Introduction - What is an Ultracapacitor?
The Discovery - Ultracapacitance?
New Technology - Why are Ultracapacitors so Special?
Future - The future for Supercapacitors
Interesting Excerpts - Amazing Facts and Figures
Notes - Links to More Information

What is an Ultracapacitor?

Intro

The Ultracapacitor is also known as a Supercapacitor, Electrochemical Capacitor, and Electric Double Layer Capacitor (EDLC). This in an incredible technology as it is beginning to bride the gap, making batteries a thing of the past. Basically a supercapacitor is just a regular capacitor employing a dual layer barrier filled with some type of highly porous substance. It is best to understand what a capacitor is first and then try to comprehend the ultracapacitor. A conventional capacitor is commonly a tiny little device that stores energy in the electric field that is created when there is two conductors possessing equal but opposite charges.

Wikipedia explains a capacitor's capacitance (C) as a measure of the amount of charge (Q) stored on each plate for a given potential difference or voltage (V) which appears between the plates: (see graph 1)

C=Q/V

The capacitance is proportional to the surface area of the conducting plate and inversely proportional to the distance between the plates. It is also proportional to the permittivity of the dielectric (that is, non-conducting) substance that separates the plates.

What About an Ultracapacitor?

The Discovery

Now an Ultracapacitor works on much the same principal but it is encompassing a dual plate system and the dielectric is possibly made of carbon aero gels, polymers or carbon nanotubes. The best substances have the highest porosity allowing the polymer to penetrate the many tiny spaces and act as the dielectric. A few companies are already using carbon aero gels which are extremely light and have a much greater power density than conventional batteries, by greater I am referring to orders of magnitude enhancements.

Why are Ultracapacitors so Special?

They have a number of benefits that put them leaps and bounds ahead of conventional batteries.

  • » The first most significant difference is the size and weight, supercapacitors are not made of the lead or any other type of heavy metal, it's a solid state battery rather than a chemical battery, thus there would be no threat of overheating and this safety concern would be eliminated when being used in an electric vehicle. Below is a graph representing the power to weight ratio.
  • » They have no memory, conventional rechargeable batteries are limited in their lifespan and frequently stay good for only 500-700 recharges. Supercapacitors have life spans of hundreds of thousands of recharges.
  • » Due to its unique structure and electrical storage techniques ultracapacitors can be recharged in very quick periods.
  • » Unlike any of the conventional chemical batteries which have environmental problems these new ultracapacitors are environmentally friendly.
  • » They possess a very high cycle efficiency reaching 95% or more.
  • » With economies of scale in manufacturing it's expected to be cost-competitive with lead-acid technology.

What is the future for Supercapacitors?

EESTOR, is an extremely interesting company that has emerged quite suddenly, it appears as though this very secretive company is developing a new battery that could revolutions the world. They have received a significant investment from Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers which is known for their accurate technology predictions and investments. EEStor is developing a "parallel plate capacitor with barium titanate as the dielectric" or ultra-capacitor. The press is starting to jump on the band wagon and the Toronto Star requesting an interview with a spokesperson for the company was dealt this response "EEStor is not making public statements at present time," company co-founder and chief executive Richard Weir replied via email. "EEStor would also like to have you and your paper not publish any articles about our company and the Toronto Star is certainly is not authorized to publish this response."

Interesting excerpts from the Toronto Star

Bottleneck Solution

Energy storage has long been the bottleneck for innovation, holding back new energy-sucking features in mobile devices and preventing everything from the electric car to renewable power systems from reaching their full potential. Build a radically better battery at lower cost, experts say, and the world we know will be forever transformed.

We're Due!

"There's been nothing big or disruptive, and we're due for it," says Nicholas Parker, chairman of the Cleantech Venture Network, which tracks investment in so-called clean technologies. He says energy storage is one of the hottest areas for venture capital funding right now. "Right across the board, better energy storage is essential."

10 Times the Energy!

Among EEStor's claims is that its "electrical energy storage unit" could pack nearly 10 times the energy punch of a lead-acid battery of similar weight and, under mass production, would cost half as much.

Eighth of the Cost

It also says its technology more than doubles the energy density of lithium-ion batteries in most portable computer and mobile gadgets today, but could be produced at one-eighth the cost.

6 Minute Charges

If that's not impressive enough, EEStor says its energy storage technology is "not explosive, corrosive, or hazardous" like lead-acid and most lithium-ion systems, and will outlast the life of any commercial product it powers. It can also absorb energy quickly, meaning a small electric car containing a 17-kilowatt-hour system could be fully charged in four to six minutes versus hours for other battery technologies, the company claims.

The New Replacement

According to patent documents obtained by the Star, EEStor's invention will do no less than "replace the electrochemical battery" where it's already used in hybrid and electric vehicles, power tools, electronic gadgets and renewable energy systems, from solar-powered homes to grid-connected wind farms.

Big Names, Large Funding

EEStor has been invested in by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers which "made early bets on Google, Sun Microsystems, Amazon, Netscape and a host of other high-tech success stories". It becomes even more interesting when you include "the fact that Colin Powell, the former U.S. secretary of state, joined Kleiner Perkins last summer as a strategic partner."

Morton Topfer

"Besides Kleiner's involvement EEStor has also attracted big names to its five-person board. The star has learned that Morton Topfer, former vice chairman of Dell Computers Corp. has joined the company as a director."

Feel Good Cars

EEStor struck a relationship with Toronto Based Feel Good Cars that has translated into a $2.5 million (U.S.) licensing agreement. Feel Good makes low speed electric cars and wants to use EEStor's technology to power its next generation vehicles, which could hit the market as early as 2007.

Notes

If you found the above reading interesting jump over to these articles that inspired this one. Clean Break and The Toronto Star

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