Is energy technology being supressed?

[tw]

Originally Posted by Cloud

But it doesn't seem outlandish to me that oil companies are getting into the alternative energy sphere. It would be short-sighted of them not to.

Energy companies have long been a driving force of innovation. Personal stories from a top Exxon executive demonstrated how Exxon innvations were opposed by GM executives. UPS, at one point, was so frustrated with their replacement engines from GM as to negotiate with Shell for new engines. Apparently that threat was enough to finally get GM to stop dumping defective engines as replacement parts.

A major problem with Lithium batteries (NiMH is already obsolete technology where innovation is ongoing) is its membrane. Remember, lithium batteries approach the energy density of a hand grenade - 40 watts-hours per kilogram. So Exxon has developed a new membrane that has higher temperature tolerances.

Largest problem in Lithium batteries is safety. But in 2002, industrial consumers scoffed at the problem saying Sony and Sanyo are too reliable to let problems happen. Surprise. June 2006. Then the Panasonic factory in Osaka Japan completely burned down in Sept 2007.

One of many examples of battery companies addressing these problems is Boston Power - again possible only due to venture capitalists - not understood by bean counters in banks and Wall Street.

Appreciate why Japanese and Chinese companies dominate the battery market. The so called 'bunny battery' was developed in WWII to solve battery life expectancy of walkie-talkies. In 1990 and that battery is still the standard battery? Yes, because battery companies were owned by bean counter dominated companies such as Sara Lee. Innovation was not permitted. What made 24 hour HBO possible in the early 1980s? Lithium batteries were developed for spacecraft by Japanese companies - using technologies stifled elsewhere - provided the lithium replacement for NiCads.

Current rechargeable Lithium battery life expectancy is 300 power cycles. Some lower tech batteries still don't do that. Lastest technology now claims to do 800 to 1000 recharge cycles. None of this comes from the big American battery manufacturers dominated by bean counters who therefore cannot innovate.

List who in this post is doing innovation and who stifles it.