Batteries and New Battery Technologies

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by brian eiland, Mar 28, 2008.

  1. BertKu
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 2,521
    Likes: 47, Points: 58, Legacy Rep: 223
    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    Attached a sketch how I would make my first attempt to make a reflector to shine additional photons onto the solar panel. Strenghtening the 2 edges by folding the stainless steel reflector edges over, using 4 butterfly nuts like the one used on racing bikes, and keep it KISS.

    I may get shot down, because of wind factor, or sunposition, if shining from the bow and the reflectors are of no use.

    Anybody a better idee??
    Bert.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. CDK
    Joined: Aug 2007
    Posts: 3,324
    Likes: 148, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 1819
    Location: Adriatic sea

    CDK retired engineer

    Bert, the solar tracking system I saw belongs to http://www.bisol.si/
    It is experimental and they regularly change the configuration. When my friend was there, snow prevented making pictures. I sometimes forget that we live at an elevation of only 10 m. and very near to the shore, where we have snow once every 4 or 5 years and you must be very quick to make a picture. So I sent the guy on an impossible errand.
     
  3. BertKu
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 2,521
    Likes: 47, Points: 58, Legacy Rep: 223
    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    Thanks so much CDK, It is a pity. I enlarged all the photo's, but none had reflectors on them. In anyway, I am convinced that many yachties are busy experimenting with a mirror and see what happens. The problem is that a small mirror only covers one or 2 cells and it will not make much impact. Only if one is able to cover the full panel, preferable in the evening, when the light shines at a bad angle onto the panel, only then it will create the best impact.

    Also the risk of internal overloading of the interconnections will be not created at early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

    Thanks, it was a good try and say thanks so much to your friend.
    Bert
     
  4. Dave Gudeman
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posts: 135
    Likes: 27, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 359
    Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

    Dave Gudeman Senior Member

    I don't get it...

    Can you explain why you want to create a moving mirror rather than just making the solar cell itself move?
     
  5. BertKu
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 2,521
    Likes: 47, Points: 58, Legacy Rep: 223
    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    There are a few reasons why.

    1) Most yachts have the heavy glass solarpanel already mounted at a fixed place.
    2) The mechanical construction to make the heavy solarpanel moving around is quite a contstruction.
    3) But the most important issue is, that per square meter only so many photons are entering that space. By moving the solar panel you optimise the solarpanel, but you do not add additional photons. By having a mirror you add additional photons together with the photons falling onto the panel.

    I agree with you, that it would be ideal, if one could move the panel also and not only the mirror or mirrors. But be carrefull about the internal maximum current interconnections. I have written to panel manufacturers, but no response. My own experience, but this is from donkey years ago, is that it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some have solid overdesigned interconnections, others to cut cost, are flimsy.

    And should you ask a salesperson about the interconnections, he will glare at you, as off you are nuts.
    Bert
     
  6. BertKu
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 2,521
    Likes: 47, Points: 58, Legacy Rep: 223
    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    LIke CDK said, the journalist all have a story to tell, but none of them is able to produce a production type, to be sold over the counter at a reasonable price. We will have to wait a long time, before we really see an advert "Overstock of million times more powerfull battery than the lead acid battery, at a discounted price of 20%".

    Bert
     

    Attached Files:

  7. CDK
    Joined: Aug 2007
    Posts: 3,324
    Likes: 148, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 1819
    Location: Adriatic sea

    CDK retired engineer

    Now that I finally have a flat rate internet link by satellite, I explored the GM websites to see if they made any progress with the development of electric drive trains.

    No!

    The Chevrolet Volt will not be on sale until the 2nd half of 2011. It gets a 200 kg Korean lithium battery, good for 40 miles (!). They might have put it on the market right now without the need to actually start production because nobody will buy it.

    The Opel Ampera will get the same power train, but instead of 40 miles the range is 60 km. If the driver hasn't found a wall socket before that, there is a gasoline generator built in to supply extra range at reduced performance: the so-called limping home feature.

    In the meantime GM keeps selling the same big V-8's that brought them on the brink of bankruptcy and some Korean cars now labeled Chevrolet from a factory they took over a number of years ago.

    On their home page GM announces that this is the NEW GM company reinventing the automobile....
     
  8. kistinie
    Joined: Aug 2007
    Posts: 493
    Likes: 8, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: -74
    Location: france

    kistinie Hybrid corsair

    May i suggest you check your James Bond internet connection, it seems you have an experimental engineering problem
    40 miles you said


    I do not get the same information from my secret agents in the states and europe...


    http://www.teslamotors.com/
    On sale NOW and HERE
    330 miles autonomy

    http://www.planetsolar.org/newsletter-show.fr.php?n=20100127#video
    In a few months

    Unlimited autonomy



    So it seems there are solutions available NOW and HERE
    Even without the new batteries that will X2....X100 the autonomy ...
     
  9. BertKu
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 2,521
    Likes: 47, Points: 58, Legacy Rep: 223
    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    Welcome back CDK,

    I was watching the video "Who killed the electric car" and must say, it is not very promissing. Yes, there are a few manufacturers, like the "teslamotor" who are archieving further distances. They are very cagy in what battery they are using.
     
  10. BertKu
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 2,521
    Likes: 47, Points: 58, Legacy Rep: 223
    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    Do you know what battery bank the Tesla uses?
     
  11. portacruise
    Joined: Jun 2009
    Posts: 1,475
    Likes: 178, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 218
    Location: USA

    portacruise Senior Member

    Look under batteries section at wik link:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster

    Nothing impressive, 6831 individual, conventional, Li cells.

    Porta

     
  12. CDK
    Joined: Aug 2007
    Posts: 3,324
    Likes: 148, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 1819
    Location: Adriatic sea

    CDK retired engineer

    I do not know what it takes for you to be impressed, but I think a $30.000 battery pack with 6831 cells and micro-controllers for every bank is quite impressive! But you probably meant no state of art technology.

    The Tesla shows that performance electric cars are a reality, but the costs are prohibitive. Large scale production would of course lower the price of each component, but there is a large gap to be bridged between the $120.000 Tesla and the $30.000 target price for a successful mid-size car.
    The latter should also have 5 seats and reasonable luggage space.

    I also cannot estimate what would happen if all major car manufacturers switch to electric traction in Tesla style. Is there enough lithium to produce 10 billion cells just for passenger cars?
     
  13. kistinie
    Joined: Aug 2007
    Posts: 493
    Likes: 8, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: -74
    Location: france

    kistinie Hybrid corsair

    Of course this is impressive, but just today's basic tech.

    The next tesla will be 5 adults + 2 child + unreal crazy luggage space

    About price.
    How much do you pay for :

    --------------

    Refuelling, 200.000Km in a regular good new 6Lt/100 Km car
    Oil, filter, ...change every 15.000 Km
    A new motor and gearbox every 250.000Km
    Lungs cancer, pollution building cleaning in town, and other nice ICE gifts

    -------------

    Refiling your Tesla car
    a New bat pack good for 1000x330 miles




    More generally, what would happen to copper, diodes, transistors, aluminium...
    Of course you underline a good question.
    We need to use all the possible solutions in order to change slowly, and put a gentle balanced pressure on natural resources by using all the technical solutions available.

    Same for industry evolution.
    Gently, cleverly accepted changes are needed.
     
  14. portacruise
    Joined: Jun 2009
    Posts: 1,475
    Likes: 178, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 218
    Location: USA

    portacruise Senior Member


    Porta See responses above.
     

  15. BertKu
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 2,521
    Likes: 47, Points: 58, Legacy Rep: 223
    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    Very much true and for that reason, solar energy should have been given greater support to come up with better re-charging facilities. I am thinking aloud now. But "re-fueling stations" with their own solar installations and battery banks who could reduce the load on the electricity grid. They could charge and re-charge reasonable fast. Maybe even some wind energy added.

    I am for too long out of this solar business.
    Where am I wrong.

    1) per 1 square meter , the maximum theoritical efficiency archievable is 26% i.e. 260 watt per square meter

    2) In the day to day production models only up to 18% i.e. 180 watt per square meter

    3) There are some tricks by catching the photons passing through the first layer, to be court in the second layer. But this is expensive.

    4) As previous proposed, some reflectors could increase the output, but only for small installations and (near) stationary installations.

    There are reports of 3D cells, but what does it do, to increase the photons per square meter?
    Is there really a method to obtain 300 watt with 1 square meter space?
     
    1 person likes this.
Loading...
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.