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Date: March 12, 2017 at 05:02:21
From: kay.so.or, [DNS_Address]
Subject: How a 94-Year-Old Genius May Save the Planet |
URL: How a 94-Year-Old Genius May Save the Planet |
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A man old enough to be Mark Zuckerberg’s great-grandfather just unveiled energy storage technology that might save the planet.
John Goodenough is 94, and his current work could be the key to Tesla’s future—much as, decades ago, his efforts were an important part of Sony’s era of dominance in portable gadgets. Over the years, Goodenough has scuffled with Warren Buffett, wound up screwed by global patent wars, never got rich off a headline-grabbing initial public offering and defied the American tech industry’s prejudice that says old people can’t innovate.
Goodenough announced in early March that he and his team at the University of Texas at Austin had invented a glass-based battery that blows away the performance of every previous kind of battery, including lithium-ion batteries—which were invented in the 1980s by…him. So right now, Goodenough’s technology is powering your smartphone, laptop, electric toothbrush, Tesla and any other rechargeable electronic thing you own. Lots of inventors claim they’re working on breakthrough types of batteries. Goodenough is the only one who can also say he’s done it before.
End of Gas-Powered Cars?
Goodenough’s new battery can store three times more energy than a comparable lithium-ion battery, according to the very serious Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). The new battery also solves some other lithium-ion troubles. Like, it won’t catch fire, so a hoverboard won’t suddenly melt your kid’s Vans as she scoots across the playground. The IEEE also reports that Goodenough’s batteries seem to be able to soak up in minutes as much charge as a lithium-ion battery gets in hours.
Battery technology may not make you swoon, but it is the missing link in getting the planet off carbon-based energy. Oil, coal and natural gas are such effective energy sources because they can be stored and burned whenever needed—whether in a car’s gas tank or at an electric plant. Solar and wind generate electricity only when nature cooperates, and batteries are the lone way to store electricity to be used anytime. If batteries become cheap, powerful, safe and quick to charge, one of carbon’s big advantages disappears. The headline on the IEEE’s report even asked: “Will a New Glass Battery Accelerate the End of Oil?
This breakthrough could finally make gasoline-powered, emission-spewing cars seem as gross and old-timey as an outhouse. If Goodenough’s battery works as advertised, Tesla, General Motors and other automakers could sell electric cars that would travel 600 miles on a charge. Recharging would take about as long as a stop for breakfast at a Waffle House. “I think we have the possibility of doing what we’ve been trying to do for the last 20 years,” Goodenough told the IEEE. “That is, to get an electric car that will be competitive in cost and convenience with the internal combustion engine.”
Breakthroughs—But No Payoff
Goodenough has been chasing that goal for nearly 50 years. In the 1970s, while working as a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an oil embargo by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries hurled the U.S. into an energy crisis. Goodenough vowed to find a way to end U.S. dependence on oil. A few years later, he moved to Oxford University in England but kept working on portable batteries that would be better than the cylinders we still put in flashlights and toys. While he was at Oxford, a British scientist figured out that lithium ions could make great batteries, but his version kept exploding. In 1980, Goodenough found a way to use cobalt-oxide cathodes to make lithium-based batteries better and safer. “It was the first lithium-ion cathode with the capacity, when installed in a battery, to power both compact and relatively large devices, a quality that would make it far superior to anything on the market,” wrote Steve LeVine in his book The Powerhouse, about battery history.
Sony was the Apple of the 1980s—the consumer tech company that produced hit after hit. Sony had come out with the Walkman in 1979, the first CD player in 1982 and the Handycam camcorder in 1989. In 1991, the company commercialized Goodenough’s battery, marketing the first rechargeable batteries and solving the problem of powering its portable devices. Sony’s products set off a global frenzy among electronics companies to make lithium-ion batteries and gadgets powered by them.
the rest of the article at the link.....
(GO ELDERS....get some respect already!!!)
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[6392] [6390] [6389] [6396] |
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6392 |
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Date: March 23, 2017 at 16:38:32
From: KAN DAEK/Denver, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: How a 94-Year-Old Genius May Save the Planet |
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You don't need a fancy battery. Tesla's method will make electric with a
magnetic rotary right from your turning axis and you only need battery for
when the wheels are not turning.
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6390 |
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Date: March 18, 2017 at 11:43:49
From: JimW, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: How a 94-Year-Old Genius May Save the Planet |
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Thanks for sharing. Great man, great article.
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6389 |
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Date: March 16, 2017 at 17:43:33
From: Jeanne/Tulsa, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: How a 94-Year-Old Genius May Save the Planet |
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Thanks for posting this article Kay. Interesting.
Mr. Goodenough has my respect. Go elders indeed!
I always thought storage was the missing link in green energy
technology. If this battery can do what Mr. Goodenough says, it could
change the world. Imagine powering your home from a compact
battery, or an electric car with a range of 600 miles. Very positive and
exciting news. I hope this becomes available to everyone soon.
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6396 |
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Date: April 05, 2017 at 14:23:50
From: Terra11, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: How a 94-Year-Old Genius May Save the Planet |
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The gas and oil conglomerates will not allow free energy THATS
WHY they stole all of tesla's technology --JP MORGAN SAID IF HE
COULDNT PUT A PRICE TAG ON IT --it wSnt going to be allowed --
if they had their way about it we would be paying for every breath we
take--
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