Clean energy for the world based on using large capacitors

[echoreply]

@Chronos

@bodangus

At 10,000 Farads, a Graphene Supercapacitor / Battery is powerful enough to power up a Semi Truck while being the size of a paperback novel at this point”

Sure, it has as much power as a semi truck (around 500 HP, or 370 kW)

I think what that means is it can start a truck engine, not be as powerful as a truck engine. That isn’t too far beyond modern consumer devices. The biggest Noco jump starter is the size of a large paperback at 12" by 7" and 3" thick. It is just a lithium battery and claims to be good for an 8 liter diesel, which probably isn’t enough for most semi truck engines except under absolute ideal conditions, but isn’t that far off.

Milwaukee has a capacitor based jump starter on the market. It takes about 1.5 minutes to charge from a tool battery, and then gives a few seconds of cranking from the capacitor. The reviews I’ve seen of it have been very mediocre. It works, but lithium packs (like the linked Noco) can provide more power and longer cranking.

M18™ HOTSHOT™ Jump Starter | Milwaukee Tool

[Ancient_Nerd]

@Chronos

If, as the picture at the top of the page suggests, they’re using a single layer of graphene as their electrolyte, that would certainly account for a very high capacitance, since capacitance increases when the distance between the plates decreases. But it would also mean that they’d have an extremely low breakdown voltage, which in turn would mean a very low energy capacity.

What I am seeing about graphene says that it is a very good conductor. For the dielectric of a capacitor, you need an insulator.

[EinsteinsHund]

@Dewey_Finn

So how do we convert loaves and fishes to an energy source?

Easy, by eating them.

[bodangus]

And then what do they turn into?

[EinsteinsHund]

Heat, kinetic energy and shit.

[bodangus]

Don’t forget the smell.

[Chronos]

@echoreply

I think what that means is it can start a truck engine, not be as powerful as a truck engine.

That might be what they want you to think they mean. What they actually said was “powerful enough”. As in, “has enough power”. Which is really friggin’ easy and unimpressive.

@Ancient_Nerd

What I am seeing about graphene says that it is a very good conductor. For the dielectric of a capacitor, you need an insulator.

In other words, it has an extremely low breakdown voltage.

I’ll point out again that that article was making future forecasts for the year 2015. In other words, it’s over 10 years old. None of us has heard of that company since then, which strongly suggests that they were just blowing smoke right from the get-go. It’s possible that they did make a capacitor using graphene, with an extremely high capacitance (but extremely low energy capacity). That’s something that’s possible. It might even have some practical application. Just, not very much practical application.

[DSeid]

And FWIW breakthroughs with graphene for supercapacitors are still could be right around the corner …

New graphene breakthrough supercharges energy storage

I mean sounds promising, and cool, but …

[Crafter_Man]

@bodangus

10,000 Farads is pretty big,

True, but Farads are overrated. If you’re wanting to use a capacitor as an energy vessel, the capacitor’s max voltage spec is much more important that the amount of Farads. (Assuming, of course, the surrounding circuit can work at that voltage, including the buck/boost circuitry.)

[Ancient_Nerd]

@Crafter_Man

Assuming, of course, the surrounding circuit can work at that voltage, including the buck/boost circuitry.

The plate geometry determines the capacitance and voltage rating. Energy density is a function of the dielectric material.
The spacing between the plates determines both the capacitance and the voltage. Fewer plates with wider spacing increases the voltage but reduces the capacitance.