Press Clips
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2021 Press Clips
Why Bill Gates invested in this tiny start-up that helps turn lithium into batteries
CNBC | December 10, 2021
Bill Gates' investment fund Breakthrough Energy Ventures recently invested $10 million in a seven-person start-up with no revenue and no customers, Mangrove Lithium. It's a niche investment, but could have critical implications for the rapidly growing electric vehicle market, as its founders aim to improve a very specific part of the lithium supply chain: Turning raw lithium into material for batteries. Lithium's promise impressed Zheng Chen, a professor at University of California San Diego who works on recycling processes for lithium-ion batteries but has no connection to the company. Full Story
Sodium May Power Your New Electric Car
Wired | November 8, 2021
Half a century ago, the battery of the future was built out of sodium. The reason has to do with why the seas are salty. Sodium is a light element that ionizes easily, giving up one of its electrons. In a battery, those ions shuttle back and forth between two oppositely charged plates, generating a current. Quotes Shirley Meng, a battery scientist at UC San Diego. Full Story
How Plastic Bags are being Recycled into Fabric to Fight Against Pollution
AZO Cleantech | March 16, 2021
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found a way to transform polyethylene (PE) into a viable fabric for clothing. The thin, lightweight plastic is a key ingredient in many items, most predominantly plastic carrier bags. The team suggests that the lightweight fabric they have created could be of particular use for sportswear like vests, sneakers, and leggings because of the self-cooling properties granted to it by the use of PE. The PE used in the fabrics can be dyed in different colors, meaning that it can also be reused in new garments. Full Story
DER testbed
PV Magazine | January 8, 2021
The National Science Foundation awarded $39 million to a team at the University of California San Diego to build a testbed to better understand how to integrate distributed energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, smart buildings and electric vehicle batteries into the power grid. Full Story