alastair sloane: solar power for greener leafs - electricity storage
Nissan is testing a super
The green way to charge its Leaf electric vehicle using solar energy is part of a broader effort to improve the power storage system.
The hatchback leaves are available in Japan, the United States and Europe and will be available in New Zealand next year.
Automakers have been looking forward to five years, when aging Leaf cars may offer alternative business opportunities when using lithium
As an ion battery for power storage.
Nissan acknowledges that once the Leaf is in use, since the battery life is longer than that of an electric vehicle, it may result in a large number of used batteries.
In the new charging system, 488 solar cells on the roof of the Yokohama Nissan headquarters building generate electricity and are stored in the battery pack of the Leaf.
Nissan says solar cells generate enough storage power to fill 1800 Leaf cars every year.
While interest in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind is growing, the biggest challenge is to store electricity, which is still expensive without a breakthrough in battery technology.
This interest is likely to continue to grow in Japan, amid concerns about the safety of nuclear power after the disaster in March 11 and the damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Toyota and Honda are working on similar projects, such as connecting hybrid cars to solar cars.
Fully equipped home as part of energy
An efficient community called smart grid.
There is no pollution in electric vehicles and no global pollution.
But the production of electricity depends mainly on contaminated coal or natural gas.
Even after a leaf is ready to be scrapped, its battery capacity may reach 80.
On the good side, the height of the leaves
Nissan says the capacity battery can store the equivalent of two days of household electricity.
"It is important for Nissan to show solutions step by step through electric vehicles," said Watanabe, vice president of the company.
Nissan also hopes to start selling this storage system for ordinary families in the fiscal year starting from April 2012.
It will begin field testing in December. -