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Engineering Society Talks Energy Over Breakfast

Well over 100 people gathered Monday morning for the inaugural "Eggs and Energy" breakfast session sponsored by the Engineering Society of Detroit.

The ESD plans sessions every other month on the latest in advanced energy technologies.

Mujeeb Ijaz, vice president for cell product development at Massachusetts-based A123 Systems Inc., spoke about his company's growth plans in Wayne County.

A123 is currently building what will be the world's largest lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in a former Technicolor Corp. videotape reproduction building in Livonia, and is planning a battery components plant in Livonia.

Ijaz said A123 spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a $100,000 federal Department of Energy Grant to explore technology for lithium ion batteries that would assemble themselves based on liquid chemistry.

Today, the company is investing $1 billion on battery manufacturing space in China, Korea and the United States. Its Chinese plants make small batteries for Black & Decker and DeWalt power tools. The company's second quarter revenue of $22.6 million was up 15 percent from 2009.

What makes A123's technology different, Ijaz said, is the size of the particles in the batteries. Conventional lithium-ion batteries have internal materials made up of particles 5 microns in size. A123's particles are 0.1 microns in size or less. That creates a higher surface area to generate power, reduces heating and reduces resistance. The A123 batteries also use phosphates, not oxides, in their chemistry, reducing fire risk.

A123 is also building batteries for hybrid buses, appliances, scooters, wheelchairs, backup power and the military.

U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Hills, said metro Detroit can lead in the renewable energy industry on the strength of its manufacturing talent.

He also pushed a $30 billion small business lending proposal now pending before Congress as a key to the industry's entrepreneurial growth. The measure has been blocked by Senate Republicans until recent weeks.

Peters said Congress is unlikely to move on major energy legislation before the Nov. 2 election. But he offered to help energy entrepreneurs to find available federal money.

Jeff DeLaune, renewable energy development leader for the upper Midwest for Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls Inc., also spoke, saying lithium-ion batteries make the electric vehicle possible due to their better power density.

But he also said good old lead-acid batteries will be around for a while, too. Johnson Controls is the world's largest producer of lead-acid batteries for automotive applications, including private labels like Die Hard.

Johnson Controls is making lithium-ion batteries too, including big packs for Azure Dynamics truck drive trains at a new plant in Holland. It's also working on a smart grid electric vehicle charging study now with Ford Motor Co. and the Electric Power Research Institute.

(c) 2010, WWJ Newsradio 950. All rights reserved.

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