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Ultra Capacitors from Saxony
Energy storage production in Germany is possible: Skeleton starts in 2017
While German automakers are shying away from producing energy storage systems in Germany, German-Estonian manufacturer Skeleton Technologies is doing just that. In 2017, production of ultra capacitors starts near Dresden. The ultracaps, as the skeleton capacitors are called, are so efficient that ESA will be using them in its satellites from 2018 onwards.
The technical data of the graph-based energy storage systems are impressive. The ultra capacitors are considerably smaller and can be recharged much faster. These are advantages that also convinced Tesla boss Elon Musk. He will also work on a graphene based energy storage system that will enable electric cars to cover a range of 800 km.
Ultra capacitors can be charged and discharged in a flash. They are able to provide the power they have stored in them very quickly compared to batteries and thus deliver a much higher electrical power output in terms of weight and volume, even if only for a relatively short period of time.
The ultra-capacitors store electrical energy in a double-layer of graphene and not like batteries with the help of a chemical reaction. This significantly reduces the space required for energy storage in satellites, for example. This is one of the main reasons why the European Space Agency (ESA) has chosen to use skeleton ultra-capacitors in addition to batteries in its satellites. In 2018, the first satellite with an ultra-capacitor is to be launched. Approximately, a weight saving of only one kilogram for the ESA results in a cost saving of 18,000 euros per satellite, as Skeleton predicts.
The European Space Agency wants to use Skeleton's ultra-capacitors in satellites from 2018.
Only recently, Skeleton had made headlines by equipping a transport airship with ultra-capacitors. The Zeppelin is used for wood transport and needs a powerful electricity supplier for peak demand. He's got it.
Skeleton uses a patented material called Curved Graphene in the ultra capacitors. This material allows an extremely high power and energy density. According to Skeleton, the latter is more than 10 Wh/kg. The electrical capacity is 4500 Farad. Competitive products come to a maximum of 3700 Farad.
Curved graphene replaces the carbon from the coconut shell in the condensers. Volker Duden, the technician on the board of Skeleton Technologies, speaks of "ambitious goals" for further development work. The primary aim is to "double the energy density once again".
The ultra capacitors based on graphene have another special feature. According to Skeleton, the internal resistance is only 0.095 milliohms. This reduces heat losses, which greatly improves the efficiency of the cells. Skeleton talks about an improvement of more than three times as much. This also contributes to the high technical life expectancy of the ultra capacitors. Skeleton emphasizes that more than one million charging and discharging cycles have been possible with them.
Skeleton's SkelCap 4500 ultra capacitors have a cylindrical shape and a maximum diameter of only 60 mm. This makes it suitable for many applications where space is at a premium. This applies to space satellites, for example, to the power supply of devices for positioning antennas and solar collectors.
As far as ultra-capacitors for the mass market are concerned, Skeleton anticipates that they will be used primarily in automotive engineering and smart grid technology. Skeleton Technologies and Adgero from France are currently testing a hybrid truck as a municipal delivery vehicle in the UK. This is an Iveco truck used in the test by the British delivery company Fraikin.
Skeleton Technologies is an originally Estonian start-up from Tallinn, which now has an additional company headquarters in Bautzen. The German production facility, which is to work specifically for the German market, will be set up in Großröhrdorf near Dresden. Skeleton has already attracted 26.7 million euros from investors for development and production.
13 million euros alone last year, First Floor Capital, a venture financier from Malaysia, agreed. Previously, KIC InnoEnergy had already invested 4 million euros. The company from Eindhoven in the Netherlands is run by a number of well-known European industrial companies. These include the electrical engineering company ABB and the nuclear technology company Areva.
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