Five Energy Technologies with big potential
online.wsj.com
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Sir,
Thanks for your note. Space limitations prevented me from mentioning Tesla, which indeed gets considerably more miles on a charge than a Volt. As I understand it, it does this by using some sophisticated electronic controls and a huge array of batteries, both of which help account for the Tesla roadster’s steep price tag. The point I should have made more clearly is that, when cost and weight are considered, lithium-ion batteries in production vehicles are going to continue have a much smaller range than comparable gasoline-powered vehicles. Not to suggest that makes them impractical – some 80% of all car trips are less than the Volt’s 40 mile range. But the grail remains something with even a higher power density than lithium ion.
You’re also correct about flywheels – they’re useful for a number of critical grid applications, mainly in maintaining power during brief outages. Most of the experts I talked with, though, didn’t include them as a solution for larger storage needs, or to handle storage for variable power sources like wind. Still, there’s a lot of interest in flywheels, and they probably merit a closer look in the reports.
I appreciate your writing.
Best regards,
Michael
Michael Totty
News editor/Journal Reports
The Wall Street Journal