New battery research yielding results

This is the time for battery companies to take the lead. Many of the emerging “green” industries are dependent on electrical power storage for success. Electric vehicles and intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar need batteries or other types of power storage. Current battery technology has problems for which new research is developing solutions.

Lithium ion is the present battery technology of choice for its dense energy storage but heat produced during both charging and discharging cycles is a serious problem. Just remember stories of laptop computers and cell phones catching fire and notice how warm your digital camera battery is immediately after recharging. A few solutions aimed at this problem are beginning to appear.

Quallion, based in California, has developed a partial cure for heat build-up in Li-ion batteries for use in heavy-duty trucks to reduce time spent with the engine idling. Their design uses arrays of interconnected, smaller batteries that produce less heat individually and are easier to keep cool en-masse. The arrays are connected to allow continued performance even if individual cells fail. The Li-ion battery arrays weigh much less than a similar amount of storage using conventional lead-acid batteries. Using battery power for interior lights and cooling/heating while parked would significantly reduce the amounts of greenhouse gasses produced by the idling diesel engines of these over-the-road trucks.
Another coming change applies new research to the anode(negative side) of Li-ion batteries. Graphite is the present material of choice but has a limited capacity to hold lithium. The amount of lithium determines the amount of energy that can be stored in a given battery. Silicon can hold nearly ten times as much lithium as graphite but develops cracks after several charge/discharge cycles because of the expansion/contraction caused by the heat produced. Putting micron-sized pores in the silicon surface give enough room for expansion/contraction without cracking. This breakthrough will allow batteries of the same size and weight to hold many times the amount of power now possible. Much smaller batteries for large-scale uses, such as electric vehicles and buffers between solar/wind installations and the commercial power grid should soon be on the way.

Cathode(positive side) research is also bearing fruit. BASF is experimenting with a Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese(NCM) cathode material that could have wide applications. They claim up to 60% more energy storage capacity for same-sized batteries. This amount of increased storage could mean up to 50% more distance per charge for an electric vehicle. For consumer electronics it would mean greatly extended use time for laptop computers, cell phones, etc…


One of the older and better-established battery technologies might also make a comeback thanks to new research. Sodium-Nickel-Chloride(Na-beta) batteries have been around for a long time but like other types of rechargeables produce heat when recharged. It seems changing the shape of the battery from the traditional long cylinder to a flat pancake produces much less heat. An added bonus is the ability to deliver up to 30% more power. The materials that go into Na-beta batteries are cheaper and more easily available than those required for Li-ion batteries.

Another older battery technology is also being revived. GP Batteries received this year’s Battery Manufacturer of the Year-Alternative Chemistries award. They developed a new Nickel-Metal Hydride battery for use in electric vehicles.

Continued research and creative thinking is all of the above areas are needed. Battery storage plays an important role in the continued integration of greener/renewable energy sources into everyday life. Grid interface is a major problem for more widespread use of intermittent power generation like wind and solar. Better battery storage solutions are one way to move forward.

While battery company stocks have been lagging behind other “green” sectors, this situation will not last forever. Batteries have too large a role to play in the success of alternative energy production. The companies that best take advantage of new research will come out ahead in market share and stock share price. I watch several of the largest and most innovative battery companies closely and think they may soon follow the solar PV industry along the path of increasing share prices.

Why invest in "green" companies?

I feel quite strongly that we all need to be conscious of how we treat the planet we call home. Pollution is making breathing the air and drinking the water dangerous to our health. Modern “big agriculture”, using antibiotics and hormones as staple ingredients of animal feed, has made eating a pork chop or a chicken breast the equivalent of taking a prescription drug(no prescription needed). The systematic use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the fields has done the same for commercial vegetable and grain crops. All of these chemicals, along with all of the OTC and prescription drugs and vitamins that pass through everyone’s toilets, go on to become part of our drinking water supply.

This is why I think it is important for everyone who invests in the stock market to take a long, hard look at “green” investing. Companies that are trying to minimize the damage done to the earth deserve to be supported. It is not a hardship: there are thousands of publicly trades companies on the U.S. stock exchanges involved in the “green” movement. Plenty of diversity can found and more companies are turning up every day.

I take a fairly wide-angle view of what is “green”. My current watch list of companies that I will invest in numbers slightly over 200 and grows daily as I discover new opportunities. Industries on my list include: batteries, solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, water power, wave power, electric vehicles, fuel cells, kinetic energy storage(flywheels), smart grid, LED lighting, rare earth mineral mining(necessary for semiconductors), wireless network & storage(necessary to smart grid), water treatment/recovery/efficiency, ocean transport(more efficient than flying), organic/sustainable agriculture, green packaging and a few more. There are also many tech companies that supply needed components to solar, wind, water and other industries. I also list cleaner, more efficient current technologies such as internal combustion engines designed to run on natural gas or natural gas turbine engines designed for vehicle use.

Many of these “green” technologies have been lagging the general stock market. This is not because the companies involved have bad management, or lack sales revenues or solid profits, or do not have ample opportunity for future expansion. The reason their stock prices are lagging is because people do not yet believe in them enough to put their money into company stock. This needs to change. If we believe in the products we need to believe in the companies making the products.

The situation seems to just be reaching a tipping point. As word of China’s stranglehold on rare-earth mineral production reaches a greater audience, previously little-known companies like Avalon Rare Metal Inc. and Great Western Minerals Group are seeing more interest and slow, steady share price increases. A123 Systems Inc., a maker of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, announced the opening of a new production plant in Livonia, Michigan dedicated to batteries for electric vehicles and the $7.36/share stock shot up $0.65/share in one day. When Westport Innovations, designers of natural gas conversions for commercial diesel engines, signed a partnership agreement with Cummins to build heavy truck and equipment engines their shares saw a substantial and maintained price increase.

“Green” companies are the wave of the future. The writing is on the wall and there is really no choice. Companies like Walmart are using hydrogen and fuel cell fork lifts and more-efficient semi’s and Frito Lay is using an electric truck delivery fleet in New York City and the U.S. military is installing solar and wind power on its bases. The only real question is: how long will you wait before investing in these companies? Why not get in now while there is maximum upside and the support will make a real difference to the company? I invest every dollar with the intention of that dollar making me more money and it is certainly possible to do that within the “green” sphere of companies.

These are exciting times in the world of batteries

Batteries play a major and very under-rated role in our everyday lives. With many “green” technologies dependent on battery power storage(think electric cars and reliable, on-demand supply to the grid from wind and solar power installations) the importance of batteries will only grow. These are the reasons I am bullish on battery stocks even though the general market seems to be taking a much more wait-and-see approach.

Some of the companies that I invest in on my current watch list involved in battery production include Advanced Battery Technology(ABAT), Braskem SA(BAK), Valence Technology(VLNC), Ener1(HEV) and A123 Systems(AONE). I usually own shares in at least one of these companies. These companies cover a range from traditional lead-acid batteries to ever-more-common lithium-ion batteries to cutting-edge research on totally new power storage solutions. All of these technologies will play a big role in the coming years.

One exciting recent discovery took place at MIT. A common virus was used as a bio-template for preparing lithium ion battery anodes and cathodes in plain water at room temperature. Batteries produced this way could be made into any shape, including woven into fabrics. Imagine wearing a rechargeable vest that could power a laptop and smart-phone. This technology would also allow the outer casing of a camera or phone to double as the battery. The process eliminates the need for high temperatures and noxious chemicals during the battery manufacturing contest and the batteries stay much cooler during use, reducing the chances of fires(remember those laptops bursting into flames?).

Philadelphia is about to start a project with a novel use of batteries – subway stops will be equipped with high-capacity batteries(1-1.5MW) to capture electrical power produced by the brakes of the trains approaching the stations. The power stored in the batteries will then be reused to accelerate the trains as they leave. The new system is expected to save the city a considerable amount on its power bill and might even be able to feed some power back into the grid. The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority has awarded a $900,000 grant to Viridity Energy to construct the system. It is expected to be in use by next spring.

Xcel Energy is already using a bank of sulfur/sodium batteries from NGK Insulators of Japan to smooth out the supply of electricity from an 11MW Minnesota wind farm. The batteries can store 7.2MW-hours of power. They are the size of two semi trailers and weigh 80 tons. Price of the batteries was $4-million. Xcel is planning to test a similar battery bank with a large solar array near the Denver airport.