# "New battery could change world, one house at a time"



## Fn/Form (Nov 6, 2008)

Battery technology to keep an eye on.

FULL ARTICLE

"New battery could change world, one house at a time"

Randy Wright - Daily Herald | Posted: Saturday, April 4, 2009 2:30 pm

In a modest building on the west side of Salt Lake City, a team of specialists in advanced materials and electrochemistry has produced what could be the single most important breakthrough for clean, alternative energy since Socrates first noted solar heating 2,400 years ago.

The prize is the culmination of 10 years of research and testing -- a new generation of deep-storage battery that's small enough, and safe enough, to sit in your basement and power your home.

It promises to nudge the world to a paradigm shift as big as the switch from centralized mainframe computers in the 1980s to personal laptops. But this time the mainframe is America's antiquated electrical grid; and the switch is to personal power stations in millions of individual homes.

Former energy secretary Bill Richardson once disparaged the U.S. electrical grid as "third world," and he was painfully close to the mark. It's an inefficient, aging relic of a century-old approach to energy and a weak link in national security in an age of terrorism.

Taking a load off the grid through electricity production and storage at home would extend the life of the system and avoid the expenditure of tens, or even hundreds, of billions to make it "smart."

The battery breakthrough comes from a Salt Lake company called Ceramatec, the R&D arm of CoorsTek, a world leader in advanced materials and electrochemical devices. It promises to reduce dependence on the dinosaur by hooking up with the latest generation of personalized power plants that draw from the sun.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Sweet!!!

Thanks for sharing that .. now I have another product to add into the design of my off-the-grid house.


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## Tex (Oct 31, 2008)

Those batteries won't be cheap. Battery longevity and low cost will be the deciding factors for home use. Light weight is only a big advantage for mobile applications. (cars, phones, etc....)

The biggest hurdle for home power systems is the cost of generation. That will depend on your site. Things like available sunlight, wind, and running water will determine what if anything is practical.

The other deciding factor is the efficiency of your home. In Texas, air conditioning is almost unavoidable. You almost have to have an underground or earth bermed home unless you want to spend $40k-$50k on power generation. You'll have to train yourself to use every trick in the book to minimize consumption. Disconnect all appliance when not in use. Use shading and sun exposure to minimize heating/cooling. Only buy very energy efficient appliances. Design efficiency into your home if it will be new construction. Some PV panels can take the place of conventional roofing on the South side of your house to offset the high cost of PV panels.

In Canada, I would think a Rocket Mass Stove would be a no brainer in your house. I hear they are 80-90% efficient and can heat a good portion of your house for hours on very little wood.

Sorry to be wordy and introduce so many topics in your thread. I plan to use used UPS batteries that I can get for free sometimes from work.

Fm/Fnctn - If you do a home power system, I would love to come see it. I live in DFW and travel all over the state for my work. Get Home Power magazine or go to www.homepower.com for good up to date info on home power and state and federal incentives.


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