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5 Big Ideas for High-Temperature Superconductors

Cars That Think

Energy Storage Unlike conventional batteries, which use chemicals to store energy, superconducting magnetic-energy storage (SMES) uses a magnetic field created by the flow of direct current in a coil of superconducting material.

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Heating Buildings With Solar Energy Stored in Sand

Cars That Think

In a region known for long, dark winter nights, Polar Night Energy is building a system in the city of Tampere that can heat buildings with stored solar energy — all day, all night, and all winter long. This means that storing and distributing energy is as important as its generation. The apparent contradictions do not end there.

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False Starts: The Story of Vehicle-to-Grid Power

Cars That Think

They wanted to see whether an electric vehicle could feed electricity back to the grid. The company’s president, Tom Gage , dubbed the system “vehicle to grid” or V2G. And EV owners would become entrepreneurs, selling electricity back to the grid. And indeed, that’s how promoters of vehicle-to-grid technology perceive the EV.

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How I turned a shipping container into a solar off-grid charging station with A/C

Baua Electric

That seemed like a great idea to put to use for all of my electric “toys”. Between my electric bikes, e-motorcycles, e-ATVs, electric tractors, and a few other things I’m probably forgetting, having a weather-sealed, solar-powered off-grid charging shed would be a big benefit. You can see it in more detail in my video of the project.

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Volvo CE and Rolls-Royce develop wood-burning charger for off-grid EVs

Baua Electric

When work is being done off the grid in remote locations, it can be hard to keep construction equipment fueled up – regardless of whether that fuel is liquid or electric. The resulting heat is converted into electric energy and stored in a connected Battery Storage Module, or BSM. Volvo CE AirBurners BioCharger; image via Air Burners.

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This Dutch City Is Road-Testing Vehicle-to-Grid Tech

Cars That Think

Unlike those you may have grown accustomed to seeing, many of these stations don’t just charge electric cars—they can also send power from vehicle batteries to the local utility grid for use by homes and businesses. Debates over the feasibility and value of such vehicle-to-grid technology go back decades. This is good for the grid.

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Harvard team demonstrates new metal-free organic–inorganic aqueous flow battery; potential breakthrough for low-cost grid-scale storage

Green Car Congress

Quinones are naturally abundant, inexpensive, small organic molecules, and similar to molecules that store energy in plants and animals. The technology could fundamentally transform the way electricity is stored on the grid, making power from renewable energy sources such as wind and sun far more economical and reliable.

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