News for Energy

British-based Cella Energy has won the inaugural Energy Storage Challenge. See our press release for full details.

The Energy Storage Challenge is pleased to announce the finalists who will compete for a $250,000 prize fund, courtesy of ONR and ONR - Global.

The inaugural challenge attracted an incredible number of entries, with more than twenty five countries represented. Finalists will pitch their ideas to a panel of expert judges at the Global Finals on 24 October, taking place as part of PitchLive, a two-day innovation marketplace in London.

The finalists in attendence will be;

• Cella Energy, United Kingdom
• EnerVault, USA
• GeoMarine Biotech, India
• Hydrostor, Canada
• ITM Power, UK
• SustainX, USA
• Weizmann Institute of Sciences, Israel

These finalists will be joined by entries from India and China, to be announced shortly.

For tickets to the grand final of this competition and others, visit  www.pitchlivelondon.com.

It is difficult to comprehend the horrific damage which has affected Japan in the last few days, through a combination of powerful earthquakes, devastating tsunamis and nuclear fallout. The force of the earthquake, which has now been revised to 9.0 on the Richter scale, was 8000 times stronger than the one which hit Christchurch, New Zealand in February.  The subsequent 10-meter high tsunami that followed engulfed the Eastern coastline of the main island and has destroyed lives, infrastructure and quality of life. The death toll is expected be in the tens of thousands, and coastal towns have the ominous challenge finding the unaccounted for; towns such as Otsuchi which is missing over 80% of their 15,000 population.

The Red Cross has recently published its report on the matter and the figures make bleak reading. Some of their headline figures include; 24,000 people who are ‘still completely isolated and cannot be reached’, over 500,000 displaced, many of whom are without water or shelter and a staggering 1.2 million homes without power.

UK energy consultant Prof Ian Fells has expressed his concern that widespread power blackouts across Japan pose a bigger problem for the population than radioactive leaks from broken nuclear reactors because of the greater number of people involved. As of writing, rescue efforts are taking place using portable energy to get to people most in need. Foreign assistance and aid agencies are ready to be deployed but delivery has been hampered by the seasonally cold weather and the fuel shortage that now cripple the country. The national grid system, for all its benefits, can no longer reliably distribute power with its weakened infrastructure in the wake of these disasters.

Organisations including the Red Cross are appealing for donations to provide portable generators to the stricken communities along the Eastern coast. Electricity is required for pop-up hospitals, power is needed to pumps for temporary water wells and energy is required to  provide warmth to over half a million Japanese people who have now been displaced for a fifth day in a row.

Japan’s energy dependency is considerably geared towards nuclear power, almost 30% of the supply, which was born from a shift in its economic policy for greater energy security in the aftermath of the Oil Crises of the 1970s.  The energy deficit caused by the absence of the troubled Fukushima 1 nuclear facility has forced the implementation of rolling blackouts of up to three hours, to preserve what supplies are available. Of the 54 nuclear power stations which dot the country, 11 have been shut down in response to the earthquake and tsunami.

Of course, dependence on nuclear energy is seen as one of the quickest way to meet carbon emissions targets; Japan’s bold objective seeks a 25% reduction in CO2 output by 2020. In the longer term, the nuclear industry will face tighter scrutiny from politicians and regulators in what is already regarded as the most regulated power form of power generation. Developed nations around the world are now closing down their older nuclear power stations much sooner, with their decisions will be rooted in fear of the current events. Germany has been the latest closing 7 of their older nuclear reactors in reaction to the Fukushima plant. However, if Japan is to be the case example to reconsider nuclear energy, we should not fall back on our old habits of coal and gas dependency which provide stable energy yet harmful by-products.

A diversified range of energy production can help account for weaknesses in one energy type but as we are seeing, the demand can fluctuate as much as supply and a consistent supply can be sustained with energy storage solutions to satisfy the demands of users.

As the International Atomic Energy Agency has stated:

“This is an accident caused by natural disaster that is unprecedented. And also the fact that we had this accident [affecting] tremendous national power does not change the fact we need the stable source of energy and we need to mitigate the negative impact of climate change.”

The priority now will be to start re-housing the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by these terrible disasters but electrical power is needed as much as man power to start the rebuilding process. Transportable energy storage solutions are essential in the short term to counter the effects of the earthquakes and tsunami at present and those of the future.

The Energy Storage Challenge aims to fund and promote such solutions. Your simple idea has far reaching implications which can providing the vital services, supplies and survival that is required in disaster relief. If you have the idea for a transportable energy storage system, please visit the Energy Storage Challenge page and consider applying. 

As energy storage goes, the lithium-ion battery is one of the most widely adopted mediums of storing energy. The lithium-ion battery has been the foundation of electrical devices such as laptops and mobile phones. Now, it is playing a part in the resurgence of electric vehicles (EV).

The UK government’s recent support for electric vehicles, announced by the Department for Transport (DfT), is part of a wider plan to lower emission levels and achieve greater energy efficiency. In the proposals, the incumbent aims to support purchases of EVs with a grant of up to £5,000 from a list of vehicles coming to the UK. As stated on the DfT website;

“Transport Secretary Philip Hammond and Business Minister Mark Prisk announced the milestone which could make 2011 the year of the electric car for the UK - and revealed five more regions that will be installing local charging points having successfully bid for a share of a £20m fund. From January, the motoring map of the country will start to be redrawn as government and car industry work in partnership to give drivers a wide choice of clean, green transport.”

Support for EVs has, arguably, never been at a more crucial time. The revolutionary protests occurring in oil rich countries like Libya are forcing the price of oil upwards through the disruption to supply networks. Turmoil in the Middle East is creating a multiplier effect on the price at the pump, but is just one of many factors at play, such as inflation and taxation on petrol prices, increasing demand from developing nations and the dwindling availability of fossil fuels.

However, there are still many factors which can affect the adoption of EVs. Whilst the opinions and perceptions of electric vehicles can be made to look fashionable, the practicality of lithium-ion technology proves to be a challenge.

Despite impressive figures claiming that Nissan Leaf, one of the cars supported in the DfT press release, could achieve an equivalent 99 miles to the gallon, tests conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency driving in ‘real world’ conditions only gave a range of 73 miles from one charge. In addition, charging times for vehicles can take up to 8 hours rather than the few minutes it takes to fill up a car with petrol, as a recent experiment conducted by the BBC has shown.

The EV charging infrastructure also needs to be greatly improved, to increase the uptake and range capacity of EV drivers. Budgetary changes, announced by the mayor of London, have reduced the number of charging points to be located across the capital city. The original increase of 7,500 charging points has been revised to 1,300 devices to be installed by the end of 2013. As of the end of 2010, London had over 250 charging points with 1,700 registered electric vehicles but greater affirmative action is required if the mayor’s ambition to see 100,000 vehicles on London’s roads by the end of this decade is realised.

The lifespan on batteries can also be far shorter than the lifespan of the car. Professor Robert Kemp, Chairman of a study carried out by the Royal Academy of Engineering entitled ‘Electric Vehicles: charged with potential’, indicated that the current technology of batteries should typically be useful for at least three year’s usage and must eventually be replaced several times.

Thankfully, some innovators are working on the solutions to these problems. Ashwoods Automotive Limited, based in UK and one of Europe’s fastest growing companies, has developed a battery management system which maintains the each cell in order to improve range and efficiency.  Ashwood’s hybrid and electric vehicle battery management system has recently featured in the Shell Springboard Awards UK Final is one of many up-and-coming innovations in the field of energy storage. The eventual winner of this competition, Cella Energy Ltd, succeeded with innovations in storing hydrogen through low cost materials and without having to store the element under extreme pressure or with super-cooled liquids, proving that there are alternatives to the current lithium-ion standard.

The world needs to adapt under these new circumstances of political, economic and environmental opportunity. To foster a conducive system for innovation, the Energy Storage Challenge seeks to find entrepreneurs and ideas involved with transportable energy storage solutions. For more information on the challenge, visit http://www.omnicompete.com/energy.html.

The latest ESC press release promoting our global search for energy storage systems of the future has hit news sites worldwide. It was picked up by a number of sites, including  Daily Energy Report, Earth Times, Electric Power News Today, Energy & Technology Update (India),  Environmental News Today, Enviornment Expert, Renewable Energy News Today within hours.

“The aim of the Energy Storage Challenge is to shorten the current 8-15 year process of advancing research ideas into commercial products into a 3-5 year competition based model” said Jonathan Slater, Director of the Energy Storage Challenge. 

The British climate is rarely likened to that of California, but primary energy usage in the United Kingdom and California is broadly similar. The UK can learn a lot from the Californian energy policies that are being instated, enacted and crucially, are working.

Policies introduced by the former Governor Schwarzenegger are ambitious in comparison to the UK’s policy. California is aiming for 33% of electricity demand to be met by renewable energy sources by 2020. By 2050, it intends to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 20% of 1990. The UK Government’s 2006 Energy Review has a more cautious 20% renewable energy target with an aim to reduce CO2 emissions to 40% of 1990 levels by the year 2020.

Naturally, the same energy saving, carbon reducing formula will not be suitable across a broad spectrum. The UK’s population is 40% larger and has a more temperate weather system than the American state, give or take the odd ‘enormous’ snowfall that disrupts the British transport system. However, infrastructure, public opinion, the interests of private industry and the aftermath of the economic crisis will determine the likelihood of these targets being achieved. California has committed itself to long-term policies which are far ahead of the rest of the United States.

Energy Storage is recognised by the Californian government is one of the most important areas needing innovation, in the same regard as energy creation and distribution. It is anticipated that an additional 1000 megawatts of additional storage capacity will be created by 2020 through various types forms of storage; batteries, flywheels, capacitors and more.

As it is explained in ‘California’s Clean Energy Future’,

“Energy storage will be a significant feature of the cleaner power system. As a result of agency support for storage technology pilot studies, increased utility-scale and aggregated smaller scale storage technologies will be available to help facilitate integration of intermittent wind and solar renewable resources.”

British policy is not as explicit. The future of energy generation has a lot of emphasis on sources of power between clean renewable and more controversial nuclear power plants. New coal-fired power plants  are even a feature in the next era of energy generation. They come with the disclaimer of being ‘clean’; advanced carbon dioxide compressors and absorbers are incorporated to make the eventual by-product less harmful to the wider environment. The California Public Utilities Commission has also planned the upgrade millions of their customers amongst the three largest energy providers to a smart grid by 2015, five years before the UK is to complete the transition.

The UK can learn from California’s example that in the age of austerity, investment into cleaner, greener and knowledgeable smart grid systems can provide a catalyst to economic recovery, energy security and lower emissions targets for the future. A report on the benefits and challenges that a smart grid system brings to the UK indicates that the existing infrastructure of our transmission and distribution network is coming to the end their life cycle in the next decade. The UK should eventually embrace the change onto a smart grid system but more delays could jeopardise many of the advantages.

Ecoseed, media partner of the ESC and leading source for global green news, finance, and other resources in delivering green and renewable energy to mainstream business, has written about the Fundamental Ideas Challenge as part of the Energy Storage Challenge.

"Energy storage is dubbed as the missing link for the 21st century’s switch to a smarter grid"

Consider the problems we have when it comes to our traditional energy sources. The price of gas, petrol and diesel continue to rise. Political disputes over oil in the Middle East and with Russia on Europe’s gas supplies threaten the dependence on foreign imports. Moreover, many countries are under increasing pressure to meet their carbon emission targets and to lower their overall output of carbon dioxide.  Cleaner energy sources to aid the environment will not be enough; we also need energy independence to improve security.

Wind and solar energy are two key energy sources that are being integrated into energy networks across the world. According to the Department for Energy and Climate Change, renewable energy contributes 8.6% of main electrical grid electricity supply in the UK. However, the limit with any type of energy creation is when demand does not match supply.

What good is a solar panel if we need electricity in the middle of the night? Do we become vigil for the slightest breeze hitting the blades of a wind turbine for our consumption? On a more serious note, in the aftermath of a large natural disaster, how do we power the vital services needed by relief organisations and the affected population when the grid is knocked out, if such an electricity grid existed at all? The sensible thing to do would be to capture the energy that is created and to store it for when it is needed.

So, how can renewable energy sources benefit portable energy storage requirements? For answers, look no further than the military.

An example taken from the  armed forces stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrates well how solar power is used for energy storage. Dismounted soldiers can be stationed out in the field, for many days in isolation, and power is essential to aid communication and electrical equipment. Recognising this need, the U.S. Army has recently deployed rechargeable backpacks to its armed forces. Currently, 60% of its military batteries are non-rechargeable but it is hoped that this new piece of equipment will set a trend of renewable, rechargeable energy sources.

According to Rafael Casanova, battery team leader for the power division at CERDEC (Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center),

“These systems can be used to charge radios and recharge batteries. This reduces the amount of fuel needed and makes logistics planning simpler. Rechargeable batteries are important because they give soldiers the ability to power systems anywhere on the battlefield, and reduce the amount of money the Army spends on replacement batteries.”

Wind innovation is closer to home in the United Kingdom. Kraft Maus, a small company from Falmouth, Cornwall have created a portable wind turbine with photovoltaic panels as part of their 5kVA trailer system. Unlike the white 50 metre high behemoths that are sprouting up across open fields, if there is no wind, you could move it to where there might be more and spare yourself from the Countryside Alliance too. Energy is collected in a 640Ah lithium ion battery but the storage capacity can also be expanded.  

Kraft Maus’ business model is a relatively simple idea that has wide reaching applications. It gives power to those who rely on generators because of their distance from the grid and avoids the high initial costs, required planning permission and payback time of more permanent structures.  This model not only helps electrify our way of life but can also provide crucial assistance in the aftermath of a natural or man-made disaster.

As the Kraft Maus website states:

“[We] have designed a system for direct deployment into disaster relief situations. Following a disaster such as an earthquake or a war, one of the things people are most often lacking, after food and clean water, is power.”

If we are able to provide clean energy solutions, the possibilities are only limited by the technology in the battery cell. Our capacity for portable storage would greatly benefit from future development in this regard, beyond the lithium-ions that populate our electronic devices. Though they are common place, lithium ion batteries have their shortcomings; excessive heat and persistent recharging can shorten the capacity and take longer to be fully charged over time.

 One such development in energy storage include lithium-air batteries, as discussed by Khalil Amine from Argonne, which have a higher density than lithium-ion batteries. Unfortunately, manufacturing costs are not yet at a level which is cost-effective. Specialist bodies including The Almaden Institute, part of the IBM Research arm, also aim to catalyze long-term efforts to create rechargeable next-generation batteries with ten times higher energy density, compared to the best current Lithium-ion batteries. More commentators and analysts recognise the importance of energy storage as the saving grace of renewable energy solutions, as recently reported by the Financial Times.

The development of transportable storage systems, compatible with wind and solar energy, have huge implications, not only for our daily lifestyle but also disaster-scene survival.

You might not realise it but many of the ordinary, mundane things that occur every day in your life involve energy storage in some way. From the calls made on a mobile phone, to the way we get to and from work and even the kinetic energy used in a wristwatch powered by the ‘pendulum-like’ movement of one’s arm; all of them require some kind of innovation in energy storage and this year will be like no other seen before.

This week, Rob Day, partner at Black Coral Capital and private equity investor, has said that 2011 is the ‘Year for Energy Storage’ and we couldn’t agree more. Commercially, this year will see electric car technology hitting the mainstream with Nissan’s Leaf and a few months down the line, Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV, as prime examples of the electric revolution in the UK.

Energy storage development has spread to our newly discovered tastes for mobile computing as well. Mobile tablets, popularised by Apple’s iPad, have put greater demands on battery life and longevity. Blackberry will also be launching their Playbook, showing that there is high demand for these devices, despite the resurgence of tablet computing less than 9 months ago.

Geographically, there is also a great need to develop energy storage solutions that can be transportable as well as independent of the national grid. The earthquake disaster that occurred in Haiti last year meant that aid agencies repairing the damage needed portable and dependable power sources to perform even the most basic of humanitarian aid. Even now, the electricity in Haiti only reaches only a quarter of the population as the restoration of Haiti continues.

All things considered, the next 12 months will be monumental to the development of energy storage techniques. One company that has capitalised on energy storage is Maxwell Technologies Inc.  Having won a $1.7 million contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Maxwell Technologies is leading a team to develop longer operational batteries for portable electronic equipment carried by military personnel.

Some governments are even seeking energy innovation as a cornerstone of their future economic policy. The Saltire Prize, an initiative by the Scottish Government, offers a £10 million prize to the team that can demonstrate in Scottish waters, a commercially viable wave or tidal stream system. Energy independence, it is hoped, will allow Scotland to foster more jobs and stimulate growth in their economy.  

The world therefore needs to store energy for more intensive purposes and for extended periods of time, to reach more people.

Budding innovators and entrepreneurs out there will be pleased to know there is a way in which they can develop their ideas further with some serious investment in our recently opened Fundamental Ideas Challenge, part of the multiyear, multi-million dollar Energy Storage Challenge. The competition, run by London-based competition vendor OmniCompete, is seeking for fresh ideas about systems that can provide transportable energy storage. The winning entry can look forward to a $250,000 prize to take the idea further. The prize fund is provided by the Office of Naval Research (ONR)and the Office of Naval Research - Global (ONR-G).

 Submissions can be made free of charge on the OmniCompete website, which provides more details.

2011 looks to be an electrifying year for energy storage and the Energy Storage Challenge and OmniCompete aim to be at the forefront of this development, through the Fundamental Ideas Challenge.

The Fundamental Ideas Challenge is looking for fresh ideas about systems that can provide transportable energy storage. Proposals must be notably different from existing systems and in this case, an idea is really all we need. Finalists will have the honour of presenting their ideas before sponsors, investors, peers and a panel of independent judges at the first ever Energy Storage Summit in September 2011.

The Energy Storage Trends Blog discussed the forthcoming Energy Storage Challenge with Jonathan Slater, Director of the ESC, in an article entitled "Energy Storage Contest Begins: $5M Prize in 2013".

“We have already had 160 organizations and individuals pre-apply to the 2011 Challenge”

The  Energy Storage Challenge (ESC) and the Electricity Storage Association (ESA) talk about their new partnership and the impact they will have on energy storage solutions.

"Together, ESC and ESA continue to promote the development of energy storage solutions."

BEST Magazine editor Gerry Wolf wrote an editorial  entitled "Winners need in Energy Storage Challenge" about the ESC and the call for new innovations in this field in the latest edition of BEST Magazine.

"Good technology needs honouring. We've had the X prize for space and for automotive - the millennium technology prize. Now comes the Energy Storage Challenge - a three year programme with a top prize of US$5million to develop a new energy storage technology."