Technology and R&D

Bosch’s new solid oxide fuel cell prototype has an electrical efficiency of more than 60% and an overall efficiency above 85%. It also has a targeted power output of 10 kW and can produce up to 3 kW of thermal energy.

GIZ, Germany’s development agency, has partnered with India‘s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to follow up on its successful “kW-to-kWh” study, which has become a quality benchmark for MNRE’s projects in India. PI Berlin acted as lead consultant on the project, and Asier Ukar, senior consultant and managing director of PI Berlin S.L., shares some of the key conclusions.

The IIT Kanpur-incubated startup has introduced ZincGel battery technology that offers energy efficiency at par with lithium-ion products but with twice the lifecycle and negligible operational cost, which can lead to significant savings for two-wheeler EV operators.

US scientists have developed a battery that can retain 92% of its initial capacity over periods of 12 weeks, with a theoretical energy density of 260 W/hour per kg. It was built with an aluminum anode and a nickel cathode, immersed in molten-salt electrolyte.

Germany’s Ostermeier H2ydrogen Solutions has developed an electrolyzer that works with tap water, with bottles to store hydrogen and a fuel cell or a Wankel engine to produce electricity. The system has a capacity ranging from 1kW to 100 kW, which corresponds to hydrogen production of 0.2-20 Nm3/h.

The result was confirmed by the National Institute of Metrology of China. It was achieved with a cell size of 210x210mm.

French chemical company Axcentive and solar module manufacturer Photowatt have developed a PV panel coating based on photoactive nanotechnology. The coating relies on a super-hydrophilic surface that makes the water spread out on the module surface immediately, thus avoiding light scattering effects upon rain.

German scientists have tried to determine whether a PV system linked to a small electrolyzer, a fuel cell, and lithium-ion batteries could fully power a grid-connected household. Their new proposal consists of a 6.8kW PV array, a 5kW electrolyzer, a 1.24kW fuel cell system, and battery storage.

The US manufacturer has expanded the battery capacity options for its SunVault Storage product, up to 26 kWh and 52 kWh configurations.

Researchers from The University of Queensland have developed a new nanotechnology that purportedly more than doubles the lifespan of high-voltage lithium-ion batteries, paving the way for higher density and lower-cost energy storage solutions.