Solar Energy

NASA seeks to create a better battery with SABERS

Published

3 years ago

April 8, 2021

sarosh

NASA seeks to create a better battery with SABERS

Dealing with battery issues on our phones, tablets, or laptops can be frustrating. Although batteries are everywhere in everyday life, many still suffer breakdowns and failures. The minor inconvenience of needing to charge them more often could even turn into costly repairs or buying a new device altogether. Batteries in larger electronics, like hoverboards or cars, can even catch fire.

Now, with increasing emphasis on aviation sustainability, interest in using batteries to partially or fully power electric propulsion systems on aircraft of all sizes is growing each day.

So, the question is could there be a better way to build batteries that are completely safe and don’t fail or even catch fire?

A NASA activity called SABERS, or “Solid-state Architecture Batteries for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety,” is researching how to create a safer battery by using brand-new materials and novel construction methods.

The goal is to create a battery that has significantly higher energy than the lithium-ion batteries we currently use. This battery also would not lose capacity over time, catch fire, or endanger passengers if something goes wrong.

“Instead of taking a battery off the shelf, we determined we needed to develop a battery from scratch that would be tailored to the unique performance requirements of an electric aircraft,” said Rocco Viggiano, lead SABERS researcher at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

Turns out, solid-state batteries fit the bill.

As opposed to many batteries today, the batteries SABERS wishes to create don’t have any liquid in their design. A fully solid battery has less complicated packaging, lowers safety risks, and can withstand more damage than a battery with liquids inside it.

The project has examined using a unique combination of the elements sulfur and selenium to hold electric charge.

“A solid-state sulfur-selenium battery is cool to the touch and doesn’t catch fire. It has a slimmer profile than lithium-ion batteries and has better energy storage. It can take a beating and still operate, often in less than ideal conditions,” Viggiano said.

An additional benefit is sulfur being a byproduct of oil refining. There are stockpiles of the element worldwide that are accessible and just waiting to be used. With some imagination, this waste product can be turned into something that powers environmentally friendly vehicles.

Imagination is another aspect of SABERS.
The project seeks to use elements that have never been combined before to form a battery. For instance, a NASA-developed component called “holey graphene” (named for the holes in its surface to allow air to pass through), has a very high level of electrical conductivity. It is ultra-lightweight and environmentally friendly.

“This material has never been used in battery systems, and we are combining it with other materials that have never been used,” Viggiano said.

SABERS Makes Strides

Solid-state batteries are known to have a low discharge rate. In other words, the amount of power that flows out of the battery at once is too low. But SABERS researchers have almost doubled this discharge rate, meaning that solid-state batteries could feasibly power larger electronics.

“We exceeded our goal. With more development, we can improve that rate even further,” Viggiano said. The project’s goals and successes have attracted the attention of companies such as Uber and several other companies interested in manufacturing vehicles for future Advanced Air Mobility environments.

The next step for SABERS is to run the battery design through its paces. This will include testing how it works in practical situations, making sure it’s safe, and gathering data on its performance. If successful, the design could be optimized even further.

Meanwhile, safety remains the number one consideration.

Current battery research is mostly oriented toward the auto industry, whose safety standards are generally less restrictive than those required for aviation applications where the batteries encounter more stressful environments.

SABERS wants to help set that new, higher standard for use in aviation by proving that making safer batteries is both technically feasible and economically lucrative.

What requirements should these solid-state batteries meet? Based on an analysis of what might be needed to operate a practical electric aircraft, the five considerations SABERS focused on were safety, energy density, discharge rate, package design, and scalability.

Essentially, these batteries need to be safe above all else. They also need to hold an enormous amount of power and emit that power efficiently. They should also have a slim and compact shape and be developed with the most detailed and thorough approach possible.

Ultimately, SABERS is determining the feasibility of safe batteries for electrically propelled airplanes. If successful, these innovations could help enable a new era of power storage for future air travel.

SABERS is part of the Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project, which is designed to give NASA researchers the resources they need to determine if their ideas to solve some of aviation’s biggest technical challenges are feasible, and perhaps worthy of additional pursuit within NASA or by industry.

Selected to be a two-year activity that began on Oct. 1, 2019, interruptions in the pursuit prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to an extension, although nothing has yet been decided.

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Solar Energy

Airbus to Provide Over 200 Sparkwing Solar Arrays for MDA AURORA Satellites

Published

2 days ago

September 17, 2024

sarosh

Airbus to Provide Over 200 Sparkwing Solar Arrays for MDA AURORA Satellites

by Clarence Oxford

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2024

Airbus has been selected by MDA Space Ltd. (TSX:MDA), a global leader in advanced space technology and services, to supply solar arrays for its MDA AURORA TM software-defined satellite product line. This satellite system aims to expand communication networks across the world by enabling satellite constellations for improved global connectivity.

Under the agreement, Airbus will deliver over 200 Sparkwing solar arrays, which will be manufactured at its high-capacity facility in Leiden, the Netherlands. These solar arrays, the largest Sparkwing version to date, feature two wings with five panels each, covering a total photovoltaic area of more than 30 square meters.

MDA’s AURORA TM supply chain is designed to support Telesat’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation Lightspeed, an advanced network providing enterprise-class connectivity to customers globally.

“We are delighted to be selected as the supplier of solar arrays to partner with MDA Space for Telesat Lightspeed. Our industrialised Sparkwing solar array product not only meets the demands of this ground-breaking constellation project, but is also tailored to ensure optimal performance in space. The Sparkwing solar arrays are designed for series production, ideally suited for constellations, and we will accordingly contribute to a project enabling space connectivity,” said Rob Postma, Managing Director of Airbus in the Netherlands.

MDA’s AURORA TM satellite product line is designed to address evolving technical and business needs in the satellite industry, providing unmatched flexibility and functionality. This allows operators to significantly improve the performance of satellite constellations while reducing costs and accelerating time to market.

Sparkwing is the first commercially available, off-the-shelf solar array for small satellites. Initially optimized for Low Earth Orbit missions needing power between 100W and 2000W, it offers customers various panel dimensions and configurations. The arrays can be arranged into wings with one to three panels per wing and require minimal integration effort. The product has evolved to meet the growing demands of higher power missions in LEO and beyond.

The Sparkwing product was developed by Airbus in the Netherlands with support from the Netherlands Space Office and ESA.

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Solar Energy

How solar power is keeping one California community alive as the ground shifts

Published

2 days ago

September 17, 2024

sarosh

How solar power is keeping one California community alive as the ground shifts

by Bradley Bartz

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2024

The cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula have always been stunning, offering sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. But beneath the natural beauty of Portuguese Bend, a slow and terrifying force is at work. Here, in one of the most geologically unstable areas in California, the ground is in constant motion. The land is slipping into the sea at a rate of one foot per week, threatening homes and lives with every inch. The Portuguese Bend landslide, once a slow-moving anomaly, has accelerated into a full-scale disaster, and the consequences are being felt daily by the residents.

For those of us who call this place home, the landslide is not a hypothetical future threat-it’s a daily reality. The roadways buckle, driveways disappear, and utility lines fail. Southern California Edison (SCE), the local utility provider, announced a sudden shutoff of power and gas to more than 350 homes. In a cruel twist of fate, residents found themselves not only battling the land but also cut off from the essential services that tether them to modern life.

In the midst of this chaos, we at ABC Solar knew something had to be done. Our team has installed over 100 solar and battery systems in the region, but the landslide has turned this work into something more urgent, more vital. It was no longer just about helping homeowners go green-it became about survival.

Our first major site visit was at a Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. home perched above the shifting land. The house, with its futuristic design and sharp, arrow-like roofs, stood defiant against the forces below. Its driveway had become impassable, but the structure remained. We brought in Walrus Portable Battery Systems, each equipped with 30 kWh of storage, and linked them to solar panels. The owners, cut off from traditional power, now had a clean energy source that allowed them to keep the lights on, the fridge cold, and life moving forward.

And this was just the beginning.

As more homes lost power, our team worked around the clock. We deployed Walrus units to homes in the hardest-hit areas and set up temporary energy solutions. In the Sea View neighborhood, we created what nearly became a mini-grid, connecting six homes with 8 solar panels each, along with Walrus battery systems. Each day, we navigated new bumps in the road-literally. The land changed so fast that driving the same road twice meant encountering new twists and turns, fresh reminders of the ground’s instability.

The question that kept coming up wasn’t about the future of energy but the present: “Can I do my laundry today?” With each successful installation, the answer was “Yes.”

At the Portuguese Bend Riding Club, a sprawling horse ranch on Narcissa Drive, the story was much the same. Power was unreliable, and gas was shut off. When we arrived with two portable solar battery generators, it was clear this wasn’t just an inconvenience-it was a matter of safety. We hooked up the systems to power the refrigerators in two apartments and set the stage for a larger, more permanent solution. Then, at noon, Southern California Edison shut off the power to the entire property. But we didn’t miss a beat-the solar batteries took over without a hitch, bringing smiles and relief to everyone on-site.

In moments like this, the gravity of our work hit home. The loud hum of gas generators was everywhere-an unsettling reminder of the fragility of the grid and the pollution that came with it. Our mission became clear: to replace those generators with clean, quiet solar power. The transition wasn’t always easy. On a 100-degree day, when air conditioning was essential for health reasons, our systems had to stretch to their limits. But the Walrus units, backed by solar panels, rose to the challenge.

But this wasn’t just about deploying technology-it was about adapting to a new way of life. Off-grid living was foreign to many, and the psychological adjustment was just as real as the technical one. We saw it at the ranch, where 4 gas generators roared, drowning out thought and peace. But as our systems took over, the noise subsided, and a new quiet emerged. Solar power didn’t just keep the lights on-it restored a sense of normalcy.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be deploying more Sol-Ark 15kW inverters and Briggs and Stratton batteries, creating long-term solutions for homes in the landslide zone. These systems will provide not just backup power but independence-450 amps of clean energy service that can scale as needed. The future we’re building is one where the land may shift, but the power stays on.

As a neighbor in this community and the founder of ABC Solar, I’ve seen firsthand how disaster brings out both the worst and the best in systems. Southern California Edison’s threats to shut down the sewer systems sparked outrage, and rightly so. Luckily, Janice Hahn stepped in, ordering the county to keep the sewers running with generators. But it shouldn’t take a political intervention to keep basic utilities functioning. This is where renewable energy can and must step in-not just in moments of calm but in the thick of crisis.

The reality is stark: the landslide won’t stop. The homes will keep shifting, and the landscape will change. But the people here are resilient. With solar panels on their roofs and batteries in their garages, they are no longer waiting for the lights to flicker out. They are taking control of their power, their future, and their peace of mind.

For now, I roll solar batteries down the street and see the look of relief on my neighbors’ faces as the lights come back on. Each installation is a small victory against forces bigger than us. In the battle between land and life, we’re learning that the key to survival is energy-clean, renewable, and ours to keep.

Bradley Bartz is the founder and president of ABC Solar Incorporated. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes and has been working in solar energy since 2000.

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Solar Energy

Folded or cut, this lithium-sulfur battery keeps powering devices

Published

2 days ago

September 17, 2024

sarosh

Folded or cut, this lithium-sulfur battery keeps powering devices

by Clarence Oxford

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 16, 2024

Most rechargeable batteries that power portable devices, such as toys, handheld vacuums and e-bikes, use lithium-ion technology. But these batteries can have short lifetimes and may catch fire when damaged. To address stability and safety issues, researchers reporting in ‘ACS Energy Letters’ have designed a lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery that features an improved iron sulfide cathode. One prototype remains highly stable over 300 charge-discharge cycles, and another provides power even after being folded or cut.

Sulfur has been suggested as a material for lithium-ion batteries because of its low cost and potential to hold more energy than lithium-metal oxides and other materials used in traditional ion-based versions. To make Li-S batteries stable at high temperatures, researchers have previously proposed using a carbonate-based electrolyte to separate the two electrodes (an iron sulfide cathode and a lithium metal-containing anode). However, as the sulfide in the cathode dissolves into the electrolyte, it forms an impenetrable precipitate, causing the cell to quickly lose capacity. Liping Wang and colleagues wondered if they could add a layer between the cathode and electrolyte to reduce this corrosion without reducing functionality and rechargeability.

The team coated iron sulfide cathodes in different polymers and found in initial electrochemical performance tests that polyacrylic acid (PAA) performed best, retaining the electrode’s discharge capacity after 300 charge-discharge cycles. Next, the researchers incorporated a PAA-coated iron sulfide cathode into a prototype battery design, which also included a carbonate-based electrolyte, a lithium metal foil as an ion source, and a graphite-based anode. They produced and then tested both pouch cell and coin cell battery prototypes.

After more than 100 charge-discharge cycles, Wang and colleagues observed no substantial capacity decay in the pouch cell. Additional experiments showed that the pouch cell still worked after being folded and cut in half. The coin cell retained 72% of its capacity after 300 charge-discharge cycles. They next applied the polymer coating to cathodes made from other metals, creating lithium-molybdenum and lithium-vanadium batteries. These cells also had stable capacity over 300 charge-discharge cycles. Overall, the results indicate that coated cathodes could produce not only safer Li-S batteries with long lifespans, but also efficient batteries with other metal sulfides, according to Wang’s team.

Research Report:Chelating-Type Binders toward Stable Cycling and High-Safety Transition-Metal Sulfide-Based Lithium Batteries