Connecting Lithium Battery Bank To Power Grid
It is reported that Chilean power generator AES Gener SA (GENER.SN ) has completed integrating a high-efficiency, industrial-quality lithium battery bank to the local power grid in the nation's north.
Chile that has long been the world's leading lithium produce gives tax incentives to companies implementing renewable sources of energy.
In the event of a power outage at Northern Chile's SING grid supplying energy to bulk of the country's mining industry, the 12 megawatt rechargeable batteries would be able to immediately provide 15 to 20 minutes of stored energy to keep the system online.
When there are abrupt drops in power consumption,the lithium batteries can also be used to store energy.
Gener,which is one of the biggest power generators in Chile, a unit of U.S. energy firm AES Corp, believes the new battery system's capacity to store energy efficiently, as well as the stability it provides to the grid, could be fully used to stimulate the development of new renewable energy projects, such as wind turbines.
Exide plans to provide Toyota Highlander batteries
Exide Technologies landed a deal to sell more than 105,000 batteries a year to Toyota Motor Corp, which significantly deepens its relationship with the world's top car maker and boosts the battery company's shares.
The lead-acid starting batteries will be schedualed into production of the Highlander, a midsize crossover SUV, at Toyota ( TM - news - people )'s plant in Princeton, Indiana, Exide ( XIDE - news - people ) said in a statement on Wednesday.
BuzzExide, which said they have estabished relationship with Toyota since 1988, already provides the carmaker with batteries for its North American-produced Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Matrix and Venza, as well as its Sequoia SUV and Tundra trucks.
Shares of Milton, Georgia-based Exide were of more than 9 percent in after-hours trading to $8.62, after closing 1 percent lower at $7.88.
ASUS UL30Vt laptop
Since Asus hit it big in the netbook lottery a few years back, there are more netbooks out of the company than anything it seems.The idea of a under $200 Android-powered netbook is amazing, but at the same time I need more oomph many times. Asus today has unveiled a sexy looking new ultraportable laptop named the UL30Vt,the silver aluminum clad of which is less than 25.4mm thick.It reminds me a bit of the Dell Adamo XPS.
This new type laptop has a 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 resolution LCD with a glossy coating. What is more,the notebook can be had with several flavors of Windows 7 all the way up to the Ultimate version. Asus offers either an Intel Celeron SU2300/743 CPU at 1.2GHz or an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU at 1.4GHz. Storage could be up to 500GB via a traditional HDD.
Other features include a 0.3MP webcam,memory card reader, WiFi, optional Bluetooth,and a built-in Ethernet port. Graphics are via Intel GMA X4500MHD with a switchable NVIDIA GeForce G210M for times when you need more power.It is available for battery pack options with a 4-cell 2200mAh battery and an 8-cell 4400/5600mAh option. The laptop also uses Asus Turbo33 to improve performance of the machine by up to 33% by overclocking the processor. When equipped with the largest battery ,Asus promises up to 12 hours of run time per charge. As for the pricing and availability ,it is still unknown.
Advanced battery plant in Battle Creek
One and a half million dollars will be spent on lithium ion battery production in Battle Creek.
The company Toda America is apparently looking to build its facility from scratch, all of it related to the new kind lithium ion batteries for the next generation of electrified cars. There would be an investment of over $70 million for this facility to manufacture and supply lithium ion batteries.
The location where the facility would go has not been occupied,for the military was using it as a vehicle storage depot when the area was still Fort Custer. Now, Toda America is looking to build a state of the art facility which will employ more than 50 people and leave open the option for expansion.
Word of the plan comes as a bit of good news in a sea of bad news over jobs especially during the economic crisis, and the plan is one that Battle Creek can celebrate. Even though there are still some hurdles to be cleared, it seems that jobs and a new plant are on the way.
Karl Dehn of Battle Creek Unlimited said that “We're very pleased to see the company has chosen to focus on Battle Creek, and it's really a great opportunity for Battle Creek and our region with a company that's seen as a leader.We wish it could become one of the preferred battery component suppliers”.
Nissan decideds to offer different battery options for Leaf
The Detroit Bureau reports --Nissan decideds to eventually offer consumers different battery options in its future electric cars -- much like today consumers choosing between fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines and high-performance V-8s.
The initial Nissan Leaf, set to launch in the United States in 2010, will come with just one powertrain package. A lithium-ion batteries which is to deliver 100 miles of range, 0 to 60 times of less than 10 seconds as well as a top speed of 90 mpg.
But a senior Nissan planner told theDetroitBureau.com that Nissan will eventually give the electric vehicle’s equivalent of choosing engines to BEV buyers by offering an array of different battery packs.
"That would allow a motorist to choose between a lower-range, lower-cost pack, or batteries delivering perhaps twice the mileage, at a higher price, of course," The Detroit Bureau said. "What is more, with battery technology improving, eco-minded motorists might also be offered batteries which would add a bit more muscle to their green machines."