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Rechargeable Battery Power – The Missing Link

Rechargeable Battery Power – The Missing Link. By Sven Wang. Video Introduction. Overview. Wind and solar dependent on many circumstances Weather and natural disasters can render this technology unreliable

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Rechargeable Battery Power – The Missing Link

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  1. Rechargeable Battery Power – The Missing Link By Sven Wang

  2. Video Introduction

  3. Overview • Wind and solar dependent on many circumstances • Weather and natural disasters can render this technology unreliable • Green energy power plants (e.g. wind farms) capable of producing sizeable amount of energy • Problem: storing this energy to maximize efficiency • Storing energy in batteries provides greater efficiency and less waste and is the missing link to a green future.

  4. Unreliability of Renewable Energy • Feb 2008 – Texas experienced a slump in wind which led to a 1200-MW drop in energy production • Plant was down for 3 hours, and nearly caused a widespread blackout • Fossil fuel plants had to scramble to provide energy • Most solar/wind plants have back-up fossil fuel plants which stay on standby mode until needed • Burn fuel while on standby mode 24/7 • Can cancel out some of the green energy produced by solar and wind

  5. Unreliability of Renewable Energy • Chart from California study • Shows the irregular usage of wind throughout the day

  6. Unreliability of Renewable Energy • Chart from Arizona study • Shows intermittency of solar energy output

  7. Unreliability of Renewable Energy • Combination of wind power and fossil fuel plants are used leads to increased emissions of NOx and CO2

  8. Advantages of Battery Power Storage • Adjustable energy output depending on current energy needs over long or short time frames • Quick start-up • Fossil fuel plants take 10-20 minutes • Energy storage can react on a second by second basis • Absolutely no emissions • Uses no water resources • Quiet • Can eliminate the need for distribution lines (ex: coal trains)

  9. Advantages (cont) • Easy-to-move equipment if energy requirements change • Fossil fuel plants take years to build and can’t be built in urban areas • Bottom line: battery energy storage synchronizes remarkably well with renewable energy sources to produce no greenhouse gas emissions

  10. History of Rechargeable Batteries • 1859 – lead-acid battery invented by Gaston Plante • Is the most basic battery with cathode and anode and a current running through it • Was heavy and not very feasible for everyday usage compared to other, nonrechargeable batteries • 1880s – new model of lead-acid battery (Camille Alphonse Faure) • Made a lead grid lattice with lead oxide paste pressed into the grid • Formed a plate that could store electricity • Multiple plates could be stacked for greater efficiency • Could also be mass produced

  11. History (cont) • For a while, the basic idea behind the lead-acid battery remained the same • 1970 – gel electrolytes replaced liquid • Called a gell cell • Allowed battery to be used in non-upright position without leaking or failing • 1990s – lithium ion battery was invented • Could store a large amount of charge • Was very flexible, allowing it to be adapted into different shapes • Is used in many electronics today

  12. Lead-acid Batteries • Lead-acid batteries invented in 1859 • Still in use today because they’re reliable and cheap • Can only store a small amount of energy though • The Trojan Battery Company has begun to connect lead-acid batteries to form a battery bank capable of storing 1 MW of energy

  13. Lithium-ion Batteries • Electrolytes contained in a low-moisture paste • Have a high energy density (high energy content in a small package) • Expected to become cheaper as there is extensive research in the car industry into these batteries • Used in computer batteries and other electronics • No loss of charge when not in use

  14. Lithium-ion Batteries (cont) • Many tests and projects with li-ion batteries all over the world • A123 Systems is doing a demonstration in SoCal which will integrate 32MW of li-ion battery storage with wind turbines • Currently very popular for small energy requirements • Expected to see huge growth – from $795 million in 2011 to $2.2 billion in 2016

  15. Flow Batteries • Can respond extremely fast (within milliseconds) • Chemicals used are stored in tanks when not in use • When in use, chemicals are pumped in a circuit between reactors and tanks • Therefore energy storage capacity is limited by capacity of tanks

  16. Flow Batteries (cont) • Not capable of holding a whole lot of electricity • A 20-MWh iron-based flow battery requires 500,000 gallons of tank storage and can only supply the needs of 650 homes for a single day • Research is being done to drastically improve this statistic

  17. Even More Types of Batteries • US Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-e) is sponsoring a multitude of different energy storage projects • Projects are still in research and/or development stage • Examples include metal-air ionic liquid (MAIL) batteries, planar sodium-beta batteries, etc

  18. Comparison • Different battery technologies have advantages and disadvantages that make it suitable for only certain applications • Still no solution that is practical and economical for everything

  19. Liquid Metal Batteries • Concept proposed in 2009 • Also known as liquid sodium or molten salt batteries • Main advantages • High energy density • Inexpensive and readily available materials

  20. Liquid Metal Batteries (cont) • General idea • Two materials are melted and used to form the positive and negative poles of the battery • Same concept as ionization in solutions in chemistry, except with molten substances • There is an electrolyte layer between the two layers of materials which allow charged particles to move through as the battery is being charged or discharged • Basically a salt bridge that allows charge to move through

  21. The Chemistry of Liquid Metal Batteries • Magnesium (2+) is used as negative electrode on top layer • Antimony (4+) is used for positive electrode on bottom layer • Mixture of salts such as magnesium chloride is electrolyte layer • Overall is very efficient because the cycle can be repeated many times with very little loss of energy • Similar idea to a bartender making drinks with distinct layers

  22. The Chemistry of Liquid Metal Batteries (cont) • Discharging process: • Magnesium atoms ionize (lose 2 electrons) • Positive charge builds up in magnesium layer • Forces magnesium ions to travel through electrolyte layer to other electrode • Magnesium ions reacquire two electrons when they arrive at other electrode • Become normal magnesium atoms and form an alloy with antimony • Recharging process: • Battery is connected to source of electricity • Electricity pushes magnesium out of alloy and across electrolyte layer back into negative electrode

  23. Progress on Liquid Metal Batteries • Currently is still in laboratory stage • So far MIT has been successful with small batteries the size of a shot glass • Now developing a battery the size of a pizza box - 200x more powerful than smaller battery • Donald Sadoway – one of the big brains behind liquid metal batteries

  24. Progress on Liquid Metal Batteries (cont) • Encountering problems with electrolyte evaporation and breakdown of metal components through oxidation • Require high operating temperatures though (400-700 Celsius) which raises safety concerns • Still is very expensive • If perfected, will be the most cost effective and flexible source of battery energy storage

  25. Disadvantages of Battery Energy • Huge problem: each power plant faces its own difficulties • There is no end-all be-all solution for battery-powered energy storage yet • Large differences in geography and weather require different equipment and infrastructure • Technology is still expensive – need more research • Huge amount of planning needs to go into implementation of battery energy storage

  26. Government support for energy storage • Success of green programs often depends on government mandates and other incentives (such as tax breaks and subsidies) • Example: green automobiles had government support, as did wind and solar (hence their popularity today) • Currently are not enough financial incentives to make energy storage a widespread thing

  27. What to Take Away • Energy storage in the form of battery power can supplement current renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to make a green future a reality. • Many types of large-scale battery storage are still in development and not yet a reality.

  28. More Information • Lots of cool applications of battery power – check it out if interested: http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/battery-power/

  29. Sources • http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/liquid-batteries-a-renewable-energy-game-changer/13146 • http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/08/batteries-for-energy-storage-new-developments-promise-grid-flexibility-and-stability • http://www.articleshare.info/the-history-of-rechargeable-batteries/ • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery • http://www.megawattsf.com/index.htm

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