Category Archives: System Operator

World Nuclear Electricity Generation Down 5 Percent Since 2006

World nuclear electricity-generating capacity has been essentially flat since 2007 and is likely to fall as plants retire faster than new ones are built. In fact, the actual electricity generated at nuclear power plants fell 5 percent between 2006 and 2011. In 2011, following Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, 13 nuclear reactors in Japan, Germany, … Continue reading World Nuclear Electricity Generation Down 5 Percent Since 2006

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New Ford Test for Electric Vehicle Batteries Simulates 10 Years of Use in 10 Months’ Time

New Ford battery life validation protocol draws on two decades of electrified vehicle field experience to predict how lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries are likely to perform as far as 150,000 miles down the road Battery reliability has been identified as the top purchase consideration for potential customers, beating out other factors including fuel efficiency Ford is … Continue reading New Ford Test for Electric Vehicle Batteries Simulates 10 Years of Use in 10 Months’ Time

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Nissan US lithium-ion battery plant starts LEAF EV pack production

The cell fabrication factory in Smyrna is the largest plant in the U.S. that builds automotive-scale lithium–ion batteries, and one of just three globally for Nissan. Nissan’s lithium-ion automotive battery plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, US, has started production of battery components for 2013 Nissan LEAF electric vehicle (EV). The first set of batteries manufactured at … Continue reading Nissan US lithium-ion battery plant starts LEAF EV pack production

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Wind Energy and Solar Power Paired With Storage Could Power Grid 99.9 Percent of the Time

Renewable energy could fully power a large electric grid 99.9 percent of the time by 2030 at costs comparable to today’s electricity expenses, according to new research by the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College. A well-designed combination of wind power, solar power and storage in batteries and fuel cells would nearly always … Continue reading Wind Energy and Solar Power Paired With Storage Could Power Grid 99.9 Percent of the Time

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AES Selects Mitsubishi-GS Yuasa and Parker-Hannifin to Supply Battery Energy Storage System

AES Gener and AES Energy Storage today announced the selection of Parker-Hannifin to supply advanced battery energy storage systems for their new Cochrane power station. The battery energy storage system will be supplied by Mitsubishi Corporation with the lithium ion battery module manufactured by GS Yuasa and the lithium ion battery cells by Lithium Energy … Continue reading AES Selects Mitsubishi-GS Yuasa and Parker-Hannifin to Supply Battery Energy Storage System

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First Japanese Litium-ion Battery to be Supplied to Large Sized Battery Energy Storage System on a Commercial Scale in Chile

GS Yuasa International Ltd. (President : Makoto Yoda, Office : Kyoto, Japan) and Mitsubishi Corporation (President : Ken Kobayashi, Office : Tokyo, Japan) are pleased to announce that their lithium-ion battery equipment with a maximum output of 20MW/6.3MWh was selected for a battery energy storage system which will be installed next to the new thermal … Continue reading First Japanese Litium-ion Battery to be Supplied to Large Sized Battery Energy Storage System on a Commercial Scale in Chile

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Saft Contracted by Boeing to Provide Li-ion Batteries for New Small Platform GEO Satellites

Saft, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of advanced batteries for industry, has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract from Boeing to build Li-ion battery packs for four new 702SP communications satellites. The technology-rich “small platform” satellites, designed to operate in the 3- to 8-kilowatt power range, are being developed by Boeing for Asia Broadcast … Continue reading Saft Contracted by Boeing to Provide Li-ion Batteries for New Small Platform GEO Satellites

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Building a Better Battery for Electric Vehicles and the Grid

If you wanted to shorten the path from discovering to commercializing a promising battery technology for electric and hybrid vehicles and the electricity grid, you’d probably want to start an Energy Innovation Hub. That’s exactly what happened today, as Argonne National Lab takes the reins of the newly formed Batteries and Energy Storage Hub. It’ll … Continue reading Building a Better Battery for Electric Vehicles and the Grid

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Obama administration launches project to develop electric-vehicle batteries

The Energy Department will dole out the money over five years to establish a research hub for batteries and energy storage, backed by five national laboratories, five Midwestern universities and four private firms. The Obama administration launched a fresh $120-million research project Friday, aimed at developing cheaper batteries for electric vehicles, a sector that has … Continue reading Obama administration launches project to develop electric-vehicle batteries

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Lithium-Sulphur rechargeable battery from PolyPlus may replace Li-Ion batteries

One thing is clear – all our future developments in engineering and technology are going to be controlled by the energy storage mechanisms and engineers are already dedicating their attention to developing newer solutions for energy storage. PolyPlus Batteries & Johnson Controls have received ARPA-E energy grant to develop ‘aqueous rechargeable Lithium-Sulphur battery’. This new type of … Continue reading Lithium-Sulphur rechargeable battery from PolyPlus may replace Li-Ion batteries

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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to Introduce Large-capacity Lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage System

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), jointly with SSE plc (formerly Scottish and Southern Energy plc), will begin an energy storage system demonstration project using the power grid in the UK’s Orkney Islands, which has a high proportion of renewable energy generation in relation to demand. The project aims at demonstrating power supply stabilization in the … Continue reading Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to Introduce Large-capacity Lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage System

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Greenhouse-Gas Concentrations Reach Record High

The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new record high in 2011, according to a recent report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new record high in 2011, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Between 1990 and 2011 there was a 30% … Continue reading Greenhouse-Gas Concentrations Reach Record High

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Saft wins electric vehicle battery contract with US Army

BAE Systems has awarded Saft with $1.3 million in new funding for the continued development of a Lithium-ion (Li-ion) energy storage system for the U.S. Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program. Saft, which is designing and building ultra- high-power cells for the vehicle’s hybrid electric drive system, has already completed the demo battery system including … Continue reading Saft wins electric vehicle battery contract with US Army

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Toyota working on sodium-ion batteries

Toyota has developed a new material that can significantly boost the capacity of sodium-ion batteries, the Nikkei business newspaper reports. The new positive electrode material could lead to the development of batteries that can power electric vehicles for 500 kilometers to 1,000 kilometers on a single charge. According to the report, the Japanese carmaker has … Continue reading Toyota working on sodium-ion batteries

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GM and ABB demonstrate Chevrolet Volt Battery Reuse

General Motors and ABB showed the next stage in battery reuse, the repackaging of five used Chevrolet Volt batteries into a modular unit capable of providing two hours of electricity needed by three to five average American homes. The uninterruptable power supply and grid power balancing system was demonstrated during GM’s Electrification Experience. The prototype … Continue reading GM and ABB demonstrate Chevrolet Volt Battery Reuse

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BASF Celebrates Opening of Battery Materials Production Plant in Elyria, Ohio

BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, today celebrated the grand opening of its new cathode materials production plant in Elyria, Ohio. The materials manufactured at the Elyria plant will be used by BASF’s customers to produce advanced lithium-ion batteries that will propel current and next-generation hybrid and full electric vehicles, helping drive the future of … Continue reading BASF Celebrates Opening of Battery Materials Production Plant in Elyria, Ohio

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Production of Batteries Made Cheaper and Safer

Researchers at Aalto University, Finland have developed a method for producing lithium batteries that is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than previously used methods. This new process has succeeded in replacing the harmful methylpyrrolidone (NMP) solvent, which is traditionally used in the manufacturing of electrodes, with water. Removing this harmful solvent from the production process … Continue reading Production of Batteries Made Cheaper and Safer

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Global CO2 emissions rising to record levels in 2011

  The global CO2 emissions in 2011 have again reached a new record high. With 34 billion tons (2010:. Around 33.2 billion tonnes) was as much carbon dioxide from fossil fuels into the atmosphere than ever before, announced the International Economic Platform for Renewable Energies (IWR) in Münster. Following the decline in emissions in 2009 … Continue reading Global CO2 emissions rising to record levels in 2011

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