Patent granted for new energy storage units
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January 6th, 2009 by Rory |
About three weeks ago, Texas-based EEstor Inc. was granted a patent for what is being considered a form of ultracapacitor. An extremely lightweight, very high energy dense storage unit that could possibly revolutionize all industries involved in the use and storage of energy. What has gotten people so excited about this news is the impact it may have on the automobile industry as hybrid cars have long battled with the limitations of large, heavy, toxic, and expensive batteries.
The EESU storage units are being made possible by creating capacitors with the aid of computerized plastic fabrication techniques. This allows for a capacitor that has a capacitance of up to 30 Farads (30F at 3500V, 52.22kWh for the nerds), which is tens of thousands of times the capacitance of capacitors found in our common electronics. According to the patent, these new EESU storage units are approximately 40% the weight of an equivalent Li-Ion battery pack which has only recently found its way into some new hybrid vehicles, or 6% the weight of an equivalent NiMH battery pack that is found in most current hybrids. The EESUs only discharge 0.1% over the course of a month so more of the energy you put into it will be available later for usage. Most battery packs discharge when not in use and can very often be affected by temperature. The lower the discharge the less to go to waste. Probably the most exciting fact is as with all capacitors, they will charge and discharge very quickly. If enough energy is available, you could charge a small EESU, for say a laptop, in a matter of seconds or perhaps even a matter of minutes for a larger unit (assuming the energy source is available). Capacitors are also known for being able to discharge in an instant so imagine being able to provide an electric car engine with all the energy it needs to get you going from 0 to 60 in less. Last but not least, capacitors don’t contain any of the harmful, toxic chemicals found in all other battery packs. Storage units that hold more, weigh less, charge / discharge instantly, never leak, and contain no toxic elements. Just imagine the possibilities for the renewable energy world. It doesn’t seem to get much better than that.
Some people have been pessimistic about the patent, filing it as a case of “too good to be true”, but I’m optimistic. EEstor has signed a deal with Zenn Motor to provide them with EESUs for use in their two-seat electric vehicles. EEstor has made agreements with Lockheed Martin. EEstor has also been funded by Kleiner Perkins, a prestigious venture capital group known for putting their money in the right places. And, while this may not sway many people, I come from a technical background and have worked hands-on with electronics for quite some time and this technology just feels right.
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Tags: automobiles, capacitors, cars, electricity, energy, hybrid, storage, ultracapacitors
5 Responses to “Patent granted for new energy storage units”
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Tiny green energy unit could revolutionise the Hybrid car |
January 8th, 2009
wow – this is really exciting. I’ve liked the idea of setting up a small solar unit on my fire escape, but based on past experience with deep cell batteries, I haven’t had the energy to take it on. If prove to be reliable – and find their way to the consumer market – I might just be powering my electronics via solar this summer. Thanks rory!
Yeah, it’s really exciting, and their method of production lends itself to being easily mass produced. If they keep their promise we may see their units in Zenn cars by next fall. Who knows how long until we have them in our own hands.
Brilliant concept i know that hybrid have come up agaisnt it due to the issues with the battery packs for the cars, lets hope that this does that trick.
Thanks
Thanks for the information, helped me out a lot. Considering it, I was never really sure whether or not it could be done this way.
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