Aquion uses energy to make a cheap battery that stores wind and solar, the ingredients in salt and water.
A spin-off from Carnegie Mellon, the start-up detected, $ 20 million of a planned $30 million round of financing according to a regulatory filing by Earth2Tech triggered. The company was originally developed by the Department of energy with $5 million from the federal stimulus program funded and added a Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as an investor.
Aquion energy developed a room temperature sodium ion battery as an alternative to lithium-ion and other batteries for grid storage. It expects to begin their refrigerator size, battery packs for customers, the tests this year or next year, according to the company.
Cost is one of the advantages of sodium ion batteries. Far more than lithium, sodium, one of the ingredients in salt, is abundant. Aquion energy batteries use a water-based electrolyte, which is easier to use and simplifies the manufacturing process, company founder and materials science Carnegie Mellon Professor Jay Whitacre told technology review.
Sodium-sulfur batteries are one of the preferred technologies for the storage of wind and solar power or other grid applications. But sodium-sulfur batteries run at high temperatures, making them less energy than the ambient temperature batteries, secure and efficient according to researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is working on sodium-ion batteries. Lead acid batteries, result in the release of toxic lead, Whitacre's patent application notes in the meantime.
In a presentation, Aquion said energy the battery 85 percent are more efficient and use non-toxic materials. The anode consists of a "low cost, high-performance" carbon and the cathode is from manganese oxide. As in other battery move chemistry, sodium ions between the anodes of the battery by the water-based electrolyte during loading and unloading.
The company product plans are low voltage cells together are lined up to use for grid storage. A battery pack would be operated to the size of a server rack data between 12 and 48 volt. Can lined up together in a shipping container size box for 500 volts to 1000 Volts batteries.
After testing his equipment with customers it ramp up production in the time frame planning 2013 and 2014. His target price is under $300 per kilowatt hour, which is well below the price of today's lithium-ion batteries.
Feeding has established itself as one of the most difficult technical challenges in energy storage electricity into the power for several hours. Lithium-ion batteries, which bursts on the provision of power, are the "wind energy, but cost remains a barrier firm" used.
The bulk of grid storage space, the several hours of storage for solar and wind, has attracted many researchers and companies. An example is total, cheap liquid metal battery recently by Bill Gates and oil company, long-lasting grid develop memory financed was.
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