Increasing environmental issues, security of energy supply, drive research and development towards renewable energy sources (RES) worldwide. A key issue of RES, such as wind and solar resources, is intermittency. RES are not dispatchable, they exhibit large fluctuations, and are uncertain. The intermittency of RES can be absorbed by the hybrid combination of different RES [...]

Yes! All Li-ion cells and packs shipped must be tested to meet the Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods on lithium-ion batteries for air shipment, rules set by the United Nations (UN). The electrical test stresses the battery by applying high heat, followed by a forced charge, abnormal discharge and an electrical short. During [...]

Three major criteria should to be considered to choose a portable power source. The weight of the system, the cost of the energy produced and type of the fuel are the key drivers.

There is a recent growing interest in the replacement of batteries by fuel cells for portable consumer electronics, such as cellular phones, laptop computers, digital cameras and so on. This is perhaps partly due to the success of lithium-based batteries in powering laptop computers, cellular phones and the like. The requirement for higher energy density [...]

Boron- and nitrogen-based chemical hydrides are expected to be potential hydrogen carriers for PEM fuel cells, because of their high hydrogen contents. Among them, sodium borohydride (NaBH4, denoted SB) and ammonia borane (NH3BH3, denoted AB) have attracted much attention as promising hydrogen storage materials. There are many similarities between SB and AB in their features [...]

The increasing energy demand and the contemporary concern about urban environment raised the necessity to develop a hydrogen-based economy; it requires the development of hydrogen storage technologies. Hydrogen can be stored and transported in different ways, each one showing advantages and disadvantages: as compressed gas, in liquid form, as metal hydride. In carbon nanotubes, in [...]

GENPORT systems are based on  polymeric membrane fuel cell. Hydrogen operates as a fuel and it supplies the anode, whereas air enters the fuel cell from the cathode side. If the fuel cell is used instead of a secondary battery, the recharging time will be related to the time necessary for replacing the cartridge, instead [...]