Alternative Energy / Fuel Cells

• A Follow up on the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Breakthrough

  As a matter of clarification, the technology under discussion generates hydrogen from water. It is not a fuel cell. For this reason, the title “Hydrogen Production Breakthrough” better reflects the technology. The original title “Hydrogen Fuel Cell Breakthrough,” was in error and not intended to mislead or misrepresent the technology.The hydrogen gas produced from this process functions as a fuel in a combustion process to give off heat or as an energy carrier when injected into a fuel cell to generate electricity. As used by Dr. Phillips in many of his papers, the word “cell” refers to a reaction vessel…

• Breakthrough Microbattery Charges 1,000 Times Faster than Competing Technology

  Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UI) have announced their new Microbatteries that out-power even the best supercapacitors and could drive new applications in radio communications and compact electronics.The graphic illustrates a high power battery technology from the University of Illinois. Ions flow between three-dimensional micro-electrodes in a lithium ion battery. Image Credit: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois.The press release suggests the new microbattery is the most powerful battery on the planet.  They are only a few millimeters in size and yet they pack such a punch that a driver could…

• How Long Should a Lithium Ion Battery Survive in an EV?

  Mikael G. Cugnet, Ph.D. spoke on the question that worries millions of owners and potential owners of electric and hybrid vehicles (EVs) using lithium-ion batteries: How long before the battery pack dies?A view to the answer was presented at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), may surprise skeptics.  One hopes so, a dead battery pack would present a super sticker-shock bill for a fresh pack or force a car to be ready for the junk heap.  It’s a serious matter.An EnerDel battery Pack as Used in the Chevy Volt.Cugnet said, “The battery pack could…

• Hydrogen Fuel Cell Breakthrough?

  Monday, April 9, 2013, I will be attending a private demonstration of a hydrogen fuel cell using catalytic carbon for producing hydrogen-for-fuel. This is the world’s first scalable Hydrogen-On-Demand process requiring minimum power input.An important characteristic of this new breakthrough is that it requires no external power input after the hydrogen-producing reaction is started, making possible, for the first time, the scale-up to high rates of hydrogen on demand (HOD) using water and scrap materials for fuel.A growing number of equipment manufacturers are planning the commercialization of this new low-cost, safe method for producing hydrogen fuel at high flow rates…

• Was Senator Matsunaga Right About Hydrogen After All?

  For those unaware, former U.S. Senator from Hawaii and visionary Spark Masayuki Matsunaga spent 28 years in Congress and passed away on April 15, 1990. Spark was instrumental in passing legislation for civil rights, reparations for Japanese Americans interned during World War II, space exploration, renewable energy resources, and peace which resulted in the establishment of the U.S. Institute of Peace.”The link between former Sen. Matsunaga and hydrogen is bound in his “vision that renewable energy could provide a sustained source of non-polluting energy and that such forms of alternative energy might ultimately be employed in the production of liquid…

• Suzuki Starts Production of Hydrogen Cell Car Battery

  It was only a year ago that Suzuki Motor Corporation (7269:JP) started a joint venture to develop hydrogen fuel-cell systems for vehicles, and now it’s starting production. In cooperation with UK-based Intelligence Energy, Suzuki’s SMILE FC this week cut the red tape on their first small-scale production facility for manufacturing air-cooled fuel cell systems and revolutionizing the hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle. This is a major step towards the efficient and cost-effective production of fuel cell systems for clean energy vehicles. Next to come is a larger-scale production line to further commercialization of the product. According to an Intelligent Energy press…

• Lithium Ion Batteries Causing Big Problems for Aviation Industry

  No Boeing 787 Dreamliners have crashed or burned to the ground, but lithium ion technology is back in the news with a vengeance.  The lithium ion batteries that are used in the Boeing 787 are not good enough – they have runaway overheating and discharge smoke and fumes.  In flight this would be very alarming and cause for rapid descent and landing.This will not do, it’s not like pulling the electric vehicle over and hopping out on the side of the road.  Boeing and airlines with 787s in the fleet have to be very concerned and quite angry with the…

• Should we be Concerned about EV Batteries?

  With all the problems with Boeing’s Dreamliner 787 lithium-ion batteries, it’s fair to question the performance and safety of EVs Li-ion batteries.  For the uninformed, regulators around the world joined the United States in grounding Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner passenger jets while battery-related problems are investigated.Boeing’s technical prowess and FAA’s certification requirements are demonstratively superior and more rigorous than the auto industry, EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to Forbes, “The auto industry sold around 14.5 million units last year (2012). Meanwhile, according to their research culling through federal notices and manufacturers’ releases, automakers recalled over 14.3 million current…

• New Charging Algorithm can Extend Battery Life for Electric Vehicles

  A new charging algorithm could extend battery life for the first all-electric, battery-powered locomotive in the US.Batteries for Norfolk Southern Railway No. 999, just like automotive batteries, are rechargeable until they eventually die. A leading cause of damage and death in lead-acid batteries is sulfation, a degradation of the battery caused by frequent charging and discharging that creates an accumulation of lead sulfate.Engineers increased the cell capacity of lead-acid batteries like those that power Norfolk Southern Railway No. 999 by 41 percent and the overall battery capacity by 30 percent. (Credit: Michael Bezilla/Penn State)Related Article: Increasing the Efficiency of Platinum…

• Increasing the Efficiency of Platinum Use in Fuel Cells

  Fuel cells are, for some, the nirvana of portable or mobile energy production.  But the problem of a catalyst that tears the hydrogen atom into the parts needed to generate electricity still bedevils the progress to widespread commercial marketability.The best catalyst for efficiency is platinum, the rare, expensive, and beautiful silvery metal.  Other ideas are in research and some early claims are looking positive, but for now platinum is king.  If platinum is going to stay on top, how will costs be cut and longevity increased?A research team at the Cornell Energy Materials Center has taken an important step forward…