New Solar Super Capacitor multiplies electrical energy!
Features
• Clean renewable energy
• Generates electricity
• Stores electricity, too!
• Not a solar cell (not photovoltaic)
• Invisible (buried in asphalt, concrete, or rooftops)
• Uses giant heat collectors (e.g. existing roads)
• Carbon negative, eco-friendly
• No moving parts; No parts exposed to the elements
Typical Application
Figure 1 shows the new method of solar-powered electricity generation and storage. This method
is “counter-intuitive” because we must put in electricity in order to get out (more) electricity!
This is explained a little later in this document.
Figure 1.
Demonstration Video
Click here to watch the video demonstration of a small-scale Solar Super Capacitor (SSC) system.
Description of the Video
Models a Suburban House
The video represents a cut-away view of a future suburban house (in Arizona) equipped with the SSC system. The ten LEDs
represent ten room lights1.
Powered by Temperature Change over Time2
Unlike ordinary solar cells (photovoltaic cells), the SSCs operate on temperature change over time. This demonstration video
shows a temperature change from cool (20 °C =68°F) to hot (41 °C = 105.8°F). This is intended to mimic a cool 4:00 am
morning to a hot noontime temperature change. Note that asphalt roads in Phoenix Arizona routinely reach 57°C (= 134.6 °F).
1
The video shows SSC powering lights. However, it is not limited to just lights. When scaled-up, it is intended to power all typical household
electrical loads/appliances.
2
It is important to note that this SSC approach is fundamentally different from many other thermoelectric approaches (e.g. Peltier cells, and
thermocouples), in that they require simultaneous hot and cold sources or sinks, whereas, the SSC approach can utilize non-simultaneous
temperature differences, such as those from day and night.
The video is divided into two parts
Part 1 provides a baseline or reference. It occurs when the SSC temperature is cool (e.g. 4:00 am). It shows the “investment
energy” (LEDs glow for 0.92 seconds).
Part 2 begins with a cool SSC, as in part 1, then shows the electricity gain as the (noontime) sun heats the SSC (LEDs glow for
4.25 seconds). The return on (electricity) investment is over 350%.
Component Parts of the Demonstration
Figure 2 shows the overall layout and components used in the video. This small-scale SSC is made from multiple 6¢ ceramic
capacitors intended for use in cell phones, computers, etc. The demo has only one physical SSC, although numerous black
rectangles* show locations where multiple SSCs could be buried (in the street, driveway, roof, walls and/or fence).
Connected across the SSC is a multimeter (on the right) that reads directly in volts. Attached to the back surface of the SSC is
a temperature sensor that allows the leftmost multimeter to display the SSC’s temperature in degrees Celsius3.
The toaster-like heating element is used to (quickly) simulate the slow heating from the sun. To do so, the heating element is
pressed up against the front surface of the SSC.
Metal contacts, at the top of the Figure 2, are always connected across the SSC and can temporarily connect the 15-volt battery
(shown below), in order to “pre-charge” the SSC. When the on/off switch is flipped on, electricity stored in the SSC can flow
through the voltage regulator4 to the ten room lights (ten LEDs).
Figure 2. Labeled component parts of the video
3
4
Note that the SSC’s temperature is measured in units of degrees Celsius. To convert to degrees Fahrenheit, do the following:
1. Multiply degrees Celsius by 9
Examples:
20 °C = 68 °F.
2. Divide by 5
22 °C = 71.6 °F.
3. Add 32
41 °C = 105.8°F.
The voltage regulator efficiently converts the variable SSC voltage to an appropriate voltage for the electrical load (LEDs in this demo).
More specifically, the regulator is a “step-down buck regulator.”
Why Pre-charge? What does the battery do?
The SSC (Solar Super Capacitor) must be pre-charged before the sun can perform useful work on the SSC. This is a somewhat
“counter-intuitive” concept5. That is, we must put in electricity, in order to get out (more) electricity6. So, you can think of the
electric energy that we put in, as an energy investment. The sun operates on that investment and produces a larger return. As in
finance, no investment means no return.
What replaces the battery in a full-scale application?
The battery supplies the pre-charge in the demonstration. In a full-scale application, the pre-charge energy can be supplied from
one of various sources, such as the grid, or other ultra-capacitors. Ideally, leftover electricity from Tuesday will suffice to precharge Wednesday. The leftover electricity can be stored (for later use) in capacitors somewhat like the SSC, except with
different thermal characteristics7.
The video shows this sequence of steps
1. SSC is COOL (near room temperature)
2. Discharge the SSC to zero volts.
3. The 15 V battery (actually 14.6 volts) is placed on the + and - metal contacts which always connect across the SSC.
4. The voltmeter registers the 14.6 volts across the SSC. (This is the voltage due to our pre-charge).
5. While the SSC is COOL, the on/off switch is flipped on and the ten LEDs stay lit for 0.92 of a second.
6. So far, steps 1-4 simply show how much electricity that we put in (enough to light the LEDs for 0.92 of a second).
The next three steps simply repeat steps 2 -4, in order to make the initial conditions the same as before:
7. Discharge the SSC to zero volts.
8. The 15 V battery (actually 14.6 volts) is placed on the + and - metal contacts which always connect across the SSC.
9. The voltmeter registers the 14.6 volts across the SSC. (This is the voltage due to our pre-charge).
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
(If we chose to flip the on/off switch to on, then the ten LEDs would stay lit for just 0.92 of a second, as shown earlier).
However, instead, we heat the pre-charged SSC to about 41 °C = 105.8°F).
As heat is applied, the voltage across the pre-charged SSC rises from 14.6 volts to 43.6 volts.
Now, the on/off switch is flipped on and the ten LEDs stay lit for 4.25 seconds.
That’s over 350% return on our electric energy investment! The excess energy comes from the “sun” (the heating element).
How will SSC scale-up to full-scale applications?
Essentially all of the SSC approach, except the capacitor itself, is well proven, mature technology. At the time of this writing,
several companies are rushing to develop high-energy SSC-like capacitors for all-electric vehicles and hybrids.
One controversial and secretive company named EESTOR claims to be on track to deliver production-level SSC-like
capacitors in 2010. EESTOR claims that their ceramic capacitor arrays will hold 52 kilowatt hours of energy, which can propel a
small car about 300 miles8.
Even-higher energy claims are made by First Lighten the Load, Inc. (FLTL).
5
This “counter-intuitive” twist may have kept SSC concepts hidden for centuries.
6
Briefly, the reason is this: The sun’s heat produces randomly directed molecular motion that does work that tends to neutralize a
natural dielectric field that had been opposing the electric field from our stored pre-charges. As a result, the voltage (due to our
stored pre-charges) rises, because the opposing field is reduced. (The detailed reason is more complex, involving a “phase
change” at temperatures near the “perovskite” ceramic’s “Curie” temperature).
7
8
“Different thermal characteristics” such as different Curie temperatures, made by using different ratios of ceramic elements.
An EESTOR patent claims that the EESTOR ceramic capacitor array will provide 31 farads of capacitance and operate at up to
3500 volts. (This is about 30,000 times the capacitance and 100 times the voltage of the SSC in our small-scale demo).
How much energy could SSC-equipped roads9 generate and store?
Figure 3 shows three technologies: A conservative capacitor technology from Arizona State University (technology 1),
EESTOR’s (technology 2), and FLTL’s (technology 3). The vertical axis shows energy in kilowatt hours. The horizontal axis
shows the length of SSC-equipped roads. From figure 3, it should be clear that SSC-based energy systems could play a major
role in generating and storing a significant part of the electricity needs for the USA.
Figure 3. SSC energy vs. road length for three capacitor technologies
How does SSC compare to other energy sources?
Table 1 compares the features of SSC and all other major energy sources. The SSC approach is newly discovered, and therefore,
is not well funded, today. However, as table 1 shows, the SSC approach may well become the most sustainable renewable energy
solution.
9
This is conservative, in that no rooftop SSCs and no wall-based SSCs are included. Also, the graphs assume a conservative
175% return-on-electricity-invested, whereas off-the-shelf capacitors show more than 350% return-on-electricity-invested.
Finally, none of the three technologies have been optimized for SSC-specific applications. Therefore, even higher performances
are likely.
SSC
.
PV
Wind
CST
SolarPhotoWind
ConcenSuper
Voltaic
turbine to trated
Capacitor Solar Cell gears to thermal
generator solar
Geo
Geothermal
electric
plant
Oil
Coal
Fission
heated
steam to
electricity
Nuclear Nat. Gas
Gas
heated
steam to
electricity
Oil
heated
steam to
electricity
Coal
heated
steam to
electricity
SSC is
invisible
Stores electricity for use when
needed (e.g. at peak demand)
√
X
X
X*
X*
X
X
X
X
Has no moving parts
for high reliability and low cost
√
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Is renewable & clean
to safely reduce oil addiction
√
√
√
√
√
X
X
X
X
Stores plug-in-car energy, too
nd
for a 2 $multi-billion market
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Used in PCs, PDAs, & TVs, too
rd
for a 3 $multi-billion market
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Is invisible
if buried in roads, walls & roofs
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Is carbon negative with zero
CO2; Cool asphalt outgases less.
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
X
X
Contains no toxic element
since it's ceramic, like a tea cup
√
√
√
√
√
X
X
X
X
Not exposed to hail, dust, etc.
shielded by asphalt, cement, etc.
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Reduces city "heat island"
It cools roads, streets, then air.
√
√
X
√
X
X
X
X
X
Uses "free" land that is paid for
by some other primary use
√
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Distributes electric generation
where it is used, without Tx loss
√
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Distributes electric storage
for safe, less vulnerable storage
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Makes roads last years longer
by reducing temperature swings.
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Funds road & street upkeep
from gasoline electricity tax
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Is well known & well funded
Not yet !
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
Table 1. Features compared between SSC and all other major energy sources.
* Thermal, not electrical storage
Contact Information
Web site: http://www.gigawattave.org/
Demo #1 video: This demo is not currently available as a video. Check the web site for its possible future release.
Demo #2 video: http://www.gigawattave.org/video1.mpg
Demo #3 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWhC8XOnIaM
Email: info@GigaWattAve.org
© 2009 Insight Quest, Inc.