Author: adriadsnew

Ecolectro has developed a new technology that allows fuel cell manufacturers to produce cells for half price and double durability. AEM technology of alkaline polymer membranes enables the replacement of expensive platinum catalysts with alternative, base metals. In addition, the titanium plates in the electrolysis unit could be replaced with base metals and further reduce the cost.

Optimal storage depends on the chemicals used in the cells, so manufacturers add different additives to optimize battery performance depending on how they will be used. Cells can discharge over time, chemicals can break down, solvents in electrolytes can penetrate the battery wall, causing electrolyte leakage and drying of the battery and thus the effectiveness of the battery. Heat also affects battery life and it is recommended to keep them in a cool place. There are various types of batteries and cells could be divided into two basic groups, primary (primary) and rechargeable (secondary).
Basic cells (primary batteries) – their basic characteristic is that they cannot be charged. They should be stored in a cool place, and it is optimal to keep them at 0 to 10 degrees Celsius.
Rechargeable cells (secondary batteries) – these include batteries with lead acid, nickel cadmium, nickel cadmium hydride, lithium-ion, and others.
Lead batteries – the most famous and oldest secondary battery, we use it as a battery in cars. The battery consists of one or more cells that give 2V per cell, and in cars those with a voltage of 12V are used, so the batteries have 6 cells. Lead-acid batteries should be kept in a cool place, but electrolytes should never be frozen (battery problems that occur in the winter months). The battery must not be left without electrolytes, discharged below 1.8V or stand for a long time without recharging (discharge is about 1% per day), it must not be charged or discharged with a stronger current because it would reduce its capacity.
Nickel-cadmium batteries – the advantages of batteries are a longer lifespan of about 1500 cycles and the endurance of a higher discharge current, and the disadvantages of toxicity and the problem of crystallization. The successor to this battery is the Nickel-metal-hybrid battery (NiMH, Ni-MH). With Nickel, the problem of toxicity was solved, and the energy density or capacity was improved by a couple of times and the problem of the crystallization effect was reduced, the disadvantage being a shorter lifespan and self-discharge.
Lithium-ion batteries – charge faster, last longer and have a higher power density, and are slower to discharge and lighter, have three times the native voltage than the nickel-based voltage, is not subject to the crystallization or memory effect of batteries. Today they are used to charge laptops and cell phones. The weakness of this battery is that it is very sensitive to overcharging as well as excessive discharge, but this problem is solved by electronics. The successor to this battery is the Lithium-polymer battery (Li-Poly, LiPo, LIP).

ITER is a project involving 35 nations to build the largest tokamak in the world located in the south of France. Tokamak is a machine for producing a toroidal magnetic field for plasma delimitation, and devices of this type are collectively called fusion reactors. The reactor produces heat, that heat of steam that drives the turbines, and so it produces electricity. The machine works on the same principle on which the Sun and stars receive energy. Nuclear fusion began to be explored after World War II, and in the 1950s, Tokamak was invented by Soviet physicists. Soviet scientists constructed the first tokamak, and the largest version was tested in 1968 in Novosibirsk where they reached electron temperatures of over 1,000 electron volts. Experimental research to be conducted at ITER is crucial for fusion science in progress and preparations for the development of future fusion power plants. This is also the goal of the ITER project, to make the transition from experimental studies to power plants with full production capacity. The ITER fusion reactor is designed to produce 500 megawatts of output power with 50 megawatts of input power, ie to produce 10 times more energy, in research projects so far this has not been the case, ie the output power has always been less than invested. Construction began in 2007, and when ITER becomes operational, it will become the largest experiment in the physics of magnetic plasma trapping. A team of scientists from the Hefei Institute of Physics in China say the older reactor design is also usable, claiming they created hydrogen plasma at a temperature of about 50 million degrees Celsius, and maintained it for 102 seconds. If this success is confirmed, it will be the longest constant fusion reaction.

The Powerwall is a lithium-ion battery developed by Tesla Motors for home use. Tesla started developing it in 2012, and the previous year it was in the pilot demonstration phase. Full production will only begin when the construction of the Gigafactory 1 plant in Nevada is completed, it will be the second largest plant in the world, smaller only than Beoing’s aircraft plant in Washington. Part of the factory became operational in the first quarter of this year. The powerwall was originally announced on April 30, 2015 with a stable output power of 2kW, and a 3.3 kW peak output, but Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, said that power would more than double without increasing the price of the battery. After March 2016, there is only a model with 6.4 kWh capacity, although in 2015 Musk announced two models, 7kWh and 10kWh. The price of the model is 3000 US dollars. After six months, one of the first customers to pay $ 16,000 for the entire solar installation with Tesla Pawerwall says his electricity bills have dropped by about 90%. His family has also changed their energy consumption habits and mostly use the devices during the day to use solar energy for “harder tasks.” But not all that positive, the customer said there is currently no point in entering the project from a purely financial perspective and how the project will not pay off within the warranty period of the device, and of course the purchase and financial profitability also depends on the price of electricity and the location where you are. Tesla currently sells Pawerwall systems in the following countries: the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Australia, and the United States.

Chemist William Dichtel and his team have developed a material that could be used in batteries for electric cars to reduce charging time. The material has the ability to store large amounts of electricity and with it the ability to quickly charge and discharge, such as supercapacitors, said Dichtel, a pioneer in researching a new field of covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Modified covalent organic frames could store about 10 times more energy and speed up charging by 10 to 15 times.

The State Bureau of Statistics of China in its new report this year announces that China is exceeding its expectations in the renewable energy sector. Wind and solar energy jumped to a record high in 2015, which also reduced coal consumption by about 3.7 percent and oil imports by 30%. The statistics support the claim of Xie Zhenhua, China’s chief negotiator at the UN climate talks in Paris last December, that China would significantly exceed its target of reducing emissions per unit of GDP by 2020 by 40% to 45% of 2005 levels. . years. China currently emits nearly a third of the carbon dioxide that warms the planet and its reversal would mean a lot to fight global warming. China’s wind power installations are at a global record level and amount to as much as 32.5 gigawatts, and a huge part of 20.7 gigawatts were installed in 2014. The latest figures show that the energy obtained from hydro, solar, wind, nuclear and natural gas has risen to 18%. Looking at these figures and the fact that they are becoming cheaper in the future, the percentage of renewable energy sources will certainly only increase, and reduce the share of coal as an energy source, which today represents about two thirds of energy sources.

A battery that can deliver 100 megawatts per hour, and thus work for four hours, will replace the peaker, a natural gas-fired power plant that has so far supplied electricity in the afternoon and summer hours to meet the daily peak needs of Los Angeles. . In the evening, the battery will be charged by wind farms and during the day by cheap solar energy. California’s policy is for utilities to start building energy storage capacity, use renewable energy sources and reduce emissions by 80% by 2050. AES Corporation has spent 9 years working with battery manufacturers for electric cars and the technology is mature . The battery will be developed at a factory in Long Beach and when it is finished it will have 18,000 battery modules. The United Kingdom, the state of New York (USA), Chile, and many other countries are ready to invest in energy storage systems that come from alternative sources (“green energy”).

When we talk about 3D printed cars, we are talking about cars that have some parts printed with 3D printers, mostly it is the body and interior while the vital parts are produced by traditional production. There are a multitude of concepts of these cars, prototypes, and a couple of functional models that are ready for production. One of the more interesting models is the LM3D from Local Motors, roughly 75% of that car is printed. The material used in printing is 80% ABS plastic and 20% carbon fiber. Local Motors is working with IMB to integrate IoT technology and IMB Watson technology into a 3D printed car.

Increasing energy needs, the relentless effect of global warming, and increasingly stringent environmental laws to combat pollution are influencing a change of direction in the shipping sector. New trends such as the new growing economies of the world, new business models largely supported by new technologies, huge energy storage capacities, and new “green” energy sources are forcing large companies to change direction. These trends represent obstacles but new opportunities for progress. In her study “Visions of the Future of Maritime Affairs”, Wärtsilä presented various ideas that could change the way shipping companies and maritime affairs function in the future. Different ideas are elaborated in the Study, they follow in the text. Convoy – Fuel could be saved by tracking ships as the energy required to sail is reduced after the first ship in the convoy has “cleared” the route. Likewise, other ships could have smaller crews because the system could be automated with artificial intelligence and advanced communication technologies. ZERO – traveling distribution centers – It would work on “green” energy, windmill and solar energy. Exergo – the ultimate energy storage – By developing batteries and increasing their capacity, it would allow ships to operate quietly and without harmful gases in some sensitive areas. LIITOS – Working together – Efficient navigation requires the exchange of information so that no ship would sail without cargo, and this would be very easily achieved using digital tools. BEAN to CUP – Production on the route – Factory ships could produce goods or, such as the automotive industry, already complete final product inspections and final details during delivery. They cited as an example coffee that could be processed on ships and delivered as a finished product until it arrives.

After the investment is approved, MAN Diesel & Turbo will start building a 30 MW power plant that will produce thermal energy and electricity. This cogeneration approach is the thermodynamically successful use of fuel because instead of “throwing” the heat generated as a by-product of electricity production by cooling the water in a cooling tower, that heat is used for district heating. It is the second “CHP” power plant that MAN is building in Germany.