''Search for the Super Battery: Discover the Powerful World of Batteries'' is a 2017 American documentary film about
energy storage
Energy storage is the capture of energy produced at one time for use at a later time to reduce imbalances between energy demand and energy production.
A device that stores energy is generally called an accumulator or battery.
Energy comes in ...
and how it may help provide an
environmentally friendly
Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...
, or green, future.
The basic mechanism of
batteries
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
, including
lithium-ion
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also sees ...
types, is described. The benefits and limitations of various batteries are also presented. Details of seeking a much safer,
more powerful, longer-lasting and less expensive battery, a so-called "super battery", is discussed. The broad importance of energy storage devices, in mobile phones and
automobiles
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
, and in the overall
electric grid system of the United States, is examined in detail.
Participants
The documentary film is
narrated
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional ( memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). Narr ...
by
Jay O. Sanders and includes the following participants (alphabetized by last name):
*
Jay O. Sanders (Narrator)
*
David Pogue (
Host
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
* Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County
People
*Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman
* Michel Host ...
)
* Guenter Conzelmann (
Argonne National Lab
Argonne National Laboratory is a science and engineering research national laboratory operated by UChicago Argonne LLC for the United States Department of Energy. The facility is located in Lemont, Illinois, outside of Chicago, and is the larg ...
)
* George Crabtree (
Joint Center for Energy Storage Research
Argonne National Laboratory is a science and engineering research national laboratory operated by UChicago Argonne LLC for the United States Department of Energy. The facility is located in Lemont, Illinois, outside of Chicago, and is the larg ...
)
* Alexis Georgeson (
Tesla Motors
Tesla, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles (electric cars and electric truck, trucks), battery energy storage from ...
)
* Denise Gray (
LG Chem Power)
*
Theo Gray (
Chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chÄ“m(Ãa)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...
and author)
*
Daniel Kammen (
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
)
* Doug Kim (
Southern California Edison)
* Joshua Lamb (
Sandia National Labs
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), also known as Sandia, is one of three research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Headquartered in Kirtland Air Force B ...
)
*
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
(
1909 electric car owner)
* Greg Less (
University of Michigan (Battery Lab))
*
Y. Shirley Meng (
UC San Diego)
* Jeff Sakamoto (
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
)
* Seth Sanders (
Amber Kinetics)
*
Venkat Srinivasan (
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)
* Leigh Anna Steele (
Sandia National Labs
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), also known as Sandia, is one of three research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Headquartered in Kirtland Air Force B ...
)
* Levi Thompson (
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
)
* Lynn Trahey (
Argonne National Lab
Argonne National Laboratory is a science and engineering research national laboratory operated by UChicago Argonne LLC for the United States Department of Energy. The facility is located in Lemont, Illinois, outside of Chicago, and is the larg ...
)
* Steven Visco (
PolyPlus Battery Company)
*
Jay Whitacre (
Aquion Energy
Aquion Energy was a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.-based company that manufactured sodium ion batteries ( salt water batteries) and electricity storage systems.
The company claimed to provide a low-cost way to store large amounts o ...
)
* Mike Zimmerman (Ionic Materials)
Summaries in the media
According to David Templeton of the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...
, the program "walks the viewer through the science of how
batteries
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
work, returning to that theme time and again to explain variations in design to create cheaper, safer, longer-lasting batteries and
energy-storage systems."
Notable discoveries, featured in the program, Templeton reports, are a safe battery "made with
saltwater electrolytes", as well as a safe battery "made of plastics that can use
lithium metal rather than a traditional
lithium ion
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...
to produce longer-lasting, safe power."
Vicky Hallet of the
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
writes that
lithium-ion batteries
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...
"gained widespread popularity because of their ability to pack a lot of energy into a lightweight package." However, such batteries – due to the
thermal runaway properties of the varieties of lithium-content rechargeable cells that use
lithium cobalt oxide
Lithium cobalt oxide, sometimes called lithium cobaltateA. L. Emelina, M. A. Bykov, M. L. Kovba, B. M. Senyavin, E. V. Golubina (2011), "Thermochemical properties of lithium cobaltate". ''Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry'', volume 85, issue ...
in their positive electrodes – can potentially burst into flames. The program shows several possible ways to make batteries safer.
Hallet reports that the program presents an important notion: "Batteries are evolving to do more, and do it safely. It’s powerful stuff."
Gallery
Image:DavidPogueOct10.jpg, David Pogue
(Host
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
* Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County
People
*Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman
* Michel Host ...
)
Image:Theodore Gray.jpg, Theo Gray
(Chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chÄ“m(Ãa)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...
and author)
Image:RAEL NASA Solar Tower480x247 (cropped) Daniel Kammen.png, Daniel Kammen
(University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
)
Image:JayLenoJul08.jpg, Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
( 1909 electric car owner)
See also
*
Baker Motor Vehicle
*
Battery charger
A battery charger, recharger, or simply charger is a device that stores energy in a battery by running an electric current through it. The charging protocol (how much voltage or current for how long, and what to do when charging is complete) depen ...
*
Battery nomenclature
Standard battery nomenclature describes portable dry cell batteries that have physical dimensions and electrical characteristics interchangeable between manufacturers. The long history of disposable dry cells means that many manufacturer-specifi ...
*
Flywheel storage power system Sectional view of a flywheel storage with magnetic bearings and evacuated housing
A flywheel-storage power system uses a flywheel for energy storage, (see Flywheel energy storage) and can be a comparatively small storage facility with a peak power ...
*
List of battery types
*
Lithium iron phosphate battery
The lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP (lithium ferro-phosphate), or Li-IP) is a type of lithium-ion battery using lithium iron phosphate () as the cathode material, and a graphitic carbon electrode with a metallic backing as the anode.
Becaus ...
*
Lithium polymer battery
*
Lithium–sulfur battery
*
Rechargeable battery
A rechargeable battery, storage battery, or secondary cell (formally a type of Accumulator (energy), energy accumulator), is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to ...
*
''The Mystery of Matter'' (2014 PBS film)
*
Thermogalvanic cell
In electrochemistry, a thermogalvanic cell is a kind of galvanic cell in which heat is employed to provide electrical power directly. These cells are electrochemical cells in which the two electrodes are deliberately maintained at different tempe ...
References
External links
*
*
*
''Search for the Super Battery''at
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
''Search for the Super Battery'' – Video (53:32)''Search for the Super Battery''– video search on YouTube.
''Search for the Super Battery''– video search on
Dailymotion
Dailymotion is a French video-sharing technology platform owned by Vivendi. North American launch partners included Vice Media, Bloomberg and Hearst Digital Media. It is among the earliest known platforms to support HD (720p) resolution video. ...
.
Super-Charged Capacitors – Video (03:33)*
* Batteries â€
* Batteries â€
* Batteries â€
Learning Package* Batteries â€
* Batteries â€
Future types (2017)
{{Nova (TV series)
2017 American television episodes
Battery (electricity)
Nova (American TV program) episodes
2017 films