The weekend read: Ethical strategies for cobalt supply
Since 2016, Amnesty International has denounced cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo for human rights violations and the use of child labor. This has led LG Chem and other companies to insist on standards for battery cell suppliers, as a step toward improving the situation.
Indian companies to partner on EV charging infrastructure
State-owned Energy Efficiency Services and New Delhi-based Bharat Heavy Electricals have agreed to set up public charging stations for electric vehicles on highways across India.
Solving seasonal storage with aluminum cycling
Scientists at Switzerland’s University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil have demonstrated an aluminum conversion process which could be valuable for long-term renewable energy storage. Simulations suggest that by employing the process, a new multi-family building in Switzerland could meet all its energy demand from a 7-11 kWp solar system.
Total to deploy 20,000 EV charging stations in the Netherlands
The public charging points will be installed in the provinces of North Holland, Flevoland and Utrecht. The oil giant said they would all be powered by renewable energy.
New organic redox flow battery aims for €0.05/kWh/cycle by 2030
An international research group led by CIC EnergiGUNE, a Spanish research center, is designing new redox organic flow batteries. The researchers claim the batteries will offer longer duration, as well as higher power and energy densities, in a more environmentally sustainable format. The European Commission provided €3.8 million in funding for the initiative.
New lithium-sulfur battery unveiled by Aussie scientists
Scientists at Monash University claim to have developed the world’s most efficient lithium-sulfur battery. They say the new device could enable an electric vehicle to drive more than 1,000km on a single charge.
Suzuki-led JV to invest $517m in second phase of Indian lithium-ion factory
A joint venture with Japanese peers Toshiba and Denso will make the investment in the Gujarat plant over the 2021-25 period, having pumped $174 million into the first phase of development.
Kyocera to launch world first SemiSolid lithium-ion battery
The Japanese electronics giant is offering a new cell architecture developed by battery start-up 24M, in the U.S., which significantly improves battery economics. Kyocera will be the first company to bring the technology to market.
Chinese investor buys 14% stake in Comtec Solar
Sun Da has moved to become the lithium energy storage and electric vehicle battery company’s second largest investor, raising HK$10.3 million for the business in the process.
Indian PV to take off after gloomy 2019
India’s annual solar installations are set to exceed 10 GW in 2020, following a year marked by political uncertainty, module price increases associated with safeguard duties, and a lower number of awarded tenders. The outlook for battery energy storage installations for solar projects is particularly bleak, however, as such combinations in India can cost three to five times more than standalone renewable projects.
