Techical issues

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Good Reporting

CNN piece on oil spills in Nigeria. A taste of the true cost of our oil dependency.

Lockheed Martin to help manufacture EESU's? Probably. In Georgia? Maybe.

According to three separate individuals with unverifiable sources, Lockheed Martin will manufacture or assemble EEStor military EESU's at manufacturing facilities in Marietta, Georgia.  (see also)  A quick sweep through a series of regulatory resources including the Environmental Protection Agency's permitting databases could not support the claim.  Furthermore, the sources would not ID their Lockheed-Martin-aware counterparts who were offering this up date on Lockheed's plans with EEStor.   Yet, each source arrived at the same information (with one also saying a facility in Alabama may be involved.)   My only confidence in bringing this information to light is that the original sources appear unrelated to each other and claim familiarity with different parts of the organization.   Also, the sources I interacted with have been reliable in the past.    But,  since the underlying original sources are unverifiable, I can't rule out that this is a rumor with a single nefarious origin. ...but I don't think so.  

In the meantime, Lockheed Missiles and Fire Control continues to ramp up their push into Power Management with a new series of marketing collateral claiming wondrous new super powers.  (great videos guys, where's the product?) The intelligent microgrid solutions appear to combine traditional power management with network based sensors that do for power what routers/switches do for network data, ie, provide intelligent monitoring and failover.  The systems also allow for positioning of monitoring and measurement capabilities.   Are batteries and storage touted in the videos?  Not really but wind mills and solar panels are highlighted, both of which aren't real yet (without batteries) according to Vinod Khosla and Dick Weir in remarkably similar remarks captured about the same time a year ago.  (see VK's google speech and DW's leaked audio--search for it).

In one of the new brochures, storage is flagged as being available via "Multiple Technologies."

The idea that Lockheed will take control for part of the steps required to create DoD/DHS EESU's is plausible to me.   First, Lockheed is one of the largest manufacturers in the world.  Secondly, they offer manufacturing support services...and claim expertise in this area.   See especially, their Build-to-Print Manufacturing Capabilities brochure.   They also tout their ability to assist with offshoring of work, thus, slightly forgetting who they are working for apparently...stuff for a future rant.

If it turns out that Lockheed has cozied up to EEStor and is causing them to prioritize around defense applications rather than Zenn Motor's automotive applications, it raises the question why.   There is likely a good reason for this.  From Dick Weir's perspective, Lockheed is winning the quiet game against Zenn.  Lockheed has somehow managed to keep their executives confined to incomplete thoughts and smiles while Zenn has until only recently (say around January 2010) begun to play the game as well.   Personally,  I do not like the quiet game.  No, not at all.

See bing for further visuals.

Will EEStor Reveal During Oil Spill Crisis?

If you look back over the past couple of years, there have been some pretty extraordinary world events which could have provided a fantastic backdrop for an EEStor reveal. Let's list and examine some of these events

1) Run up in Oil Prices in 1st half of 2008

With all the media talking about how high the prices were going, it would have been one hell of a story to latch on to, "Battery Company Emerges Amid High Fuel Costs" as an example title we would have loved to see. But EEStor wasn't ready in 2008 because in 2007 they told us and their investors they could do it better....and thus, they adjusted their production line with "advanced technology" that allowed them to hit a homerun. (wish we could have seen them round the bases)

2) The Stock Market Crashes in 2nd half of 2008

Ordinary people almost never make the connection between fuel price spikes and subsequent economic downturns but for someone like me, this is innate knowledge I've had since I was young. Accordingly, after the fuel prices went up, the American economy quickly came down. Many were quick to say it was the worst financial crisis in years and years and years. This would have been a great time to do a reveal, in fact, in August 2008, Dick Weir told me that in his opinion if the country didn't get a handle on it's energy dependencies, it could go down the tube. He was not shy about linking EEStor as a solution to a host of the country's ills. A few weeks later, the markets started crashing. So, had EEStor revealed then, we might have seen headlines such as, "Market Turmoil & A Way Forward Through Tiny Battery Company's Technology."

3) 2009-- The Year the US Govt Started Giving Billions of Dollars to Clean Technologies

So, if you had hoped EEStor would emerge while the dark clouds were hanging, you were disappointed all over again. And so, during all of 2009, the name of the game was economic recovery and there was a real curiosity surrounding whether or not EEStor would emerge via one of the lucrative programs being advanced. Yet, EEstor chose to stay the course and did not partake in the handouts which amply capitalized a significant number of EEStor competitors such as A123 Systems and others. Skeptics were quick to seize on fact that EEStor was no where to be found when the money was being handed out. EEStor believers rationalized this by pointing out that EEStor would have to yield IP rights in arrangements with the Federal Govt and that if their technology is as they describe, there would be no need for govt funding.

Which brings us to what is most assuredly Opportunity Number 4 Deluxe Ala Mode. I'm talking obviously about the oil spill crisis. As we all sit and watch the gulf of Mexico become poisoned by a gusher of oil, one can't help but revisit those old thoughts again. Will EEStor finally emerge amid the greatest environmental disaster in the history of the USA? Or will they quietly tweak the powder purity modules connected to the buttons Dick presses? What's your guess?

If they do emerge, here are some sample headlines you may see, "Experts Say Battery Company Announcement Means Oil Now Obsolete" or "Oil's Darkest Hour Parted by New Battery's Light." There are probably plenty of ways to summarize what an EEStor reveal could mean during this particular time in history. I know that I for one am tired of waiting around for it. I want to get on with it.

What I am personally looking for by way of a new announcement is further certification of their production capacity which would flow logically from all their prior announcements. Each step in their production capacity has to be certified for replication....after it's certified, it can't be modified without re-certification. Thus, I am hoping to hear of something such as the number and type of EESU's able to be kicked out by the production line. I'd like to learn what the total output is in terms of overall kWh which could be roughly translated into a number of units depending on size etc. Secondly, I'd like to learn how quickly they can replicate a single production line. How many can they build concurrently? This would probably entail an announcement of the acquisition of a large piece of land near Austin for build out of an EEStor campus.

But you know....maybe EEStor will want to wait for an even better world backdrop to do their reveal. Let's hope we never have to read these articles:

"Earth Begins Descent Into Sun & EEStor Announces New Battery"

"Reports Armageddon Under Way As Tiny Battery Company Releases New Announcement"

"Cubs Win World Series: New Battery In Victory Parade Vehicles"

"New Regulations Force Politicians to Pass Lie Detector Tests--Machines Powered by New Battery"

"Middle East Emerges As Love Capital of The World. Inhabitants Hold Hands And Celebrate New Battery."

"Global Warming Over. Global Cooling Begins. Battery Project Begun Four Generations Ago Finally Complete."

"Anti-Gravity Vehicle To Be Powered By New Battery Says 400 Year Old Company Upon Release Of First Product."

"Ian Clifford IX: My Great-great-great-great-great-great^4 grandfather was right after all!!!"

"Party Like it's 19,999 With New Battery Announcement"

For those interested, here is my reveal day article title:

MUHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

EEStor No Longer Lone Crazy Energy Storage Company Thanks to Vinod Khosla

According to officials within the Department of Energy's ARPA division, any recently announced winner of funding for the Batteries for Electrical Energy Storage in Transportation (BEEST) program would have been required to provide a "strong potential to meet or exceed the Primary Technical Requirements" for the funding opportunity. Those requirements include EEStor-level energy densities of 400Wh/kg or 600Wh/liter aka ~ 10,000J/cc with not quite EEStor level cost targets of $250/kWh. It is no small surprise then that several projects were awarded to traditional battery based projects including the usual suspects: lithium ion, zinc air, and rarely heard of magnesium ion.

But at least two projects represent capacitor based energy storage systems: one from Vinod Khosla's Recapping Inc. and the other from Stanford researcher, Fritz Prinz. To observers of the capacitor industry, news that capacitor based energy storage techniques with such specifications by such reputable organizations as Penn State (Recapping's research team) and Stanford University is nothing less than astonishing.

"250J/cc is a reasonable guess for the upper limits of energy storage in a capacitor. People have postulated 400J/cc but believability is extremely low for that," said a long time capacitor industry veteran, "and 20J/cc may be the highest you can actually buy today."

According to one BEEST program awardee, "all of the projects chosen included validating data to support their application." Additionally, the ARPA division of DOE hired 20-25 subject matter experts from industry, academia and national labs to perform the evaluations of all of the projects, according to Matthew Dunne, ARPA Chief Legal Counsel.

The funding levels provided to Stanford and Recapping Inc. are consistent with the "Proof of Concept Seedling Category" which requires awardees "to provide proof of concept device performance levels....at the coin-cell scale or larger" by the end of the project. The larger awards provided for battery technologies mentioned above all appear to fall within the "Advanced Device Prototyping Category" which requires full scale energy storage devices capable of being inserted into a vehicle at project completion.

This news that Khosla has now an EEStor project should not be surprising. Several months ago, the former Kleiner Perkins partner wrote an article in Grist covering his views on energy storage and included this mixed signal quip about EEStor:

"Even more disruptive approaches that we have not invested in today may be on the horizon. If EESTOR-like approaches work (I am somewhat skeptical of this particular company, though I believe new science similar to that proposed in its patents is possible), then so much the better."

At the time of his article, Khosla had owned Recapping for just over a year, according to filings with the State of California. But more interesting is that, one blogger has said that as early as September 2006, Vinod Khosla "indicated he is invested in this area." Was that in reference to Khosla's work as a Kleiner Perkins partner? Or was that stemming from work performed with his own Khosla Ventures founded in 2004? That's difficult to say because Vinod Khosla is still listed as an Affiliated Partner at EEStor investor Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers. SEC filings for companies listed on that page include documents showing Khosla still associated with investments launched while he was at Kleiner. Further confusing the issue is the fact that in my email conversations with Mr. Khosla, I would address them to his Khosla Ventures email address and he would respond with his kpcb.com address.

You may be wondering why I'm referencing all of these points. It's for the simple fact that in my investigation of Recapping Inc., I've been unable to uncover one of the most mysterious things. Although Penn State is listed as the research team working on the project, they were not awarded the ARPA funding---it was given to Recapping Inc. And despite this arrangement, you might think Penn State is responsible for the fundamental discovery making their project possible. They aren't.

So, the EEStor-sized mystery that Vinod Khosla is sitting on is quite simply: who discovered the insights which would make 10,000J/cc possible in a capacitor based system? ...because most certainly, whoever it was would definitely qualify for a Nobel Prize.

We hope to learn more about Vinod's EEStor project soon.

---

Discuss this article at TheEEStory.com.

Image source: CNET.

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Loco En La Cabeza USPTO Grants EEStor Another Patent: Cadre of Fanboyz, "Yakety Yakety Yak: Net New News"

Depending on your version of reality, the USPTO has either granted EEStor yet another patent (this time for Utility Grid Storage applications penned originally at, at...at night) or provided more fuel for hallucinating EEStor believers. That second link is to a discussion of a new letter from Carl Nelson penned in November 2008 which goes into greater detail regarding EEStor's claims to have a dielectric that can withstand high field and achieve significant energy density, similar to but much better than flame grilled mexican chicken.



Looks like we may have a winner for that new $10Mil prize found within the Senate's version of the new energy bill. What ever happened to John McCain's $300Mil prize? Come on, John, keep your promises.

As with everything, TheEEStory.com is where you will hear about EEStor news before any where else...if not from me, then from outstanding individuals like member Mark, who has continued to intrigue with his attention to patent detail.

For those whose beliefs are challenged by the EEStor faith, keep in mind a complete set of articles of confession are available for meditation here. (a link you will always find in the lower right hand corner of TheEEStory.com) While there's probably little time for repenting, conversion is always an option.

Now then, if we can only get Lockheed Martin to say something finally especially since the timing is so correct due to the oil spill. Couldn't pay for a better environment to say something about break through energy storage. De Nada.

Update: This article has too many moving parts. I declare it's author, ON FIRE!!

The EEStor Blogger on British Petroleum Oil Spill: "I will accept responsibility."

The tremendously horrible BP oil disaster appears to be getting worse and worse every day.  People are understandably starting to get angry....very angry.  One thing about angry people is they loooove! to let everyone else know how angry they are.  Occasionally, this anger has been interrupted by reason which culminates in what I take to be some of the most fascinating finger pointing I've ever seen in my whole life on any topic across the board.  Who is responsible for this oil catastrophe?  Who will pay for it?  Who will fix it?  What new regulations will prevent it?  Etc etc.   If your livelihood has been disrupted by this event, you are rightly mad as hell. No question.

Everyone knows that BP and their contractors like Halliburton are directly responsible for whatever went wrong out there that lead to the oil gusher.  But the distributed responsibility is actually more interesting to me.   President Obama,  Dick Cheney,  various government bureaucrats, policies advanced by Democrats, Republicans, multinational corporations, the dinosaurs,  etc etc.   It's not surprising that finally someone's head popped off and some of the blame was cast on EEStor for moving too slowly or operating in unAmerican stealth mode.

This finger pointing is great theatre. And it will undoubtedly lead to more work for government bureaucrats which may or may not improve our chance of avoiding a future similar event.  But after we've all come out of shock and we realize that no matter how sound our logic is for pinning responsibility on some one or some organization, a simple truth should be brought forward.   To help this process along, I'm just going to be blunt:

The oil catastrophe is my fault.  I take responsibility.

No, I don't work for BP or the Department of the Interior or for any political group or multinational corporation.  I am simply a consumer of filthy dirty oil and because it's cheap and readily available for me, I consume it all the time--lots of it.  I own and operate large vehicles and use oil like I paid for an all you can eat buffet of it.    I never stop to think about where it comes from and how it's become increasingly difficult to obtain.   The thought that innocent and friendly little cute sea animals are being killed or harmed doesn't even occur to me.  And so, it's apparent that this terrible event unfolding now in the gulf of mexico is very closely linked to my behavior.   The good news is I am not alone.  It's your fault too.  I would argue it's more your fault than mine.  Nah, kidding.    The truth is, the cost of paying for this problem is one we all share.   (And would people please stop insisting that BP will be paying for all of this. They won't!  All of the oil companies will raise their prices and that revenue will come from me and you--so we will be paying for it. )

But, if you think about it, it's not really my lifestyle or habits that increase my responsibility. It's rather my ineffective and limited demands for an alternative.   I do not think governments can innovate well but I do believe they can create policies which reward innovation.   (giving billions of dollars to politically connected venture capital firms is not the solution, either).  My failure is as a citizen is for not seeking policy improvements to eliminate our need for oil.    We're all guilty of this.   Newsflash:  acquiring oil is inherently risky to a great many things we hold dear such as our seafood and beaches...and economy and security.

 So, now that I've accepted responsibility, here's what I'm going to do next.   Nothing.   That's how I handle most of these issues that arise from time to time.  Are you like me?  Probably.   But, if someone can show me something useful to do, I'm all ears.     But there is something coming which could create an opportunity for some activism.   Yes, I'm talking about EEStor.

IF and WHEN EEStor emerges from the bat cave in Cedar Park,  the capability they will be bringing forward could use policy enhancements to accelerate.   We need aggressive phasing out of oil and combustion engines and coal and nuclear and chemical batteries (like lithium ion) and everything else that has a disposal cost we can't calculate due to our limited life spans.    Now, that is something I would paint my chest and march along a boulevard or even jog naked with a bag over my head were the opportunity to arise to do so without being arrested (actually, I'm not that comfortable with my body--sorry, not an option).   That's another thing.  Right now,  everyone thinks we'll get to a point where once EESU appears,  we'll be like, oh, EESU is here...it will sell itself...no help needed.  WRONG.   Adoption of this technology is going to be challenged, taxed, blocked, attacked, etc etc.   It's not going to be a rosy, easy path forward.  It might cause a war or two even.  Mark my words.   Some of the obstacles will stem from ignorance.  Some of it will be political posturing.  Some of it will be pure evil greed.   If you think the propaganda posted all over the Internet about EEStor being a scam is a significant effort, you haven't seen anything yet.     There are a good many vectors to attack EEStor and anyone who supports them.   So be ready.  Maybe put on a soldier's hard hat and stow away a few days of fresh drinking water.  I don't know. But it's coming.


Muahaaha!

(Note: this muaha deliberately shortened due to the gravity of the event here covered.)







Image Source.

Zenn CFO Looks for Less Greener Pastures

The soon to be former CFO of Zenn Motor Company, Lawrence Schreiner is fanatically excited to be departing Zenn Motor Company. I spoke with him yesterday following the announcement to see if I could learn more about what motivated the move.

B: Larry, I read the announcement and wondered if you could walk us through what's going on here.

Larry: It's pretty simple, B. Zenn has become too stable for my taste. I need action & risk and more action and more risk. You know what I mean?

B: I'm sorry, I guess I don't.

Larry: B, this may be hard for you to understand but Zenn wasn't enough for me. I really want to find a company that has MORE transformational potential than EEStor and Zenn. Something with EVEN GREATER risk/reward. Something with less stability, wilder characters, & more drama. It's just gotten so boring here at Zenn. I've got to get out and get on with my life...my REAL life that awaits.

B: Some would say Zenn provides pretty decent drama.

Larry: That's just it, B. I'm tired of people saying it's dramatic when in reality it's sort of boring. I want to work for a company that will SERIOUSLY change the world if they could just find their next $50,000 to make payroll. Something edgy too like....hell, I don't know....like a Mack Truck engine manufacturer or something.

B: Wait a second, Larry, those things produce a lot of pollution. It would be quite a 360 to go into something like that.

Larry: B, for the first time I feel freer than I ever have. That's why I a got new tattoo last week. It covers approximately 82% of my body. And to celebrate, I went into my backyard and just built a big ole bon fire. I was burning anything that could emit carbon into the atmosphere. The volcanoes made me do it. They're going to send us into the next ice age. You knew that, right?

B: I wasn't aware of that, no. Um... Getting back to Zenn, though. The financial aspects of keeping Zenn afloat must have provided some tense moments, no?

Larry: B, I don't really want to talk about Zenn any more. I just want to focus on increasing my carbon footprint and bringing to market things that increase one's carbon footprint. Do we really need tail pipes and mufflers? And don't get me started on these nutjobs who favor diesel or worse, biodiesel. Outrageous.

------------------------

The interview continued for about an hour. Mr. Schreiner went on to pontificate about anything that popped into his head: the need for more poverty & social discord between ethnicities, higher taxes, less music and food that doesn't taste so good (to reduce consumption).

I wished him well but admitted that I hoped all his future endeavors fail. He challenged me to a fight on any hockey rink in North America. I said, I can't skate. He said, you better learn boy.

Note: this was not an actual interview. I made it up. Is that ok with you? I've never had an actual conversation with Larry Schreiner. I have no idea why he left Zenn but hopefully it's not for the above reasons. He's probably a nice guy? I hope he's not moving to Brazil. The photo is actually Larry though. Maybe his sense of fashion clashed with Ian's? You tell me.

Am I missing anything with this story?

EEStor CEO Breaks Silence in USPTO Letter

EEStor Founder and CEO, Dick Weir has entered the fray concerning patent protection for one of his claimed 15 patent applications. The letter to the patent examiner covering EEStor's reveals more information on Dick Weir's background that until now has been laboriously pieced together by the good guys, known to some as a cadre of fanboyz following EEStor.

Here is the letter from Weir.

This is where you can sound off on Weir's competency and greatness, praised be his name.

Special props to Thailand based TheEEStory.com member, Mark for focusing his particular OCD on patent updates. Mark, we thank you for your affliction.

Penn State Unveils Capacitor that's a "cost effective alternative to battery solutions". Stanford in race too...

One of the claims made often by EEStor skeptics is that the science behind EEStor's technology is impossible. Capacitors, by their very nature, the argument goes, can't possibly achieve an energy density that exceeds batteries.

Is it time to safely relegate that opinion to myth?

Thanks to a Department of Energy news release covering several grants funded by the ARPA-E division, we learn that Khosla Ventures is helping to launch a Penn State company based on innovative dielectric material which can provide a "cost effective alternative to battery solutions."

Not all of the facts are in yet. And the project only received $1Mil. However, the purported benefits of this "novel energy storage device" are to "catalyze new, related cleantech industries and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and oil imports."

In summary, we have here a 'battery alternative' called a "high energy density capacitor' which is not described as a power conditioning device (as many current automotive ultracap projects are due to limited energy density of traditional ultracaps) but rather as an alternative to batteries, aka, devices with much greater energy density that capacitors. For good measure, the category under which the project was chosen is called, " Batteries for Electrical Energy Storage in Transportation."

Here is the PSU project description from the DOE website:

Recapping Inc. (Penn State Univ.) Capacitive Storage: High Energy Density Capacitor Recapping Inc. and researchers at Pennsylvania State University will seek to develop a novel energy storage device based on a 3D nanocomposite structure with functional oxides that provide a very high effective capacitance. The basic fabrication of the dielectric materials and devices will utilize traditional multilayer ceramic fabrication methods that will provide a cost effective alternative to battery solutions, with added benefits of exploiting mechanisms that could maintain higher cycling and possibly deliver charge with high power density. This technology hopes to create a cyclable and economically competitive energy storage device that will catalyze new, related cleantech industries and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and oil imports. $1,000,00

The DOE announcement included several other interesting energy storage projects including one for A123 Systems earning $4.3Mil. Stanford University also received a grant for a technology that at least one EEStory observer believes is on the same path as EEStor Inc.

The Penn State researchers responsible for the project have not yet been verified.

Here is the Stanford project description from the DOE website:

"Novel Battery: The All-Electron Battery: a quantum leap forward in energy storage In this project, researchers Stanford University will seek to develop an "All-Electron Battery", a completely new class of electrical energy storage devices for electric vehicles that has the potential to provide ultra-high energy and power densities, while enabling extremely high cycle life. The All-Electron Battery stores energy by moving electrons, rather than ions, and uses electron/hole redox instead of capacitive polarization of a double-layer. This technology uses a novel architecture that has potential for very high energy density because it decouples the two functions of capacitors: charge separation and breakdown strength. If successful, this project will develop a completely new paradigm in energy storage for electrified vehicles that could revolutionize the electric vehicle industry and establish U.S. leadership in advanced energy storage technology for electric vehicles."

Previously, I revealed that Kleiner Perkins paid Penn State University to evaluate EEStor's claims. Coincidence?