[rwwff]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lowem', 'B')ut - it's a prototype, the story is dated April 2004 and I haven't really heard anything on that since.

[mrflora]

I am working on autonomous underwater vehicles with a group from the Naval Oceanographic Lab. We intend to evaluate EEStor's ultracapacitors next year.

Regards,
M.R.F.

[BigTex]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mrflora', 'I') am working on autonomous underwater vehicles with a group from the Naval Oceanographic Lab. We intend to evaluate EEStor's ultracapacitors next year.

Regards,
M.R.F.

[Frank]

Maxwell has a contract with a bus manufacturing company to supply a quantity of uCaps for hybrid buses for a city in California. Ultracapacitors make good sense for heavy duty hybrid applications because their charge/discharge efficiency is better than most batteries and energy/weight ratios are favorable. 40% economy boosts seem to be the norm. Here's more info:

http://www.isecorp.com/ise_products_ser ... ve_system/

http://www.freshnews.com/news/other-tec ... chnologies

[SolarDave]

I'm a believer in Ultracaps:

Maxwell Ultracapacitor Boosting pedal Powered Television

[whereagles]

I believe ultracapacitor batteries are a fine cadidate for a household energy storage system. E.g. with 10-20 square metres of photovoltaics on your roof, you could capture and store enough electricity during the day for use in the evening.

Of course, you probably wouldn't be able to charge-up your electric commuter vehicle with it, but ultracapacitors seem like one of the most promissing of domestic techno-fixes.

The problem is, as others have mentioned, whether this solution could be scaled up to 1+ billion homes...

[birchm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SolarDave', 'I')'m a believer in Ultracaps:

Maxwell Ultracapacitor Boosting pedal Powered Television

[birchm]

Following up on my previous post, I browsed through maxwell's website and found this little gem:

http://www.maxwell.com/pdf/uc/datasheet ... 1_rev2.pdf

Stick 100 of these 2600 Farad capacitors in parallel along with a DC to DC switching step-up circuit and you can essentially replace the existing batteries in 1.6 cubic feet. One small problem: It would cost $9350.

Regardless, these are very impressive devices.

[Vexed]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')hat is kind of weird is that they have exclusive agreement with Zenn(Feel Good Cars Inc), which is a small NEV company in Canada to supply them with 15kWh system. I'd think that they could strike an agreement with any big automanuf. so just this is very odd..
http://evworld.com/view.cfm?section=com ... 11610&url=

[dooberheim]

I'd like to see if capacitors could be used to store useful energy from lightning.

DK

[ChumpusRex2]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SolarDave', '
')I use a Maxwell 15 volt 58 Farad unit to "smooth" out the power from the pedal generator. It's as close to perfect as it can be for this use. It holds enough energy (and this is the smallest 15 volt unit Maxwell makes) that I can stop pedaling for short periods and the TV/Air compressor/Light runs for a short time after. They are more efficient than batteries (more of the electricity you put in comes back out), and they have virtually unlimited lives.

[Frank]

Most of the EV applications using super-caps that I've read about use some sort of DC-DC converter.

[SolarDave]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('birchm', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SolarDave', 'I')'m a believer in Ultracaps:

Maxwell Ultracapacitor Boosting pedal Powered Television

[mmunroe]

Ultra capacitors are about doing more with less, and conservation of resources. I've read a lot of negative responses on the thread. Most ignored the subject and were just of the "screw it" sentiment.

Significant advances continue to be made in this area and it is one of the most hopeful technologies.

Here's a summary of a good article: http://users.erols.com/iri/EnewsFeb9,2005.htm#6

Here's the original Spectrum article: http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/pu ... ap.html#f3

This Spectrum article is getting a bit old but the information is still good. Spectrum is a monthly publication of the IEEE www.ieee.org

"NessCap is one of about 10 makers of ultracapacitors. . .NessCap's three main competitors—Maxwell Technologies in San Diego; Epcos in Munich, Germany; and Panasonic in Osaka, Japan—all have either deep-pocketed parent companies or revenue from other product lines with which to support their ultracapacitor development. (Panasonic ultracapacitors are manufactured by Matsushita Electronic Components Co., in Kadoma City, Japan.)"

The advantages of ultra capacitors are extremely long life, high efficiency - what you put in, you can take out."

Weight reduction is a major focus of development work, I believe.

[mmunroe]

Sorry,

The old link to the IEEE Spectrum article was dead. This one works: http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jan05/2777

"Commercially available ultracapacitors generally can be counted on to store about 3 or 4 watthours per kilogram, Burke says. That's a far cry from the 60 or 70 Wh/kg typical of nickel-metal hydride batteries or the 110 to 130 Wh/kg delivered by lithium-ion batteries."

"NessCap is also working with several other companies on niche automotive applications. A well-known courier company, for example, is about to start using NessCap's ultracapacitors in 200 of its delivery vans. As they go about dropping off packages in densely populated areas, these vans must stop and restart their engines as many as 200 times a day. The short distances between stops means that the starter batteries can't recharge sufficiently and soon wear out. But the short distances are not a problem for ultracapacitors, which recharge in seconds and can easily store enough energy to fire up the engine. "

Structures being created from carbon nanotube technology are among the promising technologies being developed.

[pedalling_faster]

can these new capacitors handle -20 degrees F allright ? (hold their charge that is)

[spudbuddy]

Well, Neopo,
I'm inclined to echo your sentiments -
if being saved means saving the butts of neocons, bad planners and non-visionaries.
Consider:

Imagine "saving" the next 6 million square miles of urban sprawl.
(with all its attendant strips, big boxes, and McEverythingelses...)

Imagine "saving" Globalized wet dreams, whereupon ultimately all brainwork goes to India, and all manufacture of any kind goes to China, and the day comes when an American Masters degree buys nothing more than lower management at Wal*Mart, or a Starbucks super latte counter-wipe, take yer pick.

Imagine "saving" ourselves right into 36-laned 100-mile commutes, nestled in our plastic wombs wherein we spend more time than when we sleep.

You know - my very first reaction to Peak Oil was one of thrilled hopefulness...that perhaps this would force us to come to our senses.
Because it would force the world to reduce, really. Retract, and compact, back into regionalized localities.
We have been so busy junking our planet, and shoe-horning ourselves into ever-diminishing choice.
I don't think it's a brave new world at all. Rather pathetically cowardly, really.

Clean renewable energy? I'm all for it!
I think it requires some perspective - when it finally does arrive in any realistically workable amounts, I suspect there will be a somewhat sobered population to greet it (as opposed to the oil-drunk debauchery that preceded the event.)

[EnergyUnlimited]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('birchm', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SolarDave', 'I')'m a believer in Ultracaps:

Maxwell Ultracapacitor Boosting pedal Powered Television

[small_steps]

Funny how everything gets compared to liquid fossil fuels (aka - real free energy). These much maligned fuels are truly free energy, just pump it, tweak it, and you have one hell of an energy carrier - a carbon and hydrogen rope. And we are comparing having to design and make something to compete with it...

Appreaciate the fossils, they are irreplaciable, but they will be around long into the future, just not in the quantities that we want to maintain our current standard of living.

Maxwell's aiming for 1/2 cent per F at 2.7V in the next few short years, and one of the major cost drivers is the availability of high quality carbon.

[small_steps]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Frank', 'M')ost of the EV applications using super-caps that I've read about use some sort of DC-DC converter.