Battery Power Online | Articles

Negative-Stiffness Vibration Isolation Facilitates Nano-Research into Superionic Solid Electrolytes for Next-Generation Lithium Batteries

Josh Johnson July 30, 2017

Contributed commentary by Patrick Roberts, Michigan Technical University

July 30, 2017 | Advances in materials testing techniques have enabled scientists and engineers to measure mechanical properties, and observe and characterize mechanical phenomena that control deformation and failure down to nearly the atomic level. One field that is benefiting from such advances in testing techniques is energy storage. The option of creating higher energy capacity batteries has direct implications on performance with laptops, smartphones, and electric vehicles. Read more about Negative-Stiffness Vibration Isolation Facilitates Nano-Research into Superionic Solid Electrolytes for Next-Generation Lithium Batteries …

Lithium Ion Batteries: Exposing Safety Risks Via Testing on a Budget

Josh Johnson May 24, 2017

Contributed commentary by John C. Copeland, VP/COO, Energy Assurance LLC

As a commercial test lab specializing in regulatory and performance testing of rechargeable lithium batteries, we assist a wide variety of clients spanning all aspects of the electronics industry. Many come from highly-regulated product types that typically have well established requirements for safety, quality, and reliability. They also tend to have the engineering and compliance resources to support these requirements, and as such, command a corresponding price premium. In short, they inherently understand the value of testing favoring a more proactive approach. Read more about Lithium Ion Batteries: Exposing Safety Risks Via Testing on a Budget …

Seeking a Safer Future for Advanced Lithium-Ion Battery Technologies

Josh Johnson March 17, 2017

Contributed commentary by David Lee, CEO, BioSolar
Dr. Sung-Jin Cho, Assistant Professor, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

While there are many different battery technologies currently available and in use, the energy storage industry is focused mainly on advancing lithium-ion battery technology because of its overwhelming advantages over other types of batteries commercially available on the market. For instance, compared to other existing batteries, lithium-ion batteries have a substantially higher energy storage density that requires a smaller footprint. This structure minimizes the weight and size of the devices, and its “memoryless” nature makes it more suitable for use in hybrid vehicles that require constant charges and discharges of its batteries in stop and go traffic. It is also important to note that with a low self-discharge property, the battery’s stored electrical energy lasts longer. Though more substantial energy density improvement may be achievable by the so-called “beyond lithium-ion” batteries in the future, lithium-ion battery is expected to stay the mainstream battery chemistry for the next decade or maybe even longer. Read more about Seeking a Safer Future for Advanced Lithium-Ion Battery Technologies …

Seeking a Safer Future for Advanced Lithium-Ion Battery Technologies

Josh Johnson March 17, 2017

Contributed commentary by David Lee, CEO, BioSolar
Dr. Sung-Jin Cho, Assistant Professor, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

While there are many different battery technologies currently available and in use, the energy storage industry is focused mainly on advancing lithium-ion battery technology because of its overwhelming advantages over other types of batteries commercially available on the market. For instance, compared to other existing batteries, lithium-ion batteries have a substantially higher energy storage density that requires a smaller footprint. This structure minimizes the weight and size of the devices, and its “memoryless” nature makes it more suitable for use in hybrid vehicles that require constant charges and discharges of its batteries in stop and go traffic. It is also important to note that with a low self-discharge property, the battery’s stored electrical energy lasts longer. Though more substantial energy density improvement may be achievable by the so-called “beyond lithium-ion” batteries in the future, lithium-ion battery is expected to stay the mainstream battery chemistry for the next decade or maybe even longer. Read more about Seeking a Safer Future for Advanced Lithium-Ion Battery Technologies …

The Looming Problem of Battery Waste in Wearables and How to Solve It

Josh Johnson July 9, 2017

Jeffrey Ortega, Ph.D., Director of Research, ZPower

July 7, 2017 | According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans buy approximately three billion dry-cell batteries each year to power common household devices, including radios, toys, phones and computers. This volume creates nearly 180,000 tons of battery waste that is either recycled or ends up in landfills, where it can leach toxic chemicals into the ground and water supply. And while this number is staggering in and of itself, we live in a battery-powered world, and our need is only growing. Read more about The Looming Problem of Battery Waste in Wearables and How to Solve It …

What You Must Do Before Shipping Batteries to India

Josh Johnson February 2, 2017

Jody Leber, Global Battery Manager, SGS

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) recently gave smartphone manufacturers who want to ship batteries to India a little more breathing room. But just a little. In June 2016, the BIS released new norms that for the first time requires handset vendors to test smartphone batteries separately. In September, the BIS pushed the original deadline out to August 2017. Despite the extension, the timeframe remains tight. Let’s examine what manufacturers of smartphones, and any other battery-powered devices, can do today to avoid creating costly go-to-market delays. Read more about What You Must Do Before Shipping Batteries to India …

A Simplified Strategy for Managing Power and Services for Edge Facilities

Josh Johnson June 8, 2017

Phil Aldag, Marketing Manager, Vertiv Services

The information technology (IT) landscape continues to change, due in large part to the Internet of Things (IoT) wave, the ever-growing environment in which objects have the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human interaction. According to Gartner predictions, there will be approximately 25 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020, and Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) forecasts mobile data traffic will grow seven-fold from 2016 to 2021.