Ioxus will be in Nuremberg from May 8 to 10 exhibiting at PCIM Europe, a show that attracts thousands of attendees from the renewable energy, energy management and power electronics markets worldwide. Attendees can stop by Ioxus’ booth in hall 12, booth #671 to see the latest in supercapacitor technology and learn about the recent advances in the supercapacitor space, as well as how these improvements drive innovation in a wide variety of applications.

PCIM attendees are looking for the energy storage solutions that will move them beyond batteries and toward higher power density, increased efficiency, longer lifespan and enhanced application performance.  Since supercapacitors are lighter in weight than batteries, yet are capable of more than a million cycles, they are more versatile and suitable for a wide range of applications. When used in hybrid energy storage systems, supercapacitors increase the operating life of other storage systems, including batteries.

Image Source: PCIM

Applications such as hybrid vehicles benefit from the use of supercapacitors for start/stop, energy capture and regeneration, cold temperature performance and other applications. Renewable power applications like wind turbines use supercapacitors to support blade pitch control and to reduce maintenance requirements. While batteries often need to be replaced, supercapacitors have a longer life cycle, saving manufacturers the time and cost associated with replacing batteries. The quick charging with high life cycle of supercapacitors leads to increased reliability and longer life in industrial applications, as well in commercial and medical LEDs.

Ultracapacitors, or supercapacitors, are often combined with batteries in a hybrid system, enabling battery-powered systems to operate more efficiently. An ultracapacitor can store a significant amount of power in a small package and when combined with a battery, it improves the power density of the hybrid supply. The battery size is also reduced, decreasing the gross weight of the vehicle and in turn, improving fuel efficiency. Ultracapacitors protect batteries from being degraded by large current spikes, which lengthens the operating life of batteries. The number of battery replacements is therefore reduced, and fleet managers can save time and money.

Image Source: http://heavydutytrucksusa.com/

Ultracapacitors further improve the efficiency of trucks by cutting down on wasted energy. While trucks are stopped in traffic or at a stoplight, ultracapacitors capture energy that would otherwise be lost. Once the truck is ready to move again, the ultracapacitor quickly releases the stored energy for acceleration. Cold weather can negatively impact engine cranking when the engine relies on a battery for energy.  Since ultracapacitors provide a high energy density even at low temperatures – as low as -40 degrees Celsius – they ensure a quick cold start and eliminate failed starts.

Adopting improved energy storage solutions such as ultracapacitors is important for trucking manufacturers who strive to meet customer and government demands. By using better energy storage systems, manufacturers increase the overall efficiency of trucking applications and significantly reduce harmful emissions.

Image source: http://www.ewea.org/uploads/tx_templavoila/ewea2012l.png

By 2015, the number of new worldwide wind turbine installations is predicted to reach 118,000. However, the global adoption of wind power is challenged by the lack of consistent, reliable energy storage systems for this natural resource. For the wind market to experience significant growth, manufacturers must implement dependable energy storage technologies. Industry leaders are showing their support for this form of alternative energy by attending the wind energy conference EWEA 2012 this week.

Sheree Baker, the product manager at Ioxus distributor APC UK, will present during the conference’s storage session. She’ll focus on the need for dependable energy storage systems in wind applications. In the event of extreme weather, wind turbines that use batteries for energy storage are at risk of power failure. When exposed to extreme temperatures, batteries perform poorly and their life expectancy is greatly reduced. In situations of high peak power, a battery’s performance is also negatively affected.  It is necessary for manufacturers of wind applications to replace battery-driven storage systems with energy storage technologies that perform properly regardless of environmental conditions.

When manufacturers implement ultracapacitors instead of batteries, the benefits are significant. Implementing ultracapacitors in wind applications allows for high energy density to be stored in a small package, which reduces the system size significantly. Unlike batteries, ultracapacitors can withstand a wide range of temperatures, making them more reliable. By switching to ultracapacitors, wind turbine manufacturers don’t have to frequently replace batteries, saving time and money. Ultracapacitors decrease maintenance requirements and reduce cost in the wind turbine market.

A short 18 months ago, Ioxus had 19 employees. With fast growth and our acquisition of Power Systems, we have since expanded to nearly 80 employees. We’re still looking to hire more. Plus, this year we will move manufacturing facilities from Japan to New York, bringing even more jobs to the U.S. Ioxus is just one company; imagine the possibilities if this job creation spread to thousands of other small companies just like ours.

Cleantech manufacturing solidifies the U.S. economy and provides the support necessary to increase the U.S.’ renewable energy output while decreasing reliance on fossil fuels. It’s no secret that green technology is a growing industry, and job creation is only one result of that growth. We’ve been talking about this for a while now, so this panel of key clean energy players should make for an interesting discussion.

In order to ensure the success of these applications in distribution centers, AGV manufacturers turn to ultracapacitor technology. Although at one point AGVs solely used battery systems, today some manufacturers have replaced their batteries with supercapacitors to improve the efficiency of these applications. An AGV requires bursts of high power for lifting or dumping, as well as continuous energy for travel between stations. These bursts of power significantly reduce the life of the battery, requiring manufacturers to replace batteries frequently. There is also the need to exchange the batteries during working shifts. Unlike batteries, ultracapacitors require little maintenance, and can be charged in seconds using in-floor inductive charging, freeing manufacturers from constant battery swaps and replacements

Image source: http://bit.ly/I1VPrJ

Since supercapacitors can provide peak power for lifting or dumping, they perform well in applications such as AGVs which require these frequent large bursts of power. Because of their fast charge capability, ultracapacitors can also take advantage of regenerative braking, capturing the energy that would otherwise be lost and then releasing the energy to assist the AGV during its travel. They help maximize performance and the run time of AGVs, providing a dependable energy storage system with a long lifespan. Coupled with inductive charging, the AGV can operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with no battery changes, thus maximizing the AGVs role in the process line. All kinds of applications can benefit from converting their energy storage to ultracapacitors, resulting in enhanced efficiency and optimal performance.

Forklift manufacturers have implemented a variety of technologies in an attempt to improve the overall efficiency of forklift applications, however, most of them have not had success. The short lifespan of batteries has hindered performance in forklifts, requiring the help of other solutions such as ultracapacitors. Since batteries are energy dense but not power dense, and ultracapacitors are power dense, but not energy dense, a combination of the two is an ideal solution for forklifts. Ultracapacitors allow for a lower charge rate, enabling the application to operate at a lower temperature. This decrease in operating temperature results in a longer operating life for the batteries, increasing the system’s efficiency. When combined with batteries, ultracapacitors can enhance forklift performance and lower total energy costs.

Most forklift duty cycles are extremely dynamic, meaning they perform several accelerations that last just a few seconds. These rapid movements allow for the capture of regenerative energy, which ultracapacitors can provide. Ultracapacitors are useful in dynamic systems like this because they work while the forklift is stopped and capture energy that would have otherwise been lost. Then, the ultracapacitor quickly releases the captured energy for the forklift’s re-acceleration or lift action.

Improving the efficiency of electric forklifts is necessary in order to reduce carbon emissions and to continue to green the transportation market. Electric forklift applications are high power and high energy applications that can benefit from a hybridized solution of ultracapacitors and batteries. Ultracapacitors can enhance battery systems, extending the life of the system and helping the forklift to meet the demand of improved efficiency.

With the ability to handle high charge and discharge rates, a long lifespan, low maintenance requirements, and a wide temperature range tolerance, ultracapacitors outperform batteries and provide a more reliable energy source. While batteries can provide the necessary power, their lifespans are relatively short when used in UPS applications. Batteries require frequent maintenance and product replacement. Alternatively, engineers and designers are turning to ultracapacitors for a more reliable and cost-effective source of energy to supply the UPS.

UPS is most often used to provide ride-through during brief power disturbances, so ultracapacitors can protect against voltage disruptions, ensuring a smooth power supply to medical equipment, server memory and other mission-critical applications.

More manufacturers are improving the energy storage of their applications by leaving lead-acid batteries behind and replacing them with ultracapacitors. Therefore, Ioxus will hold the webinar, “Replacing Lead-Acid Batteries with Ultracapacitor Technology,” on March 20 at 10:00 a.m. CST out of China that will address the need for widespread adoption of ultracapacitors among manufacturers.

Countries around the world are adopting ultracapacitors more frequently as they implement stronger pollution and emission legislation to create a better fuel economy. Ultracapacitors are a cleaner and cheaper energy storage alternative to lead-acid batteries that allow applications to meet the demand for improved efficiency. Design engineers who attend the webinar will understand why there is such a demand for an increase in energy storage and how ultracapacitors can meet this increasing demand.

Attendees of the webinar will also learn:

• Why it is necessary to replace the lead-acid battery
• The energy storage demands of applications such as wind turbines, hybrid drive systems, UPS, cranes and forklift, and the best technologies to meet these demands
• How ultracapacitors are a more cost-effective energy solution, as well as a more efficient solution
• The specifics of ultracapacitor system design and maintenance.

Click here for the full release, pre-register for the webinar at http://seminar.eccn.com/120320/register.asp or e-mail me at bandrews@ioxus.com for more information.

Reporters Kym McNicholas, who recently joined the PandoDaily team, and Jon Swartz, from USA Today, joined me in this week’s roundtable. They brought a strong backing of technology knowledge and experience to the discussion. Kym, an expert on startup and technology news, has conducted many interviews with important names in the Silicon Valley. Jon is an award-winning technology reporter and Pulitzer Prize nominee reporting on Silicon Valley trends, social networking and various aspects of Internet security.

Green energy continues to be a hot topic, and much of our roundtable discussion focused on cleantech advancements, green energy policies and American leadership. As a cleantech manufacturer of ultracapacitors, Ioxus is particularly invested in developing technology to encourage widespread use of EVs.  We spoke about how to make EVs more prominent around the world and our country’s role in doing so.

If you’re in the San Francisco area, you can tune in to the show on Sunday, March 11 at 9 a.m. PT on NBC. The show also airs on the Washington, D.C. and Chicago NBC networks at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday. Or, if you can’t wait, you can watch the segment here:

According to EnergyBiz, the future of energy storage is dependent on the opportunities presented over the next five years. The United States must take the initiative to design and manufacture these new innovations; otherwise, foreign competitors will reap the benefits. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, “We can and must compete for those jobs.”  With increasing opportunities in the clean technology industry, it is vital to make manufacturing advancements in the U.S. to keep and create jobs domestically.

As a manufacturer of ultracapacitors, Ioxus believes that increasing our nation’s energy storage efforts is important and necessary. Developing technology like ultracapacitors to enhance energy storage is not only sustainable, but more cost-effective as well. Improvements in technology drive the prices of these systems down and lead to the mass adoption of applications that use them, like electric vehicles. This mass adoption will result in huge fuel cost savings and less harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Beyond EVs, ultracapacitors are beneficial in several other cleantech applications, including wind turbines, starting systems, LED lighting, backup power and renewable energy systems.

In fact, IOXUS IS HIRING!  We’re looking for the best and brightest in the areas of electrochemistry, ultracapacitor cell design, cell packaging and module design, not to mention production workers, as we expand our NY-based manufacturing facility, the only one of its kind in North America.

By developing and manufacturing energy storage technology domestically, the nation experiences cost savings, environmental benefits and an increase in job availability.