To compete for hegemony, the United States spend 2.4 billion
On the 5th,8.Japan's "Sankei Shimbun" reported that Obama, President of the United States, announced that the U.S. auto industry giants such as the three companies provide 2.4 billion U.S. dollars free of charge for Li-ion battery development cooperation, I hope the next generation of eco-environmental protection in the global competition of motor vehicles Japan and other countries from there to retake the initiative in the world.
For the next generation of hybrid electric vehicles and the production run, high-performance battery development is the key. Japan-US auto giant eager to develop electric vehicles and to charge the hybrid at home. they are the key issues that need to be addressed .at the same time ,it is the realization of ultra-compact high-capacity lithium-ion battery production quantified. The car manufacturers and battery manufacturers have to cooperate to promote the resolution of this issue.
The battery revolution of Obama government aimed at making the U.S. the development of lithium-ion batteries worldwide leader in the restoration of the old Big Three U.S. auto demeanor of the global automotive industry, out of the over-reliance on imported crude oil, at the same time, reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Focusing on financial assistance to its clients, the 2.4 billion U.S. dollars that Obama delivered, aims at promoting the United States-based companies batteries and the development of electric vehicles. It is 787 billion U.S. dollars ,the United States large-scale relief project. U.S. Department of Energy has 165 candidates selected out of business 48 enterprises to participate in the development of the battery. If the plan could let the United States achieve the mass production of lithium batteries, The fruit would create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs. Recruitment companies in South Korea LG Chemical will supply batteries for electric vehicles next year to some companies, such as, the United States subsidiary, the company to the U.S. market GM; the U.S. company Johnson Controls (Johnson Controls) and the French company Saft joint venture.Meanwhile, the company will provide battery for the Ford automobile that cooperates with the Chrysler Corporation A123 systems.
Most of these companies plan to produce lithium batteries in Michigan where the Big Three U.S. automakers locates.A123 systems company also plans to apply the Government for the financing of 1.84 billion U.S. dollars to build a battery factory. Advanced battery production will allow the state, which currently has the nation's highest unemployment rate ,to get out of this predicament.
The U.S. government's development of aid batteries will be excluded from Japanese companies. The idea of rescuing Detroit has become increasingly clear. At present, U.S. companies are at a disadvantage in the global battery market. According to the U.S. Department of Energy data, Asia accounted for 98% of the share in the electronic prodution of lithium batteries of PC and other personal products.99% of the United States use hybrid batteries that are manufactured in Japan. President Obama on the 5th in his speech said that the United States are lagging behind Japan and China in the aspect of next generation of environmentally-friendly eco-car battery investment . He also stressed that the United States is working to get the initiative in the area of next generation clean energy vehicles.
New lower cost solar batteries
''Research breakthrough makes silicon solar batteries can be used outside of the production elements. '' the scientists of University of California, Los Angeles said, the results can significantly reduce the price of solar energy products.
Solar companies have been looking for more efficient, lower cost, and less raw materials than silicon material consumption. However, after teating copper, indium, gallium, selenium compounds (CIGS) and related materials, the suitable material fail to be found until recently..
William Hou University of California at Los Angeles for an engineering graduate, he said in a paper: "the human conversion efficiency of solar energy has increased to 20%, but the high cost of current treatment methods,letting production costs are too high, therefore it makes difficult to form the current price competition. "
Hou and his colleagues published the results ofcopper indium selenium solar cells of low-cost processing methods in this week's "solid films" magazine. They claimed that the future of these batteries can be mass produced and applied to many fields, such as in a backpack or clothes. and Hou said: "With our newly developed dissolution method, you can easily reach 20% of the conversion efficiency and a significant drop in the cost of production."
At present, the researchers have achieved conversion efficiency of 9.13% in the 16 months of the project.it is optimistic about the target to reach 15% or 20% .
UCLA engineering professor Yang Yang ,who led the research team, said: "16 months ago, we started from scratch research, spent three or four months time for material to reach 1% conversion efficiency, while the current conversion efficiency about 9%, that is to say about every two months increased by 1% on average. "
Most of the production of CIGS solar cells using a total evaporation technology, the need for vacuum conditions, time-consuming and costly. In a vacuum, the element is heated and deposited on the surface of cells.
the copper indium selenium solar batteries that are invented by The UCLA research team does not need vacuum evaporation through the process. Instead, they will be dissolved in the liquid material so that it attached to the surface and bake. In the liquid, the solar energy absorbing layer (using copper, indium, selenium, or CIGS material production, essential to the performance of solar cells) or can be easily brush plated on to the cells.
Hou said, "In our method, the advantage of dissolving technology can be carried out continuously winding production," This is an important breakthrough in the cost.
Yang said the technology could be in three to four years to achieve commercialization.
At last, Yang said in addition : "on one hand we should try to improvethe performance and efficiency of solar batteries ,on the other hand ,we are also seeking co-operation with the industry ,in order to further develop the technology."