss company says it has developed rechargeable zinc-air batteries that can store three times the energy of lithium ion batteries, by volume, while costing only half as much. ReVolt, of Staefa, Switzerland, plans to sell small "button cell" batteries for hearing aids starting next year and to incorporate its technology into ever larger batteries, introducing cell-phone and electric bicycle batteries in the next few years. It is also starting to develop large-format batteries for electric vehicles.
Battery unpacked: This graphic illustrates the multilayered structure of a ReVolt rechargeable zinc-air battery. From top to bottom: the battery cover, which lets in air; a porous air electrode; the interface between electrodes; the zinc electrode; the casing.
Credit: ReVolt
The battery design is based on technology developed at SINTEF, a research institute in Trondheim, Norway. ReVolt was founded to bring it to market and so far has raised 24 million euros in investment. James McDougall, the company's CEO, says that the technology overcomes the main problem with zinc-air rechargeable batteries--that they typically stop working after relatively few charges. If the technology can be scaled up, zinc-air batteries could make electric vehicles more practical by lowering their costs and increasing their range.
Unlike conventional batteries, which contain all the reactants needed to generate electricity, zinc-air batteries rely on oxygen from the atmosphere to generate current. In the late 1980s they were considered one of the most promising battery technologies because of their high theoretical energy-storage capacity, says Gary Henriksen, manager of the electrochemical energy storage department at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. The battery chemistry is also relatively safe because it doesn't require volatile materials, so zinc-air batteries are not prone to catching fire like lithium-ion batteries.
Story continues below
Because of these advantages, nonrechargeable zinc-air batteries have long been on the market. But making them rechargeable has been a challenge. Inside the battery, a porous "air" electrode draws in oxygen and, with the help of catalysts at the interface between the air and a water-based electrolyte, reduces it to form hydroxyl ions. These travel through an electrolyte to the zinc electrode, where the zinc is oxidized--a reaction that releases electrons to generate a current. For recharging, the process is reversed: zinc oxide is converted back to zinc and oxygen is released at the air electrode. But after repeated charge and discharge cycles, the air electrode can become deactivated, slowing or stopping the oxygen reactions. This can be due, for example, to the liquid electrolyte being gradually pulled too far into the pores, Henriksen says. The battery can also fail if it dries out or if zinc builds up unevenly, forming branch-like structures that create a short circuit between the electrodes.
By Kevin Bullis
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
E-mail Audio »
Listen - FlashListen - MP3Subscribe to podcastWhat is this?Powered by Print Favorite Share »
Digg this Add to del.icio.us Add to Reddit Add to Facebook Slashdot It! Stumble It! Add to Mixx Add to Newsvine Add to Connotea Add to CiteUlike Add to Furl Googlize this Add to Rojo Add to MyWeb
A Swiss company says it has developed rechargeable zinc-air batteries that can store three times the energy of lithium ion batteries, by volume, while costing only half as much. ReVolt, of Staefa, Switzerland, plans to sell small "button cell" batteries for hearing aids starting next year and to incorporate its technology into ever larger batteries, introducing cell-phone and electric bicycle batteries in the next few years. It is also starting to develop large-format batteries for electric vehicles.
Battery unpacked: This graphic illustrates the multilayered structure of a ReVolt rechargeable zinc-air battery. From top to bottom: the battery cover, which lets in air; a porous air electrode; the interface between electrodes; the zinc electrode; the casing.
Credit: ReVolt
The battery design is based on technology developed at SINTEF, a research institute in Trondheim, Norway. ReVolt was founded to bring it to market and so far has raised 24 million euros in investment. James McDougall, the company's CEO, says that the technology overcomes the main problem with zinc-air rechargeable batteries--that they typically stop working after relatively few charges. If the technology can be scaled up, zinc-air batteries could make electric vehicles more practical by lowering their costs and increasing their range.
Unlike conventional batteries, which contain all the reactants needed to generate electricity, zinc-air batteries rely on oxygen from the atmosphere to generate current. In the late 1980s they were considered one of the most promising battery technologies because of their high theoretical energy-storage capacity, says Gary Henriksen, manager of the electrochemical energy storage department at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. The battery chemistry is also relatively safe because it doesn't require volatile materials, so zinc-air batteries are not prone to catching fire like lithium-ion batteries.
Story continues below
Because of these advantages, nonrechargeable zinc-air batteries have long been on the market. But making them rechargeable has been a challenge. Inside the battery, a porous "air" electrode draws in oxygen and, with the help of catalysts at the interface between the air and a water-based electrolyte, reduces it to form hydroxyl ions. These travel through an electrolyte to the zinc electrode, where the zinc is oxidized--a reaction that releases electrons to generate a current. For recharging, the process is reversed: zinc oxide is converted back to zinc and oxygen is released at the air electrode. But after repeated charge and discharge cycles, the air electrode can become deactivated, slowing or stopping the oxygen reactions. This can be due, for example, to the liquid electrolyte being gradually pulled too far into the pores, Henriksen says. The battery can also fail if it dries out or if zinc builds up unevenly, forming branch-like structures that create a short circuit between the electrodes.
2009년 11월 5일 목요일
INVERTER 만드는법(12VDC -> 100VAC,220VAC)
DC/AC inverter (2)
http://hobby_elec.piclist.com/e_ckt30.htm
On this page, I will explain DC/AC invertor with center-tapless transformer.
As for the DC/AC invertor with center-tap transformer, refer to "DC/AC invertor (1)".
The invertor that I made this time uses power MOS FET as swtching device. I assum that this unit is used with the battery of car. So, the input voltage is +12V DC. The output voltage is AC 100V. However, input and output voltages aren't limited to this. You can use any voltage. They depend on the transformer to use. The wave form of the output is square wave. In my experience, it is usable with a lot of home electronics equipment. The electric power which is possible to handle is decided by the transformer to use. This time, I am using the transformer with 12V-10A(secondary side). So, it is possible to handle 120VA(about 100W).
I was asked about 220V output from some readers. The output voltage of the inverter is decided only in the transformer. You can use the transformer with 220V as for primary(input) and 12V as for secondary(output). At my circuit, primary and secondary should be used oppositely. Then, you will be able to get AC220V from DC12V.
http://hobby_elec.piclist.com/e_ckt30.htm
On this page, I will explain DC/AC invertor with center-tapless transformer.
As for the DC/AC invertor with center-tap transformer, refer to "DC/AC invertor (1)".
The invertor that I made this time uses power MOS FET as swtching device. I assum that this unit is used with the battery of car. So, the input voltage is +12V DC. The output voltage is AC 100V. However, input and output voltages aren't limited to this. You can use any voltage. They depend on the transformer to use. The wave form of the output is square wave. In my experience, it is usable with a lot of home electronics equipment. The electric power which is possible to handle is decided by the transformer to use. This time, I am using the transformer with 12V-10A(secondary side). So, it is possible to handle 120VA(about 100W).
I was asked about 220V output from some readers. The output voltage of the inverter is decided only in the transformer. You can use the transformer with 220V as for primary(input) and 12V as for secondary(output). At my circuit, primary and secondary should be used oppositely. Then, you will be able to get AC220V from DC12V.
3-D Optical Fiber System Could Replace Solar Enery Panels
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Zhong Lin Wang holds a prototype three-dimensional solar cell that could allow PV systems to be located away from rooftops. (Georgia Tech Photo: Gary Meek)
Converting sunlight to electricity might no longer mean large panels of photovoltaic cells atop flat surfaces like roofs.
Using zinc oxide nanostructures grown on optical fibers and coated with dye-sensitized solar cell materials, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new type of three-dimensional photovoltaic system. The approach could allow PV systems to be hidden from view and located away from traditional locations such as rooftops.
“Using this technology, we can make photovoltaic generators that are foldable, concealed and mobile,” said Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering. “Optical fiber could conduct sunlight into a building’s walls where the nanostructures would convert it to electricity. This is truly a three dimensional solar cell.”
Details of the research were published in the early view of the journal Angewandte Chemie International on October 22. The work was sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the KAUST Global Research Partnership and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Dye-sensitized solar cells use a photochemical system to generate electricity. They are inexpensive to manufacture, flexible and mechanically robust, but their tradeoff for lower cost is conversion efficiency lower than that of silicon-based cells. But using nanostructure arrays to increase the surface area available to convert light could help reduce the efficiency disadvantage, while giving architects and designers new options for incorporating PV into buildings, vehicles and even military equipment.
Fabrication of the new Georgia Tech PV system begins with optical fiber of the type used by the telecommunications industry to transport data. First, the researchers remove the cladding layer, then apply a conductive coating to the surface of the fiber before seeding the surface with zinc oxide. Next, they use established solution-based techniques to grow aligned zinc oxide nanowires around the fiber much like the bristles of a bottle brush. The nanowires are then coated with the dye-sensitized materials that convert light to electricity.
Sunlight entering the optical fiber passes into the nanowires, where it interacts with the dye molecules to produce electrical current. A liquid electrolyte between the nanowires collects the electrical charges. The result is a hybrid nanowire/optical fiber system that can be up to six times as efficient as planar zinc oxide cells with the same surface area.
“In each reflection within the fiber, the light has the opportunity to interact with the nanostructures that are coated with the dye molecules,” Wang explained. “You have multiple light reflections within the fiber, and multiple reflections within the nanostructures. These interactions increase the likelihood that the light will interact with the dye molecules, and that increases the efficiency.”
Wang and his research team have reached an efficiency of 3.3 percent and hope to reach 7 to 8 percent after surface modification. While lower than silicon solar cells, this efficiency would be useful for practical energy harvesting. If they can do that, the potentially lower cost of their approach could make it attractive for many applications.
By providing a larger area for gathering light, the technique would maximize the amount of energy produced from strong sunlight, as well as generate respectable power levels even in weak light. The amount of light entering the optical fiber could be increased by using lenses to focus the incoming light, and the fiber-based solar cell has a very high saturation intensity, Wang said.
Wang believes this new structure will offer architects and product designers an alternative PV format for incorporating into other applications.
“This will really provide some new options for photovoltaic systems,” Wang said. “We could eliminate the aesthetic issues of PV arrays on building. We can also envision PV systems for providing energy to parked vehicles, and for charging mobile military equipment where traditional arrays aren’t practical or you wouldn’t want to use them.”
Wang and his research team, which includes Benjamin Weintraub and Yaguang Wei, have produced generators on optical fiber up to 20 centimeters in length. “The longer the better,” said Wang, “because longer the light can travel along the fiber, the more bounces it will make and more it will be absorbed.”
Traditional quartz optical fiber has been used so far, but Wang would like to use less expensive polymer fiber to reduce the cost. He is also considering other improvements, such as a better method for collecting the charges and a titanium oxide surface coating that could further boost efficiency.
Though it could be used for large PV systems, Wang doesn’t expect his solar cells to replace silicon devices any time soon. But he does believe they will broaden the potential applications for photovoltaic energy.
“This is a different way to gather power from the sun,” Wang said. “To meet our energy needs, we need all the approaches we can get.”
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Georgia Tech group creates 3D photovoltaic system
Georgia Tech group creates 3D photovoltaic system
Edited By Peter Wray • November 3, 2009
Dye-sensitized nanowires cover the outer surface of a optical fiber to optimize photon collection. (Credit: Angewandte Chemie International.)
What if there was a way to create a material covered with tiny three-dimensional solar collectors instead of the typical 2D flat photovoltaic systems (and in this context flexible PV sheets still count as two-dimensional)? And, what if you could “feed” these collectors with sunlight via optical fibers? Then you might be able to tuck these systems (architecturally speaking) into out-of-the-way locations or sites less obvious than rooftops.
That was some of the thinking motivating a group of researchers at Georgia Tech whose work is reported on in a new paper in Angewandte Chemie International.
The GT group figured out a way to improve upon existing dye-sensitized solar cell technology by growing nanostructures (on the optical fibers) that effectively increase the surface area of a collector. Compared to other approaches, DSSCs, generally speaking, are at a disadvantage because they relatively inefficient. On the other hand, the manufacturing costs of dye-sensitized cells are low. They also tend to be able to take more mechanical abuse.
The group grows the nanostructures by replacing in one section the outer layer of quartz optical fiber with a conductive coating. They then seed the surface with zinc oxide followed by solution-based techniques that grow aligned zinc oxide nanowires that radiate outward around the fiber. Finally, the nanowire–optical fiber is given a dye-sensitized materials coating. Groups of these nanowire-coated fibers are immersed in an electrolyte to harvest electrons. Length improves efficiency and the group has been able to make nanowire sections as long as 20 cm.
Closeup of single nanowire-coated fiber. (Credit: Georgia Tech and Gary Meek.)
According the the GT group, this internal axial illumination in this hybrid system multiplies six-fold the energy conversion efficiency of the DSSC nanowire array. “In each reflection within the fiber, the light has the opportunity to interact with the nanostructures that are coated with the dye molecules,” explains Z.L. Wang, who led the group. “You have multiple light reflections within the fiber, and multiple reflections within the nanostructures. These interactions increase the likelihood that the light will interact with the dye molecules, and that increases the efficiency.”
The team says it has reached an efficiency of 3.3 percent and think efficiencies of 7 to 8 percent are in reach if they make further modifications, such as using a better method for collecting the charges and a titanium oxide surface coating.
These efficiencies are still a long way off of current 2D PV units. But Wang says there would be several advantages to the group’s hybrid DSSC system. The already low production cost could be driven lower by using polymer fibers. The optical fibers used to feed the nanowire fibers could be placed fairly freely, providing a larger area for gathering light, and lenses could also be employed to focus the incoming light.
Another advantage is that it gives building designers new options. “This will really provide some new options for photovoltaic systems,” Wang said. “We could eliminate the aesthetic issues of PV arrays on building. We can also envision PV systems for providing energy to parked vehicles, and for charging mobile military equipment where traditional arrays aren’t practical or you wouldn’t want to use them.”
<과학> 광섬유로 태양에너지 생산
Cheaper solar cells developed at Georgia TechNovember 4, 2009by Susan Wilson
Scientists in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering have developed a cheaper, more efficient flexible solar cell by using fiber optics and zinc oxide. These solar cells won’t replace large silicon based solar arrays in the near future but they could change the way solar energy is collected on buildings and on the move.
Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering, has been working with his research team of Benjamin Weintraub and Yaguang Wei to develop a three dimensional photovoltaic system. Their system allows solar generators to be tucked away out of sight rather than mounted on the roof.
Using this technology, we can make photovoltaic generators that are foldable, concealed and mobile,” said Zhong Lin Wang… “Optical fiber could conduct sunlight into a building’s walls where the nanostructures would convert it to electricity. This is truly a three dimensional solar cell.”
The process begins with an optic fiber like the kind used by telephone companies for transmitting information. The optic fiber is modified by eliminating the cladding layer and adding a conductive coating. Then they grow zinc oxide nanowires around the fiber. The nanowires sticking out from the fiber “like the bristles of a bottle brush,” are “then coated with the dye-sensitized materials that convert light to electricity.”
Sunlight entering the optical fiber passes into the nanowires, where it interacts with the dye molecules to produce electrical current. A liquid electrolyte between the nanowires collects the electrical charges. The result is a hybrid nanowire/optical fiber system that can be up to six times as efficient as planar zinc oxide cells with the same surface area.
Wang wants to try using a different type of optic fiber and titanium oxide to build the nanowires as ways to reduce the cost of the solar cells and improve the efficiency.
These solar cells would be cheaper and less conspicuous than the flexible solar cells being used in solar jackets, solar bags and portable solar devices, making them more affordable for the rest of us
(서울=연합뉴스) 크고 거추장스러운 태양열 집열판 대신 특수 제작된 광섬유로 태양 에너지를 값싸게 생산할 수 있는 길이 열렸다고 BBC 뉴스가 보도했다.
미국 조지아공대(GIT) 연구진은 광섬유 주위에 나노미터급 전선을 솔처럼 쌓는 방법으로 집광 면적을 최대화해 열 생산 효율을 높이는 데 성공했다고 독일의 안게반테 케미(응용화학)지 최신호에 발표했다.
연구진은 섬유의 끝 부분만 노출돼야 한다면서 끝 부분이 에너지 생산을 위해 빛을 다른 곳으로 모으는 역할을 한다고 밝혔다.
이들은 지붕 크기의 집열판 대신 이렇게 만든 작은 집열기를 지붕에 설치하고 본격적인 발전 시설은 벽 사이에 드러나지 않게 설치할 수 있을 것이라고 말했다.
연구진이 개발한 새 기술은 통신용 광섬유와 같은 시판 광섬유의 외피층을 제거하고 섬유 주위에 산화아연 나노와이어의 `숲'을 심은 뒤 그 위를 염료분자로 덮어 연료 전지의 효율을 끌어올리는 표면을 형성하는 것이다.
또한 빛은 단지 섬유의 끝 부분을 통해서만 들어와야 하기 때문에 대규모 태양 에너지 시설이라도 지붕에 작은 집열장치만 노출돼 있을 뿐 실제 발전용 물질들은 눈에 보이지 않게 설치할 수 있다는 장점이 있다.
연구진은 "광섬유는 햇빛을 건물의 벽으로 유도하고 벽에 설치된 나노구조들이 빛을 전기로 바꾸게 돼 진정한 3차원 태양전지가 된다"고 강조했다.
youngnim@yna.co.kr
(끝)
Scientists in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering have developed a cheaper, more efficient flexible solar cell by using fiber optics and zinc oxide. These solar cells won’t replace large silicon based solar arrays in the near future but they could change the way solar energy is collected on buildings and on the move.
Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering, has been working with his research team of Benjamin Weintraub and Yaguang Wei to develop a three dimensional photovoltaic system. Their system allows solar generators to be tucked away out of sight rather than mounted on the roof.
Using this technology, we can make photovoltaic generators that are foldable, concealed and mobile,” said Zhong Lin Wang… “Optical fiber could conduct sunlight into a building’s walls where the nanostructures would convert it to electricity. This is truly a three dimensional solar cell.”
The process begins with an optic fiber like the kind used by telephone companies for transmitting information. The optic fiber is modified by eliminating the cladding layer and adding a conductive coating. Then they grow zinc oxide nanowires around the fiber. The nanowires sticking out from the fiber “like the bristles of a bottle brush,” are “then coated with the dye-sensitized materials that convert light to electricity.”
Sunlight entering the optical fiber passes into the nanowires, where it interacts with the dye molecules to produce electrical current. A liquid electrolyte between the nanowires collects the electrical charges. The result is a hybrid nanowire/optical fiber system that can be up to six times as efficient as planar zinc oxide cells with the same surface area.
Wang wants to try using a different type of optic fiber and titanium oxide to build the nanowires as ways to reduce the cost of the solar cells and improve the efficiency.
These solar cells would be cheaper and less conspicuous than the flexible solar cells being used in solar jackets, solar bags and portable solar devices, making them more affordable for the rest of us
(서울=연합뉴스) 크고 거추장스러운 태양열 집열판 대신 특수 제작된 광섬유로 태양 에너지를 값싸게 생산할 수 있는 길이 열렸다고 BBC 뉴스가 보도했다.
미국 조지아공대(GIT) 연구진은 광섬유 주위에 나노미터급 전선을 솔처럼 쌓는 방법으로 집광 면적을 최대화해 열 생산 효율을 높이는 데 성공했다고 독일의 안게반테 케미(응용화학)지 최신호에 발표했다.
연구진은 섬유의 끝 부분만 노출돼야 한다면서 끝 부분이 에너지 생산을 위해 빛을 다른 곳으로 모으는 역할을 한다고 밝혔다.
이들은 지붕 크기의 집열판 대신 이렇게 만든 작은 집열기를 지붕에 설치하고 본격적인 발전 시설은 벽 사이에 드러나지 않게 설치할 수 있을 것이라고 말했다.
연구진이 개발한 새 기술은 통신용 광섬유와 같은 시판 광섬유의 외피층을 제거하고 섬유 주위에 산화아연 나노와이어의 `숲'을 심은 뒤 그 위를 염료분자로 덮어 연료 전지의 효율을 끌어올리는 표면을 형성하는 것이다.
또한 빛은 단지 섬유의 끝 부분을 통해서만 들어와야 하기 때문에 대규모 태양 에너지 시설이라도 지붕에 작은 집열장치만 노출돼 있을 뿐 실제 발전용 물질들은 눈에 보이지 않게 설치할 수 있다는 장점이 있다.
연구진은 "광섬유는 햇빛을 건물의 벽으로 유도하고 벽에 설치된 나노구조들이 빛을 전기로 바꾸게 돼 진정한 3차원 태양전지가 된다"고 강조했다.
youngnim@yna.co.kr
(끝)
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