By Barney Smith If, and it is a big “If”, the whole world suddenly wholeheartedly embraced electric cars, what would be the consequences? Leaving aside the problems arising from the substantial rising demand for more electricity from renewable sources for charging the cars and the problems caused by the world’s over-reliance on copper and cobalt [...]
By Julian Singer When we last wrote about Highview Power (Greenbarrel, June 2020) the company was embarking on its first commercial electrical storage project at Trafford, Greater Manchester. Now it has eight more “..entering the execution phase this year or next” according to an interview with the CEO, Javier Cavada, in rechargenews.com. Highview is a [...]
By Julian Singer Faradion is a privately financed, Sheffield-based company that is developing sodium-ion rechargeable batteries. These batteries are not yet commercially available, but solve two problems with the standard lithium-ion variety. First, they are safer. In lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), if for any reason the electrodes come in contact, the resulting current can be large [...]
By Julian Singer On 8 February 2021 AMTE Power announced its intention to seek admission to trading on AIM. AMTE develops specialised lithium-ion batteries for particular niche markets. It was founded in December 2013 when it acquired the battery manufacturer AGM Batteries with its small-scale manufacturing plant in Thurso, Scotland. AMTE is currently working on [...]
By Oliver Nelson-Drummett Fired bricks are one of the original construction materials, dating back 5000 years to Neolithic China. Their distinctive red colouring comes from a small amount of haematite – a common form of iron ore – in the bricks. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, USA have exploited this iron content to [...]
By Oliver Nelson-Dummett The latest step towards an all-renewables grid is beginning construction near Manchester, UK. Excess energy will be used to compress and cool air into a liquid for long term storage. When demand spikes, the air will be reheated and directed through a turbine to generate electricity. The process is called liquid air [...]
By Julian Singer On 18 June the DBEIS[1] announced an award of £10 million for what is claimed to be the world’s first commercial liquid air battery project to be installed in Trafford, Greater Manchester. The complete project will consist of a CryoBattery, developed by Highview Power, and a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) from [...]
By Oliver Nelson-Dummett Batteries are the ever-present power sources that the modern world relies on. From single-use button cells to rechargeable car batteries, these devices can be tailored to meet seemingly any energy demand. As intermittent renewable energy generation becomes more prevalent, large battery reserves could help to smooth the electricity supply. They have extremely [...]
The eighth annual Oxford Energy Day, held on 1 October with 180 attendees, was devoted to the issues of energy storage for the UK. Professor Chris Llewellyn-Smith, who is currently advising the government on the matter, gave the keynote address. To achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 Llewellyn-Smith estimates that the UK will need 50 [...]
Today we welcome a new writer and an old friend to Greenbarrel. Richard worked for a sister company to Oilbarrel.com which was Greenbarrel’s predecessor company that was involved in writing and publishing energy stories. Since those days (some ten years ago) Richard has carved out a distinguished career with a portfolio of projects and consultancies. [...]