Resource World Magazine

60 www.resourceworld.com o c t o b e r / n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 6 Developments in Green Technology by Jane Bratun grEEN TECHNOlOgiES gEl ElEctrolytE improvE battEry storagE lifE Researchers from the University of California Irvine's Penner Laboratory have used a gel electrolyte to give nanowires in bat- teries and capacitors immortality. Fifth-year PhD student Mya Le Thai stumbled upon the solution when she created a gel elec- trolyte to replace the liquid electrolyte found in some batteries. The gel she created can also greatly increase battery life. This improved battery storage could advance all sorts of technology from phones to electric cars. Researchers have long wanted to use nanowire-based batter- ies over lithium batteries because nanowires are more powerful and boast greater energy storage than their lithium counterparts. Lithium batteries slip in performance over time after being con- tinuously charged. But nanowires are fragile, meaning they can't be charged repeatedly without breaking. For that reason, elec- tronics makers have used traditional lithium batteries. But Thai's gel solution – using a thin core of gold, surrounded by layers of manganese dioxide and a Plexiglas-like electrolyte gel – could change that. The researchers coated a gold nanowire with Thai's gel solution and found that the nanowire-based battery cell had far better storage capacity than typical lithium ion batteries. The gel electrode went through 200,000 charge cycles over three months without losing any capacity or power. For refer- ence, batteries typically die after 5,000 to 7,000 cycles. For now, the researchers plan to better understand the mechanisms of this gel electrolyte. ElEctric sanitation vEHiclEs rEady to roll in cHina The world's first all-electric line of sanitation trucks is slated for use in Beijing China by BYD Company Ltd. [1211.HK] and the Beijing Environmental Sanitation Engineering Group. These electric sanitation trucks will replace about 45% of the Beijing Environmental Sanitation Engineering Group's diesel fleet by the end of 2016. 100% of the fleet is expected to go electric by the end of 2017. The BYD 7+4 electrified transportation strategy includes seven vehicles for conventional fields: transit buses, coach vehicles; and four vehicles for specialized fields: warehouse logistics vehicles, mining utility vehicles, airport utility vehicles and sea-port util- ity vehicles. In addition to using BYD's iron-phosphate batteries, the trucks make use of the firm's electric integrated axle assem- bly technology, which combines the motor with the automatic gearbox and drive axle. The trucks also use an independent elec- tric motor to control the fan, water, and fuel pumps. As well as cutting noise, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution, the electric trucks operating costs are projected to be nearly half those of comparable diesel trucks. wind turbinEs powEr block island A wind turbine and four others like it are installed off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island, in Long Island Sound, US. Together, the five turbines at the Block Island Wind Farm have a capacity of 30 MW and are expected to supply enough power to meet the island's electricity needs nine times over. Through a power con- tract, developer Deepwater Wind will supply power for Block Island's 1,051 residents and seasonal tourists, and send the major- ity to the mainland of Rhode Island. The economics of solar electric technologies are enhanced in hot and industrialized regions where daytime power demand is high, particularly in the summer. The opposite is true for land-based wind, which in many geographies tends to produce more power at night when demand and prices are low. The winds off Block Island are most intense in the afternoon and early evening, which roughly meets the demands of peak power for tourist areas with little air conditioning or industry. applE movEs to rEnEwablE EnErgy Apple Inc. [AAPL-NASDAQ] final assembly sites are now zero waste compliant, and major supplier Lens Technology Co. [300433:CH SHENZHEN] has agreed to run its Apple operations entirely on renewable electricity demonstrating Apple's commit- ment to reducing its environmental impact not only through its own businesses, but through its business relations with various manufacturers and suppliers. Lens Technology, which creates touch panels, has committed to power all its glass production for Apple products with 100%

• Cover