Xtreme Power: A Super-Battery For Hawaiian Wind Farms

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://earth2tech.com/2010/03/09/xtreme-power-a-super-battery-for-hawaiian-wind-farms/

Xtreme Power: A Super-Battery For Hawaiian Wind Farms

By Jeff St. John
...
Posted March 9th, 2010 at 3:00 pm in Energy Storage

http://www.xtremepowerinc.com/">Xtreme Power has been pulling the veil away from its decades-old energy storage technology over the past six months or so, http://www.xtremepowerinc.com/news.php">getting attention for claims of a “chemical capacitor” that can beat lithium ion batteries in terms of energy storage, efficiency, cycle life and cost. Now the Kyle, Texas-based startup has a big contract to test its technology: a 10-megawatt storage system meant to back up a 30-megawatt wind farm planned for the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The developer of the project, http://www.firstwind.com/">First Wind, just got http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100309006457&newsLang=en">a $117 million Department of Energy loan guarantee for the project, and Xtreme Power says it will be managing not only its battery, but the entire wind farm’s output via a http://www.xtremepowerinc.com/smartgrid.php">home-built smart grid network.

Xtreme’s Evolution

Xtreme’s PowerCell chemistry was born in a 1990’s joint venture of Ford Aerospace and defense contractor Tracor that was shelved after its target market — California’s zero-emissions vehicle fleet — collapsed in the wake of the state’s decision to back off its ZEV mandate. Xtreme, backed by about $25 million from investors including http://www.sailvc.com/">Sail Venture Partners and the state-run http://members.texasone.us/site/PageServer?pagename=Case_Study_Xtreme_Power">Texas Emerging Technology Fund, bought the technology in 2004 and put its first 500-kilowatt PowerCell in place at the http://pole.uchicago.edu/">South Pole Telescope, an extreme environment to be sure, in 2007. Since then, it has also tested a 1.5-megawatt PowerCell at another 30-megawatt wind project on the island of Maui.

Xtreme has made some extreme claims for its technology. According to CEO Carlos Coe, PowerCells act more like capacitors, charging and discharging at high speeds, while at the same time keeping the qualities that make batteries better than capacitors for long-term energy storage. Combined with Xtreme’s own power electronics, PowerCells can yield a 90-percent or better “AC-to-AC” energy efficiency, he said — that is, a measure of the input and output of grid-friendly alternating current from the system, rather than the direct current that batteries actually accept and provide. The PowerCells also have deep discharge capability combined with long cycle life, and Xtreme is also working on a line of portable batteries, he said.

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[virgogal]

1. Very interesting post. Mahalo !

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. 'A'ole pilikia

Interesting indeed!

[madokie]

3. Thats worth a vote

[hunter]

4. It's a lead-acid cell. Xtreme is not quick to mention that.

Maybe their system is an incremental improvement over other sorts of lead acid batteries, maybe not. They way Xtreme talks a lot of the magic is about the tender care and feeding of a modular stack of lead acid cells of the unvented sort that are used in electric wheelchairs and such.

[skids]

14. Well, there's been more than incremental improvements in lead acid

For example http://www.fireflyenergy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=273&Itemid=100

There are a few other companies IIRC. (Hope there's not a huge patent war to foul progress up.)

[RC]

5. My question is, Where is this wind farm going to be located on Oahu?

I can visualize wind generators sticking up in the air from the of the mountains on both side of Oahu. Not a pretty sight.

[OKIsItJustMe]

6. The eye of the beholder

Why is it that this sight is generally considered beautiful?

[RC]

7. I can surmise you have never been to Hawaii?

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. I'm just amused at how people talk about wind turbines being ugly, but never classic windmills

I have friends who live in Hawaii (on Oahu and the "big island.") I have a pretty good idea of what they look like.

Yup, gimme another one of these beauties any day, or another oil burner, rather than those nasty wind turbines:

[RC]

10. We have wind turbines around here and I don't mind at all.

Why? Because we don't have any scenery around here. And we don't till you go almost 300 miles west of here.
Hawaii is a whole different view about it.

[OKIsItJustMe]

11. FWIW: There were early model wind turbines on this site decades ago

http://www.kahukuwind.com/kahuku/about.cfm

...

Kaheawa Wind served as the site for wind turbines that were operated as part of an extensive turbine research and development effort. Valuable lessons were learned during that period, helping manufacturers make dramatic improvements to wind turbine technology. The proposed turbines for Kahuku Wind will take advantage of today's proven technology, and will supply Hawaii with power for years to come.

[hunter]

9. Those are not beautiful! Those are ferocious giants!

Bring me my armor, Sancho. Bring me my s'tarahk.

tlhIngan maH!

Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam

[OKIsItJustMe]

12. A rather quixotic attitude...

Well, I suppose they might be giants...

[kristopher]

13. Have you been in Fenner NY lately?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x235431