Scientists Invent 30 Year Continuous Power Laptop Battery

Source

30 years without recharge?

The best part about these cells are when they eventually run out of power they are totally inert and non-toxic, so environmentalists need not fear these high tech scientific wonder batteries. If all goes well plans are for these cells to reach store shelves in about 2 to 3 years.

The breakthrough betavoltaic power cells are constructed from semiconductors and use radioisotopes as the energy source. As the radioactive material decays it emits beta particles that transform into electric power capable of fueling an electrical device like a laptop for years.

The reason the battery lasts so long is that neutron beta-decay into protons is the world's most concentrated source of electricity, truly demonstrating Einstein’s theory E=MC2.

but Is this something new?
en.wikipedia.org... en.wikipedia.org...

Well, I like the sound of all this.
Hopefully they will make this technology available for mobile phones, as I just brought a new battery for Motorola, and even if I haven't used it at all it still goes dead 10 hours after I unplug the damn thing.

Think of what kind of devices this could be used for. Electrical cars become an everyday reality. Buy 100 (500, or how-many-ever) of the things and use it to power a car.

Hmm, just like that?

I think some of the technology the aliens have helped us with is now coming out to the public. But im not complaining.

Yay, hopefully they come in an extra ssmall size. I am sick of my mp3 player batteries dying so quickly.

Its Too good to be true.
source

Watch out for this term: "betavoltaic battery". The site "Next Energy News" is promoting a story about the technology purporting that a betavoltaic battery has been created that could power a laptop for 30 years. Horse$^&t. If the AFRL had built a new magic battery that could power things for 30 years, don't you think it would be the top bit of news on their site?

I dont think its true. But i really really hope it is.

Interesting, the question is will big business embrace this technology or suppress it. They would stand to lose billions if people don't need to replace bateries for decades. Reminds me of the situation with Gillette who perfected a razor which never went blunt, but knew of they marketted it, the core business disposable razors would collapse.

reply to post by watch_the_rocks


Me thinks you need to read up on proper battery care. It sounds like you've already voided the warranty!

Isn't this the same kind of battery technology already used on deep space probes and whatnot? Get this into hybrids and they might start to make sense... environmentally speaking anyway.

Originally posted by mad scientist
Reminds me of the situation with Gillette who perfected a razor which never went blunt, but knew of they marketted it, the core business disposable razors would collapse.

They did market it. It's crap. Kinda hard to dull a blade when it's already dull to begin with.

[edit on 2-10-2007 by apc]

No doubt the government will find some way of taxing us for the use of the batteries in the form of a licence.

This doesn't make sense at all...

So Iran can't have national nuclear power plants, but Americans and other "free" citizens of the world can carry around a miniture nuclear device in their backpack? Obviously, it's not like carrying around a hunk of plutonium, but still.

-Warlo

reply to post by Warlo


Surprise surprise!!!! America is a bully


Mod Note: One Line Post – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 2-10-2007 by Jbird]

They're really low power devices. You won't be running a car off of them. In fact, I'm not really sure how you'd run a laptop with it, unless you were Bill Gates.

The specific power for tritium is about 34 microWatts per Curie. A Curie of tritium is about 3 bucks. So if you wanted a Watt of power output, you're talking about $90,000.

The company making them advertises them for mission critical military devices and satellites. They make about 125 microWatts per CC, max.

That isn't much.

The OP is right in wondering if this is really new technology. It is not. Actually, betavoltaic batteries have been used to power most pacemakers implanted in the past 35 years and have also been used to power space probes. What is new is the consumer applications of such a battery.

One thing I wonder though -- the OP's link stated that this is enviromentally friendly because the stuff inside the battery becones inert after its 30 year lifetime. I wonder what would happen if a bunch get thrown away and end up in landfills prior to the end of their usable life -- say a bunch of 5-year old batteries.

Edit to add:

Originally posted by Warlo
This doesn't make sense at all...

So Iran can't have national nuclear power plants, but Americans and other "free" citizens of the world can carry around a miniture nuclear device in their backpack? Obviously, it's not like carrying around a hunk of plutonium, but still.

The world doesn't mind if Iran has nuclear power plants...the world does mind if Iran is using those plants to help build nuclear bombs.

...and I'm pretty sure Iranians would be allowed to use betavoltaic batteries (and some of them probably already are carrying them in their pacemakers.)


[edit on 10/2/2007 by Soylent Green Is People]

Supposedly, the tiny amount of tritium in there is tied up in the pores of the silicon diode structures they're using for conversion.

They say it can't leak out.

All I can say is that the hydrogen isotope tritium is pretty active Especially in amounts required to produce any reasonable amount of energy using betavoltaics.

Current Laptops are only a fire Hazard, but a high radiation dose straight to the body due to a 'leak' is a different issue.

If you put enough of these together could you run a car?

I know that the battery technology that the're working on for cars now is similar to putting a bunch of cell phone batteries together.

I wonder what the future holds?

From what you all have written it sounds like this battery is pretty unreasonable for the average person to use. I am not really too surprised by this though, as I highly doubt that the current battery and energy mega-corps would allow such a device to become public knowledge unless it had considerable drawbacks. In this instance it sounds like it is both cost and safety prohibitive.

This doesn't make sense at all...

The world doesn't mind if Iran has nuclear power plants...the world does mind if Iran is using those plants to help build nuclear bombs.

I do mind American especially Jews build nuclear bomb while Iran and North Korea are NOT.


I do mind American especially Jews build and having nuclear bombs....... but I don't mind Russia, Europe and Chinese is having nuclear bombs.


Mod Edit: Removed egregious text




[edit on 2-10-2007 by chissler]

Originally posted by apc

Me thinks you need to read up on proper battery care. It sounds like you've already voided the warranty!

I've got a Motorola V3X. They have been discontinued because of all sorts of customer complains, like it turning off when in the middle of a call. And the battery was like this when I first got it. I know about proper care of Lithium Ion batteries. Don't store at full capacity, etc. It's just my crappy phone.

I want this new battery to come out!

reply to post by watch_the_rocks


At 125 microWatts the cubic centimeter, I don't think you're going to be able to run a cell phone. Unless it's got sort of a large battery
.