Solar Energy
Reduced nickel content leads to improved stability and performance for Ceramic fuel cells
A research team in Korea has developed a ceramic fuel cell that offers both stability and high performance while reducing the required amount of catalyst by a factor of 20. The application range for ceramic fuel cells, which have so far only been used for large-scale power generation due to the difficulties associated with frequent start-ups, can be expected to expand to new fields, such as electric vehicles, robots, and drones.
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced that a team led by Dr. Ji-Won Son at the Center for Energy Materials Research, through joint research with Professor Seung Min Han at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), has developed a new technology that suppresses the deterioration brought on by the reduction-oxidation cycle, a major cause of ceramic fuel cell degradation, by significantly reducing the quantity and size of the nickel catalyst in the anode using a thin-film technology.
Ceramic fuel cells, representative of high-temperature fuel cells, generally operate at high temperatures – 800 C or higher. Therefore, inexpensive catalysts, such as nickel, can be used in these cells, as opposed to low-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells, which use expensive platinum catalysts.
Nickel usually comprises approximately 40% of the anode volume of a ceramic fuel cell. However, since nickel agglomerates at high temperatures, when the ceramic fuel cell is exposed to the oxidation and reduction processes which accompany stop-restart cycles, uncontrollable expansion occurs.
This results in the destruction of the entire ceramic fuel cell structure. This fatal drawback has prevented the generation of power by ceramic fuel cells from applications which require frequent start-ups.
In an effort to overcome this, Dr. Ji-Won Son’s team at KIST developed a new concept for an anode which contains significantly less nickel, just 1/20 of a conventional ceramic fuel cell. This reduced amount of nickel enables the nickel particles in the anode to remain isolated from one another.
To compensate for the reduced amount of the nickel catalyst, the nickel’s surface area is drastically increased through the realization of an anode structure where nickel nanoparticles are evenly distributed throughout the ceramic matrix using a thin-film deposition process.
In ceramic fuel cells utilizing this novel anode, no deterioration or performance degradation of the ceramic fuel cells was witnessed, even after more than 100 reduction-oxidation cycles, in comparison with conventional ceramic fuel cells, which failed after fewer than 20 cycles.
Moreover, the power output of the novel anode ceramic fuel cells was improved by 1.5 times compared to conventional cells, despite the substantial reduction of the nickel content.
Dr. Ji-Won Son explained the significance of the study, stating, “Our research into the novel anode fuel cell was systematically conducted at every stage, from design to realization and evaluation, based on our understanding of reduction-oxidation failure, which is one of the primary causes of the destruction of ceramic fuel cells.” Dr. Son also commented, “The potential to apply these ceramic fuel cells to fields other than power plants, such as for mobility, is tremendous.”
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India mandates local-only solar energy components from 2026
by AFP Staff Writers
New Delhi (AFP) Dec 10, 2024
Indian clean energy companies will only be able to use solar modules built locally from June 2026, according to a government order apparently aimed at reducing Chinese imports.
Clean energy sector leaders in India, including ventures by conglomerates Reliance Enterprises and Tata Power, rely on Chinese vendors as their major suppliers.
As much as 70 percent of India’s solar power generation capacity is powered by Chinese equipment, according to industry estimates.
Indian companies are already required by law to use locally made solar panels in government projects.
The new rule mandates that only modules made from locally built photovoltaic cells, which convert light energy into electricity, can be used in projects with a bid deadline after Monday’s order.
“This condition will have to be followed irrespective of the date of commissioning,” said the order, issued by India’s renewable energy ministry.
The government is yet to issue the list of approved manufacturers of solar cells because “the installed capacity of solar cells in the country was lower than demand”.
But “with installed capacity of solar cells in the country expected to increase substantially in next year”, a list of approved manufacturers will now be released, the order said.
India’s solar equipment manufacturing space has made rapid strides in recent years.
A report by Bengaluru-based consulting firm Mercom India said the country’s solar panel production was expected to reach 95 gigawatts by the end of 2025.
India added 13.3 gigawatts of solar equipment manufacturing capacity in the first half of 2024, according to the same report.
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Stellantis, Chinese firm CATL plan $4bn battery plant in Spain
By Valentin Bontemps with Frederique Pris in Paris
Madrid (AFP) Dec 10, 2024
Car giant Stellantis and Chinese manufacturer CATL said Tuesday they would build a $4.3-billion factory to make electric vehicle batteries in Spain, the latest bid to boost Europe’s troubled EV drive.
They said they aim to start production by the end of 2026 at the site in the northern city of Zaragoza.
It “could reach up to 50 GWh capacity, subject to the evolution of the electrical market in Europe and continued support from authorities in Spain and the European Union”, the companies said in a statement.
The two firms signed an agreement in 2023 to produce battery parts for the manufacture of electric vehicles in Europe.
CATL, which has received robust financial support from Beijing, has launched two other European factories, in Germany and Hungary.
Its chief executive Robin Zeng met late on Monday with Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, ahead of the announcement of the 4.1-billion-euro deal.
In a message on X, the Socialist premier thanked the presidents of the two firms for their “firm commitment” to Spain, adding he was “very pleased”.
During a visit to China in September, Sanchez urged the European Union to “reconsider” a plan to impose tariffs on Chinese electric cars, calling for a “compromise” between the economic powerhouses.
Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo called the announcement “excellent news for industry and employment in our country”.
Spain has been playing a growing role in European vehicle production, assembling 1.87 million cars in 2023 — the second-biggest producer in the continent after Germany, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.
– Bumpy patch for carmakers –
The announcement comes at a turbulent time in the car industry as countries seek to switch to low-carbon electric vehicles to curb the climate crisis.
Sweden’s financially strained electric car battery maker Northvolt last month announced the resignation of its chief executive Peter Carlsson.
That came hours after the company sought bankruptcy protection in the United States.
The company said in September it was slashing 1,600 jobs — a quarter of its staff — and suspending the expansion of its site as it struggled with strained finances and a slowdown in demand.
The company had been seen as a cornerstone of European attempts to catch up with China and the United States in the production of battery cells, a crucial component of lower-emission cars.
Stellantis’s former chief executive Carlos Tavares also resigned on December 1, with the company signalling differences over how to save the group’s slumping profits.
Like other auto groups, Stellantis has blamed competition from China and the difficult transition to electric cars for much of its troubles.
It announced on November 26 that it was closing a factory at Luton in England with the loss of 1,100 jobs.
– ‘High-quality’ EVs –
Founded in 2011 in Ningde, eastern China, CATL produces more than a third of the electric vehicle batteries sold in the world.
Italian-US-French company Stellantis produces 14 brands including Fiat, Peugeot-Citroen, Opel, Maserati, Chrysler, Ram and Jeep.
The Zaragoza plant will make lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which are cheaper to produce but less powerful compared with nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) ones, the other current mainstream technology.
The companies said the factory, which will be designed to be completely carbon neutral, would enable Stellantis “to offer more high-quality, durable and affordable battery-electric passenger cars, crossovers and SUVs”.
Stellantis chairman John Elkann said in the statement that the venture “will bring innovative battery production to a manufacturing site that is already a leader in clean and renewable energy”.
Zeng said CATL’s goal was “to make zero-carbon technology accessible across the globe”.
The deal is expected to be closed in 2025, subject to regulation.
fmp-vab/ds/rlp
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Existing EV batteries may last significantly longer under real-world conditions
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
Electric vehicle (EV) batteries subjected to typical real-world driving scenarios-such as heavy traffic, urban commutes, and long highway trips-could last up to 40% longer than previously projected, according to new research from the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center, a collaboration between Stanford University’s Precourt Institute for Energy and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This finding suggests EV owners may delay the costly replacement of battery packs or the purchase of new vehicles for several more years than expected.
Traditionally, battery scientists have tested EV batteries in labs using a constant charge-discharge cycle. While effective for quick evaluations of new designs, this method does not accurately reflect the varied usage patterns of everyday drivers, the study published in *Nature Energy* on Dec. 9 reveals.
Although battery costs have fallen by approximately 90% over the past 15 years, they still represent about one-third of an EV’s price. This research could provide reassurance to current and prospective EV owners about the longevity of their vehicle’s batteries.
“We’ve not been testing EV batteries the right way,” said Simona Onori, the study’s senior author and an associate professor at Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability. “To our surprise, real driving with frequent acceleration, braking, stopping for errands, and extended rest periods helps batteries last longer than previously thought based on industry-standard tests.”
Real-World Driving Profiles Improve Battery Lifespan
The researchers developed four distinct EV discharge profiles, ranging from constant discharge to dynamic patterns based on actual driving data. Testing 92 commercial lithium-ion batteries over two years, they found that batteries subjected to realistic driving scenarios demonstrated significantly improved longevity.
Machine learning algorithms were crucial in analyzing the extensive data, revealing that certain driving behaviors, like sharp accelerations, slowed battery degradation. This contradicted prior assumptions that acceleration peaks harm EV batteries. “Pressing the pedal hard does not speed up aging. If anything, it slows it down,” explained Alexis Geslin, one of the study’s lead authors and a PhD candidate in materials science and computer science at Stanford.
Aging from Use vs. Time
The study differentiated between battery aging caused by charge-discharge cycles and aging from time alone. While frequent cycling dominates battery aging for commercial vehicles like buses or delivery vans, time-induced aging becomes a larger factor for personal EVs, which are often parked and idle.
“We battery engineers have assumed that cycle aging is much more important than time-induced aging,” said Geslin. “For consumers using their EVs for daily errands but leaving them unused most of the time, time becomes the predominant aging factor.”
The researchers identified an optimal discharge rate balancing both time and cycle aging for the batteries tested, which aligns with typical consumer driving habits. Manufacturers could update battery management software to incorporate these findings, potentially extending battery lifespan under normal conditions.
Implications for the Future
Evaluating new battery chemistries and designs under realistic conditions is critical for future advancements, said Le Xu, a postdoctoral scholar in energy science and engineering. “Researchers can now revisit presumed aging mechanisms at the chemistry, materials, and cell levels to deepen their understanding,” Xu added.
The study’s principles could apply beyond EV batteries to other energy storage systems, plastics, solar cells, and biomaterials where aging is a key concern. “This work highlights the power of integrating multiple areas of expertise-from materials science and modeling to machine learning-to drive innovation,” Onori concluded.
Research Report:Dynamic cycling enhances battery lifetime
Related Links
SLAC-Stanford Battery
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
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