[XCSSA] Fwd: The Vanadium Battery: The Ultimate Energy Storage Solution
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Thu, 31 May 2007 15:14:50 -0500
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I mentioned vanadium batteries on Monday. I think battery storage is
more sensible than hyrdrogen to the problem of energy storage, and
makes the best replacement for gasoline for powering transportation.
Particularly with a new battery technology like this one.
Charles
>
> The Vanadium Battery: The Ultimate Energy Storage Solution
>
>
>
>
> by on 04. 1.05
>
> Science & Technology ( alternative energy)
>
> Many of us are feeling that this generation has passed on a heavy
> burden to our kids especially regarding the ever increasing energy
> needs of society. It's not all doom and gloom however, the Vanadium
> Battery might just return a little spring to your step and a bigger
> smile on your face when you next see your grand kids.
>
> A new mass energy storage technology is on the cusp of entering
> mainstream society. The Japanese are currently using it on a grand
> scale, the Canadians have comprehensively evaluated it and soon
> Australians will have the opportunity to replace their old lead-
> acid batteries with a Vanadium Redox Battery alternative. There are
> no emissions, no disposal issues, no loss of charge, the
> construction materials are 'green' and the battery can be charged
> and discharged simultaneously. So, is the Vanadium Battery as good
> as it sounds and more importantly, is it the solution to our energy
> storage problems?
>
> Quite simply...Yes.
>
> The potential of this system can be easily summed up in one word:
> 100% recharge/discharge. Well that's slightly more than one word,
> but still it is an impressive group of words. I'm a little excited
> here, so let me back track a little and explain the importance of
> Vanadium Batteries to our very existence.
>
> It has been possible for quite some time to successfully gather
> energy through a variety of renewable energy sources, in particular
> solar and wind. The main problem however, which is also true for
> fossil fuel energy generation, is the storage of the energy. There
> is no point in generating surplus uber-watts on one sunny and windy
> day to find the next day is still and raining and worst of all
> there is no power to play the new DVD of Stainless Steel Rat on
> your suped-up 80 inch LCD screen (sorry...just wishful thinking).
> If the energy cannot be stored on the day of bountiful bliss than a
> renewable energy system is useless.
>
> In small scale alternative energy systems usually found in off-grid
> houses, lead-acid batteries are commonly used to store energy. The
> main problem with this storage system is that lead-acid batteries
> aren't too efficient. In order to obtain the most cycles possible
> (300-1500), the batteries are designed to only use 10% of their
> storage capacity - that's like only being able to use your iPod for
> one hour instead of the battery's 10 hour capacity. If more energy
> is sucked out of them, the amount of times they can be recharged
> and discharged is drastically shortened. Large scale power
> companies also have a little problem with storage.
>
> Basically, they can't be bothered. It's cheaper for them to
> estimate the daily power needs of a city and make sure that they
> produce enough electricity to satisfy all vested interests - that
> usually takes the form of direct support for industry not
> individual consumers as many North Americans are finding out on an
> all too regular basis.
>
> Because a powerhouse can't instantaneously lower or raise output,
> at night there is usually surplus electricity and the crazy
> situation occurs where it is pumped into the ground. For all the
> skeptics out there mumbling conspiracy theory, treehugging pinky,
> just look it up in any dictionary under 'colossal waste'. Which
> brings me back to the amazing invention of the Vanadium Battery.
>
> This battery, as the name so intelligently suggests, uses a metal
> called Vanadium. The soon-to-be Nobel Prize recipients (if there is
> any justice in this world) from Australia and Europe, have found a
> substance that can store energy indefinitely. On top of all that,
> it is possible to use 100% of the stored energy without any side
> effects. The number of times the Vanadium Battery can be recharged/
> discharged is also a tad worrying for other battery makers (over
> 10,000 plus cycles), who must be searching desperately for new
> employment opportunities - possibly in the oil industry .
>
> In all honesty the word 'battery' falls a little shy of an accurate
> description of this epoch-creating invention. In very basic terms
> (which is all I can manage after trying to read the manual) the
> Vanadium is stored in two separate containers in liquid form - one
> is charged with energy and one has a depleted energy charge. When
> new energy is gathered, non-charged Vanadium gets spinached-up and
> popeye's your uncle, you have lots of energy to expend on a 30 inch
> Cinema Display connected to 17 inch Powerbook playing Doom until
> your fingers hurt...um and ah all those other things that use power
> in a normal household, like lights, fridges, blah, blah, blah.
>
> If you decide one day that you need a little more storage capacity,
> perhaps for that air-conditioner or hairdryer (for the uninitiated,
> the banes of lead-acid batteries), no worries, just get bigger
> storage tanks to hold more Vanadium and all of a sudden you have
> storage to spare. Try that with a lead-acid battery system.
>
> On a final and semi-serious note (which is the best I can do after
> thinking about my dream Mac setup), Vanadium Batteries have
> profound implications for normal households that don't have an
> alternative energy system supplying power to their house. As Japan
> is demonstrating, the amount of energy that their power stations
> produce can be cut by 1/3 simply by storing their previously dumped
> excess nightly energy into huge Vanadium Batteries. This form of
> load-levelling can be utilised by every power station throughout
> the world.
>
> So the next time your power has been cut on your desktop while you
> are smack in the middle of a frag-fest...or should I say,
> thesis...or perhaps while buying Vanadium stock on-line, remember
> that your saviour Vanadium is just around the corner and who knows,
> if all goes well, perhaps your next car might be using charged
> Vanadium as fuel, which has been the case for a few University of
> New South Wales professors on their local golf course.
>
> written by Gavin Leiminer
>
> ::Pinnacle VRB
> ::VRB Power
> ::Pinnacle VRB
> ::Potential Nobel Prize Winners-Australians
> ::Potential Nobel Prize Winners-Europeans
>
>
> http://treehugger.com/files/2005/04/the_vanadium_ba.php diagrams
> and pictures at the URL
>
--Boundary_(ID_QvyD34trATqGUthVI0E3jg)
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<HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV>I mentioned vanadium =
batteries on Monday.=A0 I think battery storage is more sensible than =
hyrdrogen to the problem of energy storage, and makes the best =
replacement for gasoline for powering transportation.</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Particularly with a new =
battery technology like this one.</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Charles</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR><DIV><BLOCKQUOTE =
type=3D"cite"><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV> =
<H3><B> <A =
href=3D"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/04/the_vanadium_ba.php">The =
Vanadium Battery: The Ultimate Energy Storage Solution<BR><BR> <BR><BR> =
</A></B></H3><H5><B> <A =
href=3D"http://www.treehugger.com/authors/index.php?author=3Dtreehugger"> =
by </A>on 04. 1.05</B></H5><A =
href=3D"http://www.treehugger.com/science_technology/"> Science & =
Technology</A> (<A =
href=3D"http://www.treehugger.com/science_technology/alternative_energy/">=
alternative energy</A>) <BR><BR> Many of us are feeling that this =
generation has passed on a heavy burden to our kids especially regarding =
the ever increasing energy needs of society. It's not all doom and gloom =
however, the Vanadium Battery might just return a little spring to your =
step and a bigger smile on your face when you next see your grand kids. =
<BR><BR> A new mass energy storage technology is on the cusp of entering =
mainstream society. The Japanese are currently using it on a grand =
scale, the Canadians have comprehensively evaluated it and soon =
Australians will have the opportunity to replace their old lead-acid =
batteries with a Vanadium Redox Battery alternative. There are no =
emissions, no disposal issues, no loss of charge, the construction =
materials are 'green' and the battery can be charged and discharged =
simultaneously. So, is the Vanadium Battery as good as it sounds and =
more importantly, is it the solution to our energy storage =
problems?<BR><BR> Quite simply...Yes.<BR><BR> The potential of this =
system can be easily summed up in one word: 100% recharge/discharge. =
Well that's slightly more than one word, but still it is an impressive =
group of words. I'm a little excited here, so let me back track a little =
and explain the importance of Vanadium Batteries to our very =
existence.<BR><BR> It has been possible for quite some time to =
successfully gather energy through a variety of renewable energy =
sources, in particular solar and wind. The main problem however, which =
is also true for fossil fuel energy generation, is the storage of the =
energy. There is no point in generating surplus uber-watts on one sunny =
and windy day to find the next day is still and raining and worst of all =
there is no power to play the new DVD of Stainless Steel Rat on your =
suped-up 80 inch LCD screen (sorry...just wishful thinking). If the =
energy cannot be stored on the day of bountiful bliss than a renewable =
energy system is useless.<BR><BR> In small scale alternative energy =
systems usually found in off-grid houses, lead-acid batteries are =
commonly used to store energy. The main problem with this storage system =
is that lead-acid batteries aren't too efficient. In order to obtain the =
most cycles possible (300-1500), the batteries are designed to only use =
10% of their storage capacity - that's like only being able to use your =
iPod for one hour instead of the battery's 10 hour capacity. If more =
energy is sucked out of them, the amount of times they can be recharged =
and discharged is drastically shortened. Large scale power companies =
also have a little problem with storage. <BR><BR> Basically, they can't =
be bothered. It's cheaper for them to estimate the daily power needs of =
a city and make sure that they produce enough electricity to satisfy all =
vested interests - that usually takes the form of direct support for =
industry not individual consumers as many North Americans are finding =
out on an all too regular basis.<BR><BR> Because a powerhouse can't =
instantaneously lower or raise output, at night there is usually surplus =
electricity and the crazy situation occurs where it is pumped into the =
ground. For all the skeptics out there mumbling conspiracy theory, =
treehugging pinky, just look it up in any dictionary under 'colossal =
waste'. Which brings me back to the amazing invention of the Vanadium =
Battery.<BR><BR> This battery, as the name so intelligently suggests, =
uses a metal called Vanadium. The soon-to-be Nobel Prize recipients (if =
there is any justice in this world) from Australia and Europe, have =
found a substance that can store energy indefinitely. On top of all =
that, it is possible to use 100% of the stored energy without any side =
effects. The number of times the Vanadium Battery can be =
recharged/discharged is also a tad worrying for other battery makers =
(over 10,000 plus cycles), who must be searching desperately for new =
employment opportunities - possibly in the oil industry . <BR><BR> In =
all honesty the word 'battery' falls a little shy of an accurate =
description of this epoch-creating invention. In very basic terms (which =
is all I can manage after trying to read the manual) the Vanadium is =
stored in two separate containers in liquid form - one is charged with =
energy and one has a depleted energy charge. When new energy is =
gathered, non-charged Vanadium gets spinached-up and popeye's your =
uncle, you have lots of energy to expend on a 30 inch Cinema Display =
connected to 17 inch Powerbook playing Doom until your fingers hurt...um =
and ah all those other things that use power in a normal household, like =
lights, fridges, blah, blah, blah.<BR><BR> If you decide one day that =
you need a little more storage capacity, perhaps for that =
air-conditioner or hairdryer (for the uninitiated, the banes of =
lead-acid batteries), no worries, just get bigger storage tanks to hold =
more Vanadium and all of a sudden you have storage to spare. Try that =
with a lead-acid battery system.<BR><BR> On a final and semi-serious =
note (which is the best I can do after thinking about my dream Mac =
setup), Vanadium Batteries have profound implications for normal =
households that don't have an alternative energy system supplying power =
to their house. As Japan is demonstrating, the amount of energy that =
their power stations produce can be cut by 1/3 simply by storing their =
previously dumped excess nightly energy into huge Vanadium Batteries. =
This form of load-levelling can be utilised by every power station =
throughout the world.<BR><BR> So the next time your power has been cut =
on your desktop while you are smack in the middle of a frag-fest...or =
should I say, thesis...or perhaps while buying Vanadium stock on-line, =
remember that your saviour Vanadium is just around the corner and who =
knows, if all goes well, perhaps your next car might be using charged =
Vanadium as fuel, which has been the case for a few University of New =
South Wales professors on their local golf course.<BR><BR> written by =
Gavin Leiminer<BR><BR> <A =
href=3D"http://www.pinnaclevrb.com.au/index.asp?menu=3D11">::Pinnacle =
VRB</A><BR> <A href=3D"http://www.vrbpower.com/vrb_power.html">::VRB =
Power</A><BR> <A href=3D"http://www.vfuel.com.au/">::Pinnacle =
VRB</A><BR> <A =
href=3D"http://www.ceic.unsw.edu.au/centers/vrb/index.htm">::Potential =
Nobel Prize Winners-Australians</A><BR> <A =
href=3D"http://www.vanadiumbattery.com/faq/faq.asp">::Potential Nobel =
Prize Winners-Europeans</A><BR><BR> <BR> <A =
href=3D"http://treehugger.com/files/2005/04/the_vanadium_ba.php%A0" =
eudora=3D"autourl"> =
http://treehugger.com/files/2005/04/the_vanadium_ba.php </A> diagrams =
and pictures at the URL<BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>=
--Boundary_(ID_QvyD34trATqGUthVI0E3jg)--