Look for the available power without emission to replace the gasoline engine or diesel engine, bringing new applications for portable power supply.
According to the statistics of the Department of Energy (DOE), in 2020, American power customers experienced more than 8 hours of power interruption. Generally, the portable power supply can be switched on when the power supply is disconnected. Traditionally, portable power comes from a generator driven by an internal combustion engine using free gasoline (sometimes diesel or natural gas). Low cost, high power, portable fossil fuel generators have a major problem, causing greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions pollution during operation.
Converting from fossil fuels to portable power supplies opens up areas for a variety of applications that are larger than gasoline generators ever provided. Advanced batteries can provide power for everything, solar panels and small wind turbines can be used to charge batteries, and even fuel cells can be used to convert hydrogen into electricity for use in the wild. These can all be ways to develop the concept of portable electric energy.
We believe that advanced portable power technology can meet various challenges. We focus on nine different applications and introduce new green, clean and safe solutions.
Emergency supply
Providing power during power outages is the most familiar portable power application for homeowners. Many of them are powered by internal combustion engines, which rely on natural gas to operate and automatically open when the power grid is cut off. In fact, as long as the fuel is enough, they can run, and they are large enough to run refrigerators and freezers, electric lights and televisions, and even heat pump air-conditioning and heating systems. Unfortunately, they generate large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.
Replacing traditional generator systems can be accomplished in several ways. Large batteries, such as Tesla Powerwall, can be part of the home appliance system. Under normal circumstances, the battery is in a full state using the energy provided by the grid. If the power is cut off, the battery will provide power for the family and there can be no greenhouse gas emissions. (Except for the power generated by the grid to charge the battery system)
Since the internal combustion engine power generation system does not produce toxic gas emissions, the battery power supply can operate indoors without sound. However, the disadvantage is that large and expensive batteries are needed to power large traction equipment such as air conditioners or heat pumps, and the charging life of these batteries is only a few hours. After power recovery, charging them from the grid is also a long process, which takes many hours. It is also possible to use solar panels for charging. Even if the power grid is still closed, the total operation time of most solar panels will only increase by a few hours when charging with sufficient sunlight.
Army
The US military has realized that deploying advanced portable power systems is a life saving strategy. One of the most dangerous tasks soldiers perform in enemy territory is to drive convoys to bases and posts. Bombs and other explosive devices (IEDs) placed on the road can destroy the entire tanker, causing serious injury or death to drivers and crew members. In addition to using diesel generators to supply power for the base, solar or wind power can also be used to generate electricity, and the surplus electricity stored in the battery system can be used to supply power for the camp at night or when there is no wind. Renewable energy significantly reduces the number of fuel fleets that need to be transported and improves security.
Another use of portable power supply is to become portable power supply equipment for soldiers in the field. A modern soldier needs to wear 120 to 200 pounds (54.43 to 90.72 kilograms) of equipment. In addition to weapons, ammunition and bulletproof vests, U.S. Army infantry also need to carry up to 25 pounds (11.34 kilograms) of batteries. Battery power supply can provide power for night vision equipment, radio communication, and even smart phones, tablets and new global positioning system technologies. The current power demand is about 12W, which is expected to double by 2025.
Lithium batteries have almost replaced other types of batteries carried by soldiers in the past decades due to their lighter weight and higher energy density. Lithium sulfur dioxide primary batteries have a long shelf life and are easy to store, and can be used for electronic devices such as GPS and wireless communication. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can be used in tactical radios, thermal imagers, electronic radar interference waves (ECM), electronic support measures (ESM) in radar band, portable computers and other equipment.
Architecture
You can see and hear portable power supplies in the form of lithium ion powered tools in any public place. Rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs can be used for each type of portable drill, saw, electric lamp and flat grinder, and these battery packs are usually interchangeable between equipment produced by the same manufacturer.
These electric tools are often charged with gasoline generators, but new options have emerged recently. For example, the Ford F-150 PowerBoost hybrid pickup has a Pro Power on-board system that provides 2.4 kilowatts or an optional 7.2 kilowatts of power. There are up to four 120V20A power output interfaces and one 7.2kw 240V30A power output interface in the interior compartment of the pickup truck. Ford pointed out that the 7.2 kilowatt Pro Power on-board system can supply power to metal car body workshops including plasma cutting machines, TiG welding machines, cutting saws, air compressors, plane grinders and work lights.
Agriculture/Gardening
Heavy industrial diesel powered tractors for agriculture and construction are now the target of electrification for industry giants such as John Deere and Mahindra. Working all day in muddy fields or very rugged areas (six hours for a single charge), the electric tractor can carry a very large lithium-ion battery pack (150KW/h or more), and can be quickly charged to ensure use as much as possible.
Another target of large enterprises is automatic electric vehicles. These automatic electric vehicles will be able to cultivate, sow, fertilize and spray farmland without the presence of drivers.
In addition to reducing emissions, electric driving systems are more durable than diesel engines, reducing maintenance costs and downtime due to mechanical failures.
Portable battery devices have also found their way into the home yard and garden markets. Nothing is more annoying than the noise made by a gasoline driven blower. Fortunately, the electric blower has been on the market for more than 10 years, and the lithium-ion battery pack can be used for 30 to 90 minutes. Although this is enough for most homeowners, the battery pack required by commercial users can last longer, and the electric blower will become the development direction in the next step.
At first, wireless electric mowers faced the same restrictions as many battery driven devices. However, the emergence of lithium ion batteries brought more practical machines to homeowners. Infinite electric mower has advantages over gasoline powered mowers in terms of noise and greenhouse gas emissions.
Camping
The hum of the camp generator was worse. RV and camper trailer can provide comfortable space, but all these can be achieved only with power supply. Without shore power system, the engine can only be powered by diesel, gasoline or natural gas, thus causing noise and environmental pollution.
Instead, we can use portable power stations. This kind of power station is similar to the size of a microwave oven. It is a large rechargeable battery that can be charged by household current or connected to a portable solar grid.
The portable power station can provide enough power for small applications in a short time without noise and smoke generated by the drive generator.
Major events
Major events require a lot of power. For example, the 43rd Ryder Cup Golf Championship will be held in Whistling Straits golf course, Wisconsin, USA from September 24 to 26, 2021. More than 100 facilities including power supply, heating and cooling will be required on site, including stands, catering reception, large audience video screens, operation buildings, PGA championship golf stores, international pavilions, and opening and closing ceremonies.
In order to meet the power demand, 100 generators were installed to generate a total of 23000 kilowatts of electricity. One of the 20 kilowatt propane generators replaced the traditional diesel generators in the Ryder Cup office, reducing 19 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and reducing fuel costs by 30%.
In addition, four 30 kilowatt batteries are prepared for daytime use, which can minimize the use time of the engine, keep the noise level to a minimum, so that fans can better watch the game, and can also reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of 24 metric tons.
Marine environment
Ships need special power, because the humid and usually salty marine environment will cause serious damage to marine electronic equipment. On a commercial scale, air pollution in ports is a primary environmental problem, for example, pollution directly affects nearby residents. Electrified ships and port machinery have therefore received great attention.
Yachts also need a lot of power because they are equipped with radios, global positioning systems and other navigation equipment, radars, detectors, as well as various entertainment, air conditioning and heating equipment. The battery of traditional ships is charged by the generator on the running engine. However, solar panels are installed on the top of the deck and engine room to provide charging without generating greenhouse gas emissions. Some sailboats have completely eliminated gasoline or diesel engines, and instead use lithium ion battery pack motors, which can be charged by solar energy or used as generators during navigation.
Medicine
We usually don’t think that batteries used in medical equipment are portable power supplies, but everything from hearing aids to cardiac pacemakers can be portable. A complete set of battery chemicals are used for medical purposes, including nickel chromium batteries (Ni Cd), nickel metal hydride batteries (NiMH) and alkaline manganese batteries. Many medical devices use non rechargeable primary batteries. For example, zinc air batteries are commonly used in hearing aids. These disposable batteries can provide high energy density, and are light in weight and relatively low in manufacturing cost. These materials are also relatively safe to dispose of in the environment.
Lithium ion batteries are becoming more and more popular as the choice of electric vehicles, personal electronic products and power storage devices with an increasing grid scale. Medtronic is another company that has gladly accepted lithium-ion batteries since 2004. All rechargeable batteries of Medtronic are lithium-ion batteries. The company uses an inductive charging system that can be worn on patients and charged through the skin.
For a long time, the particularity of medical batteries has increased the cost of development and manufacturing. The medical battery market will benefit from the ongoing efforts to develop continuously improved, more powerful and more reliable batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, for example, for personal electronic devices and electric vehicles.
Travel
Handheld navigation devices, such as GPS, make many outdoor types of hiking and cycling safer. In addition, portable emergency positioning beacons and satellite phones can save lives in emergencies. Portable emergency positioning beacons and satellite phones have reliable operation capability through lithium-ion battery packs, which is the result of the development of personal computers and other electronic equipment.
The charging system allows you to charge your smartphone, but only the size of your pocket makes the journey easier.
