US DOE Investing $120 Million Research for Batteries lasting 5x longer & 5x Cheaper

[dgstorm]

It appears that the folks at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have heard our cries of anguish over the state of weak smart-device batteries. We have word that the DOE is about to invest $120 Million dollars over the next 5 years to push research into improving batteries dramatically. Their goal is to develop batteries that last 5x longer and are also 5x cheaper to produce. They expect their research to bear fruit within that five year time frame, and to accomplish this they are planning to develop a collaborative team made up of some of the best researchers at six national labs, five universities, and four private firms. Here's a quote with some additional detail,

To accomplish this, U.S. Energy Secretary Stephen Chu is taking some lesson from U.S. history.

The DOE is creating a new Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, at a cost of $120 million over five years, that's intended to reproduce development environments that were successfully used by Bell Laboratories in the World War II Manhattan Project that produced an atomic bomb.

"When you had to deliver the goods very, very quickly, you needed to put the best scientists next to the best engineers across disciplines to get very focused," said Chu at a press conference Friday that was streamed live from Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. The center will be located there.

The Battery and Energy Storage Hub project will involve six national labs, five universities -- Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, and University of Michigan -- and four private firms, Dow Chemical, Applied Materials, Johnson Controls, and Clean Energy Trust.

While physical proximity will have a role in the research, Chu said electronic communications and video conferencing will help achieve similar results.

The intent is to organize research in a way that can "change the rate in which something is actually done," said Chu. The key is moving technology innovations from the lab to the private sector as quickly as possible, he said.

It's great news to hear that the DOE is getting serious about pushing this kind of technology to the forefront. Sound off!

Source: ComputerWorld

 

[sweeeeet]

we dont need batteries that last a week 5 years from now... can I get 24 hour use with 7 hours screen on time now? lol

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[tjk629]

This would be nice. Especially with more phone manufactures going non removable.

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

Wonderful. I love when the federal government spends money they don't have on ventures better left to private industry. Then claim they need to raise my taxes because of their spending.

I'd love to see where in the constitution the framers intended for this kind of thing.

Sorry for the political nature of this rant but that $120 million will be wasted. Government grants are known to be bloated because of the amount of money spent over 60% of it goes to the grantees trying to renew the funding or prove that funding is necessary.

 

[sweeeeet]

Wonderful. I love when the federal government spends money they don't have on ventures better left to private industry. Then claim they need to raise my taxes because of their spending.

I'd love to see where in the constitution the framers intended for this kind of thing.

Sorry for the political nature of this rant but that $120 million will be wasted. Government grants are known to be bloated because of the amount of money spent over 60% of it goes to the grantees trying to renew the funding or prove that funding is necessary.

true. companies that already profit from this are working on it.. samsung and Motorola being the main ones

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[jspradling7]

And once we borrow these millions to develope the batteries, China will reverse-engineer them in less than a week and sell them back to us (with free lead included) cheaper than we can make them ourselves.

 

[akhenax]

And once we borrow these millions to develope the batteries, China will reverse-engineer them in less than a week and sell them back to us (with free lead included) cheaper than we can make them ourselves.

America needs to start producing something again, that's for sure. I wonder if this research will be used for car batteries as well.

 

[liftedplane]

America needs to start producing something again, that's for sure. I wonder if this research will be used for car batteries as well.

that would make these hybrid cars more feasible. instead of going 300 miles on one charge we could go 1500... that would cut into someones profit so that's not going to happen.

 

[GAstorino]

Here in Oregon, USA we gave millions to a foreign company to in Europe to develop said batttery technology. They took the money. Filed bankruptcy right after. Not a single employee here, not a plant, not a paper, not an idea. Just gave them the money and we got screwed. Thanks Ron Wyden and David Wu. This is how the government works. You will never see a single item from the $120 million. Its a payback for some campaigning just like Aids money to Africa is payback to warlords. George Bush gave more money for aids research then all other presidents before him combined and nothing every came of it just ended up in government coffers and Swiss accounts. Leave it to private sector.

 

[GAstorino]

Problem with electric cars. How do people think these things get charged. POWER PLANT. How does the plant run. OIL OR COAL. Both items that the same environmentalist try to ban. You can't get enough energy to run these things from solar or wind.. Try to recharge your battery on an Ipod with the solar chargers currently. Takes forever. Hydro power is being destroyed in the NW by the greenies because water power is not Clean And Green? Huh. We will be having to read our books in the dark.

 

[liftedplane]

Problem with electric cars. How do people think these things get charged. POWER PLANT. How does the plant run. OIL OR COAL. Both items that the same environmentalist try to ban. You can't get enough energy to run these things from solar or wind.. Try to recharge your battery on an Ipod with the solar chargers currently. Takes forever. Hydro power is being destroyed in the NW by the greenies because water power is not Clean And Green? Huh. We will be having to read our books in the dark.

I really don't understand how water power isn't clean... I've been to Bonneville Dam in OR did an entire walk through top to bottom in High school for a project... it seemed pretty damn clean to me... cleaner than some of the other things we use for power. as for solar and wind..... it's not that there isn't enough power there... it's that we don't have the ability to harness it efficiently enough. watch this video it talks about different types of civilizations

Sizing up the human race. [VIDEO]

 

[GAstorino]

I really don't understand how water power isn't clean... I've been to Bonneville Dam in OR did an entire walk through top to bottom in High school for a project... it seemed pretty damn clean to me... cleaner than some of the other things we use for power. as for solar and wind..... it's not that there isn't enough power there... it's that we don't have the ability to harness it efficiently enough. watch this video it talks about different types of civilizations

Sizing up the human race. [VIDEO]

You are right that water power is the cleanest but the powers that be won't consider Water Power, ie Bonneville Dam, as clean because then it cuts their argument for more tax money for clean energy in Oregon. They are trying to take down all the dams in Oregon and along the California Boarder because the government considers them dirty. Oregon and the environmental wackos have banned or in the process of banning coal in Oregon, water power, wind power because it can't be near animals or people, oil because dirty, Natural gas pipelines because its "Dangerous" only in Oregon and they already have banned Nuclear. If you have any other ideas on what we can get power from I am all ears.

 

[liftedplane]

You are right that water power is the cleanest but the powers that be won't consider Water Power, ie Bonneville Dam, as clean because then it cuts their argument for more tax money for clean energy in Oregon. They are trying to take down all the dams in Oregon and along the California Boarder because the government considers them dirty. Oregon and the environmental wackos have banned or in the process of banning coal in Oregon, water power, wind power because it can't be near animals or people, oil because dirty, Natural gas pipelines because its "Dangerous" only in Oregon and they already have banned Nuclear. If you have any other ideas on what we can get power from I am all ears.

We could put all those loudmouth bike riders to work... not that I've anything against bikes just some of them are really really annoying.

While I miss living in Oregon at the same time I'm happy to be away from all those idiot Portland hipster transplants. I've got a picture somewhere with a quote from an old Portland mayor I believe where he basically says please visit Portland and Oregon enjoy your stay but for God's sake please don't move here. That's about how I feel.

Sent from my frozenly delicious razr maxx.

 

[kodiak799]

Wonderful. I love when the federal government spends money they don't have on ventures better left to private industry. Then claim they need to raise my taxes because of their spending.

I'd love to see where in the constitution the framers intended for this kind of thing.

Sorry for the political nature of this rant but that $120 million will be wasted. Government grants are known to be bloated because of the amount of money spent over 60% of it goes to the grantees trying to renew the funding or prove that funding is necessary.

My thoughts exactly when I saw this. What a waste.

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

I really don't understand how water power isn't clean... I've been to Bonneville Dam in OR did an entire walk through top to bottom in High school for a project... it seemed pretty damn clean to me... cleaner than some of the other things we use for power. as for solar and wind..... it's not that there isn't enough power there... it's that we don't have the ability to harness it efficiently enough. watch this video it talks about different types of civilizations

Sizing up the human race. [VIDEO]

Ironically, environmentalists hate dams. So while clean power, getting people to agree to how to harness it opens all kinds of cans of worms.