TerraScale Signs an Agreement With Ambri To Deploy Its Liquid Metal Battery Technology For Energos Reno Project

Ambri, a battery system maker, has cut a deal with Terrascale, an official Partner of IBM, to provide a large scale battery plant for a data center project named Energos Reno

An article by energy-storage.news described it as such

Co-founded by MIT materials chemistry professor Donald Sadoway and part-funded to get off the ground by Bill Gates, Ambri has designed a battery that uses a liquid calcium alloy anode, molten salt electrolyte and a cathode made of solid particles of antimony. The company claims this enables a low number of steps in the cell assembly process while the materials are low-cost. Ambri also integrates the batteries into a containerised energy storage system solution.

Terrascale describe the project, Energos Reno, as such

The Energos Reno development is centered around two key strategies. The first is the development of critical infrastructure (roadways and utilities) that meet the demands of digital data/technology, manufacturing, distribution and warehousing for the US supply chain. The second is the development of renewable power by expanding the existing solar and geothermal sources; along with, future development of other potential technologies under discussion.

TerraScale is developing 3,700 acres of land near Fernley, NV in the Reno/Sparks Interstate I-80 corridor. Upon completion, Energos Reno will be the largest industrial / commercial / residential development in the US powered by hybrid renewable energy (geothermal, solar and other).

---

SOURCES

Ambri's liquid metal battery to be used at desert data centre in Nevada
https://www.energy-storage.news/news/ambris-liquid-metal-battery-to-be-used-at-desert-data-centre-in-nevada
26 Nov 2020

Energos Reno
https://terrascale.org/projectenergos

---

Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB) might be a step toward All Electric Vehciles - at Least Worth a Look

Exposed view of AGM Battery

An article from trucker.com caught out eye:

[I]n testing at 50 deg. C, an EFB battery was able to absorb 52% more energy than a comparable AGM [Absorbed Glass Mat] battery before collapse. In practice, he explained further, an EFB will last 52% longer than an AGM in high temperature environments before thermal stability and water loss failure is realized. In addition, in over 18 weeks of testing, the total average capacity output of the EFB was 50% greater than an equally sized AGM battery.

To be clear, rbbattery.com says an EFB is a rechargeable battery that contains a liquid electrolyte. This is what a is typically thought of as an automobile/truck lead-acid battery.

So an obvious question is: How is this different?

Reliable Power (rbbattery.com) describes it as such:

Exploded EFB battery

Enhanced flooded batteries have two main characteristics, namely scrim and acid circulator.

The Scrim is a polyester element added between the plate and the separator. Its purpose is to prevent the erosion of mass by holding the reactive material in its place.

This results in an enhanced deep cyclic resistance and a superior charge acceptance.

The acid circulator prevents the stratification of the acid. This modification utilizes the inertial movements of the vehicle to maintain a constant circulation of the acid.

Due to the homogenous density levels of the acid, charge acceptance and overall battery life are improve

Interestingly, this is an article by a specialty website (trucker.com). As such, we will watch this technology unknown to us more closely.

---

SOURCES

Battery technology developments for heavy-duty trucks
https://www.trucker.com/technology/article/21147960/battery-technology-developments
Nov 17, 2020

EFB Battery Guide: Everything You Need to Know About EFB Technology
https://www.rbbattery.com/efb-battery-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-efb-technology/
April 29, 2019

---

Australian AAM Self-charging Battery Technology uses 3D-Printable Ink With Advanced Graphene Oxide

Cool if, commercially viable

A quote from stockhead.com.au

Special Report: Self-charging battery technology that can create electricity from humidity in the air or the skin's surface is being developed by Strategic Elements and its research partners. Strategic Elements Limited (ASX:SOR) through its subsidiary Australian Advanced Materials (AAM) has teamed up with the University of New South Wales and CSIRO for the $1m project.

::

The optimisation of the battery cell ink formulation, scaling up production of battery ink to at least 1 litre, and developing a successful prototype connecting several battery cells that produces at least 3.7 volts.

---

Strategic Elements advances self-charging battery technology
https://stockhead.com.au/tech/strategic-elements-advances-self-charging-battery-technology/
October 27, 2020

---

Battery Chargning Research finds New Formula for Fast Charging Batteries

For those unfamiliar with battery charging, ANY battery change be charged quickly, not as fast as SuperCapacitors, but definitely in minutes. However, two major problems make this unwise.

1. There is a potential for the battery to overheat and possibly explode.
2. If battery does not explode, there is a good change the battery will be damage in a way that shortens the battery life.

Regardless, there are lots of tricks, including making changes in the battery formula. This article from koreabizwire.com outlines the results from the research.

A joint research team from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Sungkyunkwan University announced Monday that they had developed EV battery technology that enables faster and more durable charging.

Thus far, decreasing the size of particles of electrode materials was the primary method to speed up charge and discharge from secondary cells or EV batteries.

The downside, however, was that this method reduced the density of energy in the cell.

The research team came up with a solution that enables quick charge and discharge without loss of energy density by creating an intermediate phase during the phase variation of charge and discharge, without having to reduce the size of electrode particles.

---

BU-209: How does a Supercapacitor Work?
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/whats_the_role_of_the_supercapacitor

New Technology Charges EV Battery to 90 pct in 6 Minutes
http://koreabizwire.com/new-technology-charges-ev-battery-to-90-pct-in-6-minutes/172326
20 Oct 2020

---

New Spin on some Old Ideas: Solar-powered Benches with Zinc-bromide Batteries

Admittedly, we are suckers for technology that is "off grid". What's better than an outdoor solar-powered bench with lights. Here is a bit of information from manmonthly.com.au

Australian battery innovator Gelion Technologies has delivered a roll-out of its solar-powered benches at the University of Sydney, taking its battery technology to the pre-market stage. 

The Endure batteries that power the off-grid smart benches will be the first commercial installation for the company, which was spun-out from the University of Sydney by founder and chemist, Professor Thomas Maschmeyer. 

:: 

The Endure zinc-bromide batteries are optimised for stationary energy storage and could be used to power a range of off- or on-grid applications in the industrial, commercial, agricultural and residential sectors. They are especially suited to hot and remote environments given their high-temperature capability and low-fade characteristics, even if completely charged and discharged on a daily basis.

:: 

Gelion's robust and safe chemistry makes the expensive and complex auxiliary systems typically associated with other battery types unnecessary. As the Endure battery technology does not require air-conditioning, fire suppression or acid catchment areas, the overall costs and difficulty of the battery installation are substantially reduced. 

The Endure battery can be transported and stored with zero voltage, a significant advantage for logistics, safety and cost. The gel used in the Gelion platform has fire-retardant properties, making the batteries resistant to overheating and exploding and are therefore ideally suited for tough and remote environments, for example in off-grid and agricultural markets.

Images of the prototype system.

---

University technology spin-off delivers smart solar benches
https://www.manmonthly.com.au/news/university-technology-spin-off-delivers-smart-solar-benches/
October 19, 2020

---