129. 3D-Printed Solid State Batteries, Material Made Like Plastic But Conducts Like Metal, Coal to Nuclear Plants

Summary: Show Notes: The future of solid-state batteries could be 3D-printed | The Verge (01:11) Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere: in your phone, car, camera, and more. One major flaw: safety.  Lithium-ion batteries have a tendency to catch fire, especially when damaged or at high temperatures.  Solid-state batteries replace a flammable liquid electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries with a more stable solid one.  Potential solutions for many problems of liquid Li-ion batteries, such as flammability, limited voltage, unstable solid-electrolyte interphase formation, poor cycling performance and strength. Additionally providing more power, faster charging, and a longer lifespan. California-based startup Sakuú, and it’s taking on an even bigger task: 3D-printing these next-gen batteries.  Claims that 3D printing allows it to fit more battery layers in the same amount of space, boosting the capacity of its batteries compared to those made by traditional manufacturing.  Dave Pederson, vice president of marketing and business development at battery technology company Sakuu, explains that has validated its 3D printing processes and materials, and is currently formatting them for a production environment.   “We've proven all of the steps in the lab, and now we're in the process of connecting them in an automated fashion,”  In theory, 3D printed batteries could take on more customized shapes, which could change how batteries are integrated into product design. Sakuu is bullish on this technology, this past August they opened a state-of-the-art multi-faceted engineering hub for its battery platform printing initiatives in Silicon Valley. 79,000 square feet  A floating wind platform has been installed in Spain 50 meters into the water | Interesting Engineering (07:15) A floating wind platform has been successfully installed at the PLOCAN test site in the Canary Islands of Spain. X1 Wind, the firm behind the platform. Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) Connected the fully-functional floating wind prototype to the mooring system and dynamic cable pre-installed last June. The benefit of offshore floating wind turbines is they can take advantage of the strong winds blowing in the deeper areas, which improves energy efficiency. Can manufacture and then tow them out into deeper waters. The new wind platform has been fitted with a Vestas V29 turbine and stationed at a 50 meter water depth in a downwind configuration. 225 kW turbine Enable the firm to provide platforms for the 15MW scale turbines and beyond and to deploy them at very deep sites.  X1 Wind CEO and Co-Founder Alex Raventos explains the importance of this milestone: “This is a key milestone for our company and for the floating wind sector in general being able to install a floating wind platform using a TLP mooring system and requiring only small vessels. This reduces not only the costs but also the impact on the seabed. Data obtained from the X30 will contribute to de-risk the technology, improve the design, and obtain the certification of our commercial-scale platforms in preparation for upcoming tenders in Spain and other countries worldwide.” After its installation is completed, the new project will be tested in fully operational conditions until March 2023 while continuing to feed the electricity it generates to PLOCAN’s smartgrid. Scientists Astonished by Strange Material That Can Be Made Like Plastic but Conducts Like Metal | SciTechDaily (12:13) University of Chicago scientists have discovered a way to create a material that can be made like a plastic, but conducts electricity more like a metal. goes against all of the rules we know about conductivity—to a scientist According to John Anderson, an associate professor of chemistry, “this opens up the design of a whole new class of materials that conduct electricity, are easy to shape, and are very robust in everyday conditions.” If you’re making any kind