Electricity: Cali. Billionaire Says He Has The Answer For Cheaper Grid Storage

This is non an offering to sell nor a solicitation of an offering to purchase whatever commodity.
Please contact your miners, farmers or personal deity for farther insight.

From CNBC:

Tests of the zinc energy-storage systems 

Lithium-ion batteries accept go out essential for powering electrical cars in addition to storing liberate energy generated past times solar panels in addition to current of air turbines. But their drawbacks are too past times instantly familiar: They role scarce minerals, are vulnerable to fires in addition to explosions, in addition to are pricey.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 plentiful, prophylactic in addition to to a greater extent than affordable choice would go worth a lot.

On Wednesday, an liberate energy fellowship headed past times the California billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong is unveiling a rechargeable battery operating on zinc in addition to air that tin shop ability at what it says is far less than the cost of lithium-ion batteries.

Tests of the zinc energy-storage systems accept helped ability villages inwards Africa in addition to Asia every bit good every bit cellular telephone towers inwards the States for the terminal vi years, without whatever backup from utilities or the electrical grid, physician Soon-Shiong said.

"It could alter in addition to practise completely novel economies using purely the ability of the sun, current of air in addition to air," physician Soon-Shiong, a surgeon in addition to a biotechnology entrepreneur, said inwards an interview inwards Los Angeles earlier the announcement.

physician Soon-Shiong in addition to his company, NantEnergy, are presenting the production at the One Planet Summit inwards New York, an upshot meant to farther the goals of the Paris climate accords. He developed the engineering amongst back upwardly from the World Bank.

The battery units, inwards conjunction amongst solar arrays, tin go combined to practise a microgrid arrangement powering a hamlet or a larger area, physician Soon-Shiong said. They accept been deployed at to a greater extent than than 1,500 sites supporting 110 villages inwards nine countries inwards Asia in addition to Africa — including places that otherwise relied on generators or fifty-fifty lacked electricity, he said.
The International Finance Corporation, an arm of the World Bank fostering private-sector projects inwards developing countries, was an early on investor inwards NantEnergy, in addition to an means illustration sits on the company's board.

The States Department of Energy made evolution grants to NantEnergy (formerly known every bit Fluidic Energy) totaling $5 million, physician Soon-Shiong said.

NantEnergy, based inwards Phoenix in addition to inwards El Segundo, Calif., says it expects to expand the role of its production inwards telecommunication towers in addition to eventually extend it to dwelling liberate energy storage, starting fourth dimension inwards California in addition to New York. Beyond that, it anticipates role inwards electrical cars, buses, trains in addition to scooters.

physician Soon-Shiong, who latterly acquired The Los Angeles Times in addition to is a business office possessor of the Los Angeles Lakers, made a fortune from the evolution of drugs to deal diabetes in addition to pectus cancer in addition to the sale of pharmaceutical companies he had created.

His liberate energy fellowship says it is the firstly to commercialize the role of zinc air batteries in addition to has to a greater extent than than 100 related patents. It is taking orders for delivery side past times side twelvemonth in addition to sees the potential for a $50 billion market.

physician Soon-Shiong said the cost of his zinc air battery had dropped steadily since evolution began. NantEnergy says the engineering costs less than $100 per kilowatt-hour, a figure that or in addition to hence inwards the liberate energy manufacture accept cited every bit depression plenty to transform the electrical grid into a round-the-clock carbon-free system.

Engineers desire to plough the dam into a vast reservoir of excess electricity from the solar farms in addition to current of air turbines that stand upwardly for the ability sources of the future.

The prevailing cost of lithium-ion engineering varies, depending on the scale in addition to application. Yogi Goswami, distinguished academy professor in addition to manager of the Clean Energy Center at the University of South Florida, estimated that it is most probable $300 to $400 a kilowatt-hour.

"This is a game changer," physician Goswami, who was non involved inwards the effort, said of the advances claimed past times NantEnergy. "You accept to accept storage."...

...MUCH MORE

Seriously, this is non a solicitation to purchase zinc, or air for that matter.
Here's the terminal year's activity inwards zinc via Kitco (also on blogroll at right):



Despite declining stocks at the LME yous are non seeing much buy-side initiated action.
Prices for air are available upon request.


The base of operations metals tin exert a foreign ability over speculators which is why nosotros are in addition to hence cautious when discussing them.
Going dorsum to a self-referential 2012 post:

"Buy Zinc" (but non yet)
Spot zinc unopen at $.8580 on Friday.
From an Apr '08 post, "Buy Tin":

That was the cryptic message from a reformed metals trader this afternoon. No rationale, no investment thesis, merely "buy tin".

I couldn't assist thinking of the Barney Miller episode "Child Stealers".
Time traveler "Adam Boyer" comes dorsum from 2057 in addition to is hounded past times Harris for stock tips:

[Harris, acting on a tip from a "twinkie" claiming to go a Sociology Professor from Columbia University who's traveled dorsum inwards fourth dimension from the twelvemonth 2057 (played past times the slap-up grapheme thespian Richard Libertini), calls his broker to transfer his assets from aureate bullion to the fiscal criterion of the future--Zinc!!]:

"...no, no bluish chips, either...I was thinking nearly Zinc! (pause) Yeah, Zinc! What's it goin for these days? (writing the figure on a notepad)...Thirty 7 in addition to a one-half cents---a POUND?? (The "Professor" gives Harris an encouraging nod)...Yeah, well, I mightiness go willin' to saltation for a coupla TONS!"...

The episode aired inwards Jan 1980 in addition to hence at $.8580, zinc didn't practise in addition to hence hot (but truly amend than gold, which striking $850 that same month). The reformed metals trader worked for i of the discrete, or in addition to hence mightiness state secretive  Swiss-based physical commodities traders.

He had upwardly to $50 mil. discretion to purchase Russian copper cathodes or aluminum or whatever, figure out the logistics, rail, shipping, bribe the correct port government etc. Pretty much end-to-end, turnkey, whatever yous wanted to telephone phone it.

So when he called, I listened. And started laughing. I couldn't teach that damned Barney Miller scene out of my head....

So, if yous hear the siren call, annotation that zinc eventually bottomed inwards Jan 2016 at 63 cents in addition to was closing inwards on a triple earlier reversing this February.