Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Race for a New Grid Battery Hits a Speed Bump
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/541851/race-for-a-new-grid-battery-hits-a-speed-bump/[font face=Serif][font size=5]Race for a New Grid Battery Hits a Speed Bump[/font]
[font size=4]A promising battery startup has run into problems commercializing its novel technology.[/font]
By Richard Martin on September 30, 2015
[font size=3]One of the most promising startups working on new types of grid-scale batteries, Ambri, has revealed disappointing test results for its novel technology, forcing it to lay off one-quarter of its staff in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and push back commercial deployment indefinitely.
The problem, according to CEO Phil Giudice, is the seals that keep Ambri’s liquid electrodes enclosed. Ambri’s liquid-metal batteries are housed inside steel cans that must be hermetically sealed with materials that hold up for many years. Founded in 2011, the company has been working for the last couple of years on the sealant issue, and by early 2015 researchers were confident they’d come up with a solution. Testing over the summer, however, indicated that the seals had failed to achieve the required levels of performance. Now, says Giudice, it’s back to the lab.
“We’re looking at a Plan B and a Plan C solution,” says Giudice, “and we’re confident that they will perform really well. It looks promising.”
Ambri is one of a clutch of startups working to develop advanced batteries that will succeed lithium-ion batteries—particularly for storing energy from intermittent renewable sources, such as wind and solar (see “Ambri Funding Influx Suggests a New Day for Grid Batteries”), and integrating it into the grid. While lithium-ion batteries have advanced rapidly in terms of both operational life and price in recent years, they are still not cheap or long-lasting enough to provide grid storage on a wide scale. Investors have backed several novel battery chemistries that could fill that role, including flow batteries, solid lithium polymers, and aqueous-ion materials. Although companies such as Ambri, Aquion, and Seeo are getting close, so far none have succeeded in commercializing a new battery.
…[/font][/font]
[font size=4]A promising battery startup has run into problems commercializing its novel technology.[/font]
By Richard Martin on September 30, 2015
Ambri’s manufacturing facility in Cambridge is operational, but the company is still seeking a solution to its sealant problem.
[font size=3]One of the most promising startups working on new types of grid-scale batteries, Ambri, has revealed disappointing test results for its novel technology, forcing it to lay off one-quarter of its staff in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and push back commercial deployment indefinitely.
The problem, according to CEO Phil Giudice, is the seals that keep Ambri’s liquid electrodes enclosed. Ambri’s liquid-metal batteries are housed inside steel cans that must be hermetically sealed with materials that hold up for many years. Founded in 2011, the company has been working for the last couple of years on the sealant issue, and by early 2015 researchers were confident they’d come up with a solution. Testing over the summer, however, indicated that the seals had failed to achieve the required levels of performance. Now, says Giudice, it’s back to the lab.
“We’re looking at a Plan B and a Plan C solution,” says Giudice, “and we’re confident that they will perform really well. It looks promising.”
Ambri is one of a clutch of startups working to develop advanced batteries that will succeed lithium-ion batteries—particularly for storing energy from intermittent renewable sources, such as wind and solar (see “Ambri Funding Influx Suggests a New Day for Grid Batteries”), and integrating it into the grid. While lithium-ion batteries have advanced rapidly in terms of both operational life and price in recent years, they are still not cheap or long-lasting enough to provide grid storage on a wide scale. Investors have backed several novel battery chemistries that could fill that role, including flow batteries, solid lithium polymers, and aqueous-ion materials. Although companies such as Ambri, Aquion, and Seeo are getting close, so far none have succeeded in commercializing a new battery.
…[/font][/font]
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
