Why was the energy storage company named "the 50 smartest companies in the world in 2016"

Recently, the United States "MIT Technology Review" selected "the world's 50 smartest companies in 2016." This list includes well-known big companies such as Amazon, Tesla, Facebook, and Alphabet, as well as companies such as Microsoft, Bosch, and Intel that have leadership positions in their respective fields. It also includes 23andMe, 24M, Didi Travel and other ambitious start-up companies that have just made the list this year. Aquion Energy, founded by Carnegie Mellon University professor Jay Whitacre, was ranked fifth in the list.

"Innovative batteries have made this startup a unique success in an exceptionally difficult industry. " -- Aquion Energy's award

Founded in 2007, Professor Whitacre, with the support of Carnegie Mellon University, began to study low-cost electrochemical methods to expand energy storage. He has been looking for a way to make cheap and easy-to-produce batteries to meet the world's growing energy demand. At the same time, the use of renewable energy has also increased. In 2008, Professor Whitacre successfully produced the first water hybrid ion battery (AqueousHybrid Ion battery, hereinafter referred to as AHI batteries), which attracted the attention of the venture capital company Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.

Aquion Energy is a manufacturer of water system hybrid ion patented batteries and battery systems for durable fixed storage energy applications. AHI batteries are optimized for off-grid and microgrid, energy management and grid-level applications for daily deep discharge. Aquion's high-performance, safe, sustainable and cost-effective batteries provide customers with industry-leading value. The Aquion battery system provides flexible, modular energy storage, supports the widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar, reduces dependence on fossil fuels and optimizes existing grid-connected power generation assets. Since its establishment, AquionEnergy has received a total of more than $162 million in investment from 13 investors, including Bill Gates, the Kaipenghuaying, the energy industry giant Shell and Total.

Rapid growth in energy storage needs and sodium ion batteries

With the development of the world grid and the rapid growth of renewable energy sources (wind, solar, micro-Stirling, solid oxide fuel cells), the demand for large secondary energy storage systems is also increasing. According to statistics, the global fixed energy storage market will exceed 20 billion U.S. dollars by 2021. By contrast, sodium ion batteries are very suitable for energy storage. For example, public utilities need cheap, durable methods to store more power produced by power plants than energy, especially intermittent power plants such as solar energy and wind farms.

Aquion Energy developed a new sodium ion battery using aqueous electrolytes and abundant sodium and manganese reserves. The battery is cheap and is expected to cost $300 / kWh, less than a third of the cost of using lithium-ion batteries. Third-party tests have shown that AquionEnergy's batteries can achieve more than 5,000 charge and discharge cycles with an efficiency of more than 85 %.

Aquion's sodium-ion battery has an anode activated carbon, a cathode sodium manganese base material, and an electrolyte of Na2SO4 aqueous solution. The principle of sodium ion batteries is similar to that of lithium-ion batteries. The difference is that sodium ion reserves are richer and cheaper. At the same time, the electrochemical properties of sodium ions are very similar to those of lithium ions, but the Ionic conductivity of sodium ions in aqueous solutions is much better than that of lithium. Of the sodium embedded materials that can work in aqueous solutions, only sodium manganese is the most cost-effective material, and only low-cost activated carbon has the particularly attractive robustness and performance characteristics of materials that have the potential to act as anodes. So Aquion's sodium-ion battery is not only easier to use, but also cheaper. In addition, compared with batteries using organic electrolytes, aqueous electrolytes do not limit the diffusion of ions in the battery, so the plates do not need to be made very thin, which is conducive to reducing costs, and the manufacturing process is also simpler. What's more attractive is that Aquion's sodium-ion batteries use materials that are non-toxic and can be recycled 100 %.

Water mixed-ion (AHI) battery

In April 2015, AquionEnergy announced that the AHIS20 and S20-P product lines have become the first batteries in the world to receive Cradle-to-Cradle CridleCertify (`` Cradle to Cradle ") bronze certification. The recognized quality mark for all industries aims to provide continuous improvement in quality product R&D.

The AHI battery is made of a salt Hydro solution, a carbon composite anode, a manganese oxide cathode, and a synthetic cotton diaphragm. This unique environmentally friendly electrochemical design has passed the CradletoCradleCertified product certification program and is the world's first battery certified under the comprehensive standards of the certification program methodology. The battery is free of heavy metals and toxic chemicals, and is non-flammable and non-explosive, making it the safest battery in the world. The battery is suitable for primitive environments, islands, homes, and businesses.

The AHI battery proves that designing a sustainable product does not sacrifice the performance of the product and is an ideal energy storage solution that matches the renewable energy power generation system. Cost-effective energy storage systems help system owners maximize their own solar and wind energy consumption, reduce their reliance on diesel, control peak energy costs, manage intermittent and ensure stability. AHIS20 and S20-P batteries provide robust performance for residential solar, off-grid and microgrid applications that are maintainable for many years.

JayBolus, president of MBDC Certification Services, said that Aquion Energy made wise design decisions every step of the development process until it eventually developed a product that embodies the essence of the cradle to cradle design framework-safe materials and sustainable circulation. As the first and only type of battery to be cradle to cradle certified, the water-mixed ion S-Line series is a strong testimony to the many years of efforts of the AquionEnergy team to develop environmentally friendly renewable energy storage innovative batteries.

These achievements did not stop Aquion Energy's R&D in the field of energy storage. It was important to use clean and sustainable batteries, given a large number of batteries that would be deployed in renewable energy systems worldwide. Therefore, Aquion is still working to find out whether it is possible to create new battery technologies that are environmentally sustainable, safe and cost-effective while meeting the strict performance requirements of off-grid and grid-connected fixed storage energy applications.

The page contains the contents of the machine translation.