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New long-duration, extended capacity Na-Al battery design for grid storage

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The new battery design could help ease integration of renewable energy into the electrical grid at lower cost, using Earth-abundant metals, according to a study just published in Energy Storage Materials. In comparison, the energy density for lithium-ion batteries used in commercial electronics and electric vehicles is around 170–250 Wh/kg.

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Fraunhofer researchers develop technique to produce aluminum windings for motors

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Researchers at Fraunhofer IFAM have developed a casting technique that can be used to produce lightweight aluminum windings with a higher groove fill factor to replace copper windings in electric motors. To show this in a direct comparison, the Fraunhofer team used 250W commercial pedelec motors. © Fraunhofer IFAM.

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Researchers virtually ‘unwind’ lithium battery; strategies for improving design of cylindrical cells

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An international team led by researchers at UCL has revealed new insights into the workings of a commercial Li/MnO 2 primary battery by virtually “unrolling” its coil of electrode layers using an algorithm designed for papyrus scrolls. Unseen trends in the spatial distribution of performance in the cells were observed.

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BMW i Ventures co-leads investment in radial-flux dual-rotor motor technology: DeepDrive

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The key enabler for the dual-rotor concept is a new distributed winding concept with a slot-filling factor above 80%. DeepDrive says that their motor will have less than 30% of the cost per N·m in comparison to current state-of-the-art motors. They enable the next generation of efficient and resource-saving electric vehicles.

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Ricardo-led Consortium Wins Funding for Advanced Wind Energy Bearing Technology

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A consortium led by engineering firm Ricardo that aims to extend wind turbine bearing service life by up to 500% has won a share of £3 million (US$4.8 Turbine gearbox bearing durability is a key issue for wind energy providers, in particular for off-shore farms where in-service maintenance is both expensive and challenging.

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Volkswagen ID. R using Formula 1 DRS for optimal aerodynamics for Nürburgring run

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R in the wind tunnel. Though almost identical in length at roughly 20 kilometers, the Nordschleife presents a completely different challenge for aerodynamics in comparison to the hill climb at Pikes Peak. R will also sport a newly designed rear wing. R’s aerodynamics in the wind tunnel, initially with a 1:2 model.

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Utah-based Energy Fuels to enter commercial rare earth business in Q1-2021

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REEs are the building-blocks of a wide array of clean energy and advanced technologies, including wind turbines, electric vehicles, cell phones, computers, flat panel displays, advanced optics, catalysts, medicine, and national defense applications. The monazite sands will be from Chemours’ Offerman Mineral Sand Plant in Georgia.

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