Materials For Energy

Energy and Expansion: The Tata story

By V.S. Arunachalam and Gopal R. Rao

 

Tata is a household name in India. Starting well over a century ago, the Tatas began their foray into industry, and the brand represents more than a diversified conglomerate. The Tatas are well-respected, having endeared themselves in every walk of Indian life. Their businesses are all-pervasive, from building automobiles and generating electric power to making steel and building supercomputers. Their charitable trusts and endowments are as extensive as their businesses. They have founded and funded outstanding educational institutions and human welfare organizations, and they have supported research on alleviating human suffering. The incumbent of the Tata Group is Ratan Naval Tata, a Cornell University graduate in architecture. In the 20 years since he took over the mantle, he has set the Tata industries on a steep growth trajectory, increasing the revenue of the Tata industries 12-fold, making automobiles—the famed Nano—available at very affordable prices in India, and introducing efficient steelmaking. The business empire he heads, the Tata Group, has over 90 companies with footholds in 80 countries.

In the midst of his busy globe-trotting schedule, we managed to steal an hour of his time at the Tatas’ “Bombay House” headquarters in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), India, for him to tell us how he sees the global energy challenges and the opportunities they create. A condensed version of the interview now appears in the first Energy Quarterly section of the September 2010 issue of MRS Bulletin. The interview reveals the breadth of Ratan Tata's knowledge on energy and materials, in line with the vast business interests of the Tatas. 

V.S. Arunachalam
Chair, Energy Quarterly Organizing Committee

Gopal R. Rao
Web Science Editor, Materials Research Society

Better Batteries for Electric Vehicles

One of the features in the new Energy Quarterly (EQ) section in the September 2010 issue of the MRS Bulletin is Energy Sector Analysis. The focus of this feature in the current EQ is improved battery technologies for use in vehicles primarily powered by electricity rather than gasoline. Currently, electric vehicles are having their day in the sun, thanks in part to major improvements in battery technology.

Many countries are looking toward electric vehicles for the benefits they offer in terms of energy security and the environment. Cutting the demand for gasoline would help reduce dependence on imported oil, shifting that demand to domestic electricity production. Whether electric vehicles will help reduce greenhouse gases depends on where their electric power comes from—fossil fuels or renewable sources—a mix that varies from one country to another.

The article by Corinna Wu discusses what it would take to get widespread adoption of plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars. For consumers, battery-powered cars need to have a range long enough to accommodate the average commute, reasonable recharging time, and affordable cost. Continued improvements in battery technology, as well as development of an infrastructure of recharging stations, are crucial to satisfy all these demands.

Various materials aspects are covered including Ni-metal hydride and Li ion batteries, as well as various anode, cathode and electrolyte materials. As Wu concludes towards the end of the article, “Soon, more and more drivers will be “filling up” with electrons instead of petroleum.”

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Gopal R. Rao, Ph.D.
Web Science Editor
Materials Research Society (MRS)

Portugal Gives Itself a Clean-Energy Makeover

By Gopal R. Rao

(From the New York Times)

The August 9, 2010, issue of the New York Times has an interesting analysis of Portugal's attempt to harness their renewable energy resources to reduce dependence on foreign oil imports. The report articulates how while these efforts by Portugal have been very successful, with 45% of its electricity currently generated by renewable sources, at the same time, it has paid a price for this rapid transition within a period of five years in terms of higher electricity prices as well as significant changes to their power grid.

Excerpt: LISBON — Five years ago, the leaders of this sun-scorched, wind-swept nation made a bet: To reduce Portugal’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, they embarked on an array of ambitious renewable energy projects — primarily harnessing the country’s wind and hydropower, but also its sunlight and ocean waves.

Today, Lisbon’s trendy bars, Porto’s factories and the Algarve’s glamorous resorts are powered substantially by clean energy. Nearly 45 percent of the electricity in Portugal’s grid will come from renewable sources this year, up from 17 percent just five years ago.

Land-based wind power — this year deemed “potentially competitive” with fossil fuels by the International Energy Agency in Paris — has expanded sevenfold in that time. And Portugal expects in 2011 to become the first country to inaugurate a national network of charging stations for electric cars.

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While Portugal’s experience shows that rapid progress is achievable, it also highlights the price of such a transition. Portuguese households have long paid about twice what Americans pay for electricity, and prices have risen 15 percent in the last five years, probably partly because of the renewable energy program, the International Energy Agency says.

Although a 2009 report by the agency called Portugal’s renewable energy transition a “remarkable success,” it added, “It is not fully clear that their costs, both financial and economic, as well as their impact on final consumer energy prices, are well understood and appreciated.”

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Gopal R. Rao, Ph.D.
Web Science Editor
Materials Research Society (MRS)

Electric Vehicle Batteries: Where do the Materials Come From?

By Russell Chianelli

Electric vehicles are a promising technology for reducing pollution, especially in crowded cities.  Currently, the power train in electric cars consists of the storage of power in batteries with lithium anodes and power generation by an electric motor.  The electric motor requires rare earth elements such as neodymium.  Where do we get the Li and the neodymium?  We present some articles on the subject and welcome comments regarding the  trade and environmental issues associated.

The first article, The Battle Over Rare Earth Metals, deals with the supply of lithium from around the world.  A huge deposit exists in Bolivia, and there are other deposits in China.  When considering "green technologies," such as electric vehicles, we must also realize that raw materials such as Li, though abundant, may come from unusual places such as Bolivia, and this will require new trade agreements and arrangements.  On the other hand, electric motors for electric vehicles require rare elements such as neodymium.  These metals are rare and necessary for production of the vehicles, as indicated in the article titled, Beyond Lithium: What the Rare Earth Squeeze Means for Hybrid Cars.  The production of rare earth elements can also cause environmental problems in their mining and refining. It is important to understand that many "green technologies," while promising, have hidden environmental and trade implications.

The Battle Over Rare Earth Metals 

Beyond Lithium: What the Rare Earth Squeeze Means for Hybrid Cars 

Shortage of Rare Earth Minerals May Cripple U.S. High-Tech, Scientists Warn Congress

Huge Lithium Potash Deposit Found in Mexico

Welcome

Welcome to the Materials Research Society’s (MRS) “MATERIALS FOR ENERGY” blog. I am your host Russell R. Chianelli, MRS president in 1990 and career researcher in energy materials: batteries, catalysts, hydrogen storage and solar cells.

We all recognize the importance of energy in the coming years for global economic growth and security. We also recognize that energy production in any form has environmental consequences that must be considered. Materials research is key to the development and maintenance of reliable and safe energy sources which are affordable and environmentally acceptable.

It is the purpose of the “MATERIALS FOR ENERGY” blog to discuss the scientific issues surrounding all areas of materials for energy: basic research, scale-up and commercialization, deployment, environmental impact including raw materials acquisition and finally disposal technologies. In order to effectively discuss these issues we have invited a series of experts as co-hosts to assist in guiding the discussions and to present current articles and resources for discussion. We encourage all interested parties in engaging in the discussions and suggest the April 2008 issue of the MRS Bulletin – Harnessing Materials for Energy.

 

 

Welcome and Blog On!!    

 

Electric cars: Juiced up and ready to go

(From the New Scientist)

Credit: New Scientist

Picture the scene: in downtown New York City, all-electric cars glide through streets in a zero-emission transport revolution. Polluting, inefficient gasoline and diesel vehicles are nowhere to be seen - or heard. The only things getting in the way of these smooth, noiseless vehicles are the horse-drawn trams.

That's right, we're talking about the past. The electric car had its heyday over a century ago. Its brief reign came to an end in 1912, when gasoline-powered Cadillacs began to come fitted with starter motors. That did away with the inconvenient crank handle needed to get their engines going, and they could run for 100 miles or more on a tank on fuel. The all-electric car's battery would run out before you reached the city limits. It was no contest.

Now, in the first decade of the 21st century, history is about to go into reverse. The climate crisis is prompting thoughts of an all-electric economy, of which electric cars will be a vital part. The idea has been taking shape in engineering labs and on the roads for a while, and now fresh impetus is finally coming from on high. "Our dependency on oil is dangerous and short-sighted," US energy secretary Stephen Chu wrote in Newsweek in April. "We must... move toward running new vehicles on electricity and to generating that electricity from clean, renewable sources like solar and wind power."

There's just one rather large obstacle remaining - and it's the same one that stalled the electric car 100 years ago. "In the end, it all comes down to the lowly battery," says Donald Sadoway, who studies materials chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Though batteries have been around for more than 200 years (see time line), precious little research effort has gone into improving them. That's changing fast.

(more...)

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Dr. Gopal Rao
Web Science Editor
Editor, Materials360^®
Editor, Meeting Scene
Materials Research Society (MRS)

Building a Community Dialogue on the Global Energy Landscape and Materials Innovation

It has been more than a month since the preliminary release of the MRS Bulletin issue, Harnessing Materials for Energy. From anecdotal evidence, the issue has been well received, with positive comments, requests for bulk quantities, and healthy single copy sales. It has been and will continue to be distributed far and wide to scientists, policymakers, energy leaders, educators, and students in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, and elsewhere.

But our goal is not to have it “liked.” Our goal is to have it used.

It is time to look beyond the cover, and to build a dialogue in the community. By placing together the full spectrum of energy technologies from source through transformation to use and efficiency (shown in the Preface, illustration of the energy landscape, and Introduction), it is possible to see challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We can beyond worrying about the future to joining the many researchers, entrepreneurs, and corporations looking for and building robust solutions. What important challenges have emerged? What scientific approaches might speed progress? What can we learn from experiments around the world, such as sugarcane ethanol in Brazil, hydrogen in Iceland, nuclear power in France, coal liquefaction in South Africa, wind energy in Germany, electric cars in Israel, and solar in California? Will immediate implementation trump stronger developments of tomorrow? What is needed for widespread use of cellulosic ethanol, white LEDs for general lighting, nuclear breeder reactors, carbon sequestration, methane hydrates, organic solar cells, or plug-in hybrids? I ask the readers of this blog to give thoughtful input to the unanswered questions and unquestioned answers related to materials and energy. Start with a look at the introductory content in the MRS Bulletin issue, Harnessing Materials for Energy. Where should materials research go next?

Please add your comments here. In future posts, we will examine other articles in the issue. We also welcome suggestions for future blog coverage, which can be e-mailed to materialsforenergy@mrs.org.

Dr. Elizabeth L. Fleischer
Editor, MRS Bulletin
Materials Research Society

MRS Bulletin Special Issue "Harnessing Materials for Energy"

The Materials Research Society and the MRS Bulletin are pleased to announce the availability of the April special issue of the MRS Bulletin "Harnessing Materials for Energy" on the web.

The MRS Bulletin special expanded issue, “Harnessing Materials for Energy,” focuses on the most important materials research challenges that need to be addressed to move toward secure, affordable, and environmentally sustainable energy to meet the world’s accelerating energy needs. The issue follows the full energy chain including production, storage, distribution, use, and efficiency. The articles are designed to present an objective and global view of the energy challenges within each energy sector and the promising transformational materials research directions for meeting these challenges as far into the future as is scientifically feasible to consider (targeting 10-, 25-, and 50-year outlooks).

A related Energy Forum is slated for Monday, March 24, at the 2008 MRS Spring Meeting.

 

Dr. Gopal Rao
Web Science Editor
Materials Research Society (MRS)

Welcome to the Materials for Energy Blog!

This blog is brought to you by the Materials Research Society (MRS), an organization of materials researchers from academia, industry, and government that promotes communication for the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research to improve the quality of life.

The MRS Bulletin is one of the most widely recognized and highly respected publications in advanced materials research. Published monthly, it features technical theme topics that capture a snapshot of the state-of-the-art of material research. In addition, the Bulletin delivers timely commentary, news, trends and event listings to keep the materials community apprised of information important to their research and their profession.

This blog complements the MRS Bulletin special Energy issue, Harnessing Materials for Energy, to be published in April 2008, and will build on MRS’s growing programming on energy. The focus will be on building ongoing dialogue and community related to addressing the most important materials research challenges that need to be addressed to move toward secure, affordable, and environmentally sustainable energy to meet the world’s accelerating energy needs.

In the coming days and months, we will be posting news, links, reports and commentary relevant to the broad spectrum of issues covered by the articles in the MRS Bulletin special issue on Energy. We look forward to a healthy dialog and discussions by readers, and we encourage posting of comments and feedback.

 

 

Dr. Gopal Rao
Web Science Editor
Materials Research Society (MRS)