Power Management

China leads the world in solar power. And not just by a small margin either. It has over twice as much solar power as the next highest country, the USA. Where do you store any excess solar energy? Answer: in ridiculously big batteries.

Back in 2015, Gogoro proposed setting up a network of battery-swapping stations for riders of its electric smartscooter. Now the company operates thousands of them, and has partnered with Enel X to have the network serve as virtual power plants.

To keep the lights on in NASA's Artemis human lunar outpost, Sandia National Laboratories is developing electrical micro-grids to handle the power distribution from the Moon base's mini nuclear reactors to the various living and support facilities.

Electric vehicles are increasingly including the capability to serve as backup power sources. But how exactly will that work? Ford has provided a closer look at how the F-150 Lightning's 131-kWh battery will keep the lights on in the average US home.

When battery packs in EVs reach the end of their useful lives, they can still retain enough charge for other applications. Nissan is replacing lead acid batteries in emergency power supplies at railroad crossings in Japan with second-life Leaf cells.

Israeli graphics company Lucid looks set to announce software that will extend the battery life of the the new Galaxy Note 10.1 considerably. Company President Offir Remez tells Gizmag his technology can increase the battery life of mobile devices between 50 and 100 percent when used for gaming.