Battery Power - Spring 2014 - (Page 25)

iNdustry News WattJoule Licenses Flow Battery Technology Developed by PNNL WattJoule Corp., a developer of next-generation flow battery energy storage systems, has entered into an intellectual property licensing agreement with Battelle. This agreement enables the full commercialization of patent pending, flow battery electrolyte technology developed over the last several years by the research team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The research was funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Energy Storage Program under the leadership of Dr. Imre Gyuk. "The redox flow battery is well-suited for storing intermittent, renewable energy on the electric grid. The technology can Pacific Northwest National Laborahelp balance supply and tory's redox flow battery technolodemand, prevent disrupgy, which is expected to advance tions and meet the grid's renewable energy storage, has varying load requirements," been licensed to Lowell, Mass.based WattJoule Corporation. said Imre Gyuk, energy storage program manager at Shown here is a 2009 photo of PNNL staff evaluating the technology. DOE's Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability, which supported the licensed technology's development and currently funds much of PNNL's energy storage research. "Successful commercialization of DOE-sponsored technology development, such as this, is vital for creating the grid of the future, and sustaining US leadership in advanced technology," Gyuk added. "The electrolyte technology developed by PNNL, in combination with our advanced high-power stack technology, give us a highly competitive flow battery platform," said Dr. H. Frank Gibbard, CEO and Founder of WattJoule. "This licensed technology is another important building block in our core IP strategy. Through licensing and in-house development we are working diligently to obtain all the core technology that will enable the commercialization of flow batteries." "This technology provides two critical elements that are inadequate in current flow batteries," said Greg Cipriano, VP Business Development and founder of WattJoule. "The first is a greater operating temperature range by 115 percent, thereby eliminating the need for expensive, complex system cooling. The second is our ability to store more energy in the liquid, termed energy density. This is improved by 100 percent. These combined changes significantly reduce volume, footprint and most importantly cost." Industry Coalition Urges OMB to Approve Rule Enhancing Safe Air Transport of Lithium Batteries PRBA-The Rechargeable Battery Association, with other trade groups, manufacturers and transportation companies, has urged the Office of Management and Budget to "act promptly" www.BatteryPowerOnline.com and finish its review of US Department of Transportation regulations that would advance safety goals by harmonizing US requirements for the air transport of lithium batteries with tougher international rules. In a January 10 letter to the director of OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), 24 coalition members noted that DOT's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) safety regulation was initiated four years ago, in January 2010. PHMSA's proposal proved controversial and was followed by new and improved regulatory efforts in April 2012 and January 2013. "It is now time for this proceeding to be completed," the letter stated. PHMSA's final rule is expected to harmonize US hazardous materials regulations addressing the air transport of lithium batteries with the 2013-2014 rules established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the letter said. "We strongly believe that this would enhance safety by avoiding the burdens of complying with multiple and inconsistent safety requirements," the letter added. As a result, the PHMSA regulation is "both sound policy" and meets the requirements of the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act, including PHMSA's continued prohibition on the transport of lithium metal batteries on passenger aircraft, the letter emphasized. "We see no reason why OIRA should delay its promulgation and publication in the Federal Register," the letter added, if PHMSA's final rule harmonizes US regulations with international air transport regulation and the agency, as expected, adopts several changes advocated by the industry coalition. Sol Chip and Tadiran to Collaborate on Solar Battery Development Sol Chip has announced a collaboration agreement with Tadiran Batteries for solar battery development and marketing cooperation. Founded in 2009, Sol Chip is an energy-harvesting company that has developed a maintenance-free Everlasting Solar Battery. Sol Chip's technology provides a platform for disruptive technological applications, such as precision agriculture and Internet of Things (IoT). Sol Chip's technology is designed to enable autonomous operation of devices and systems powered by a "plug and play" solar energy source. Tadiran Batteries is a manufacturer of a wide line of lithium batteries. Tadiran batteries are widely used for a variety of applications including AMR utility meters, System Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), data loggers, GPS emergency locators, animal tracking devices, GPS asset/container tracking, GPS vehicle tracking, environmental measurement, and RFID devices. Many of these outdoor wireless applications such as wireless sensors, RF tags, GPS require a long-life battery. For such applications, Tadiran sees the potential value of Sol Chip's Energy Harvester that can charge Tadiran's batteries, thus enabling autonomous, maintenance-free operation. The combination of Sol Chip's Energy Harvester and Tadiran's battery can potentially provide energy for the lifetime of the application. Spring 2014 * Battery Power 25 http://www.BatteryPowerOnline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Battery Power - Spring 2014

NREL Model Licensed to Improve Accuracy of Battery Simulations
Companies Collaborate to Make Wireless Power As Commonplace as WiFi
Improving the Coulombic Efficiency and Lifetime Of Li-Ion Cells Demands High Precision, High Accuracy Testing
Rapid Charging for Battery-Powered Portable Devices
Managing Fleet Batteries and Knowing When to Retire Them
Batteries
ICs & Semiconductors
Charging Systems
Industry News
Research & Development
Marketplace

Battery Power - Spring 2014