The development of a resource-efficient photovoltaic system

This paper presents the measures taken in the demonstration of the photovoltaic case study developed within the European project ‘Towards zero waste in industrial networks’ (Zerowin), integrating the D4R (Design for recycling, repair, refurbishment and reuse) criteria at both system and industrial network level. The demonstration is divided into three phases. The first phase concerns the development of a D4R photovoltaic concept, the second phase focused on the development of a specific component of photovoltaic systems and the third phase was the demonstration of the D4R design in two complete photovoltaic systems (grid-connected and stand-alone). This paper includes a description of the installed photovoltaic systems, including a brief summary at component level of the lithium ion battery system and the D4R power conditioning system developed for the pilot installations. Additionally, industrial symbioses within the network associated with the photovoltaic systems and the production model for the network are described

New chemical route for the synthesis of -Na0.33V2O5 and its fully reversible Li intercalation

To obtain good electrochemical performance and thermal stability of rechargeable batteries, various cathode materials have been explored including NaVS2, -Na0.33V2O5, and LixV2O5. In particular, LixV2O5 has attracted attention as a cathode material in Li-ion batteries owing to its large theoretical capacity, but its stable electrochemical cycling (i.e., reversibility) still remains as a challenge and strongly depends on its synthesis methods. In this study, we prepared the LixV2O5 from electrochemical ion exchange of -Na0.33V2O5, which is obtained by chemical conversion of NaVS2 in air at high temperatures. Crystal structure and particle morphology of -Na0.33V2O5 are characterized by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, in combination with electrochemical data, suggest that Na ions are extracted from -Na0.33V2O5 without irreversible structural collapse and replaced with Li ions during the following intercalation (i.e., charging) process. The thus obtained LixV2O5 delivers a high discharge capacity of 295 mAh g-1, which corresponds to x = 2, with crystal structural stability in the voltage range of 1.5-4.0 V versus. Li, as evidenced by its good cycling performance and high Coulombic efficiency (under 0.1 mA cm-2) at room temperature. Furthermore, the ion-exchanged LixV2O5 from -Na0.33V2O5 shows stable electrochemical behavior without structural collapse, even at a case of deep discharge to 1.5 V versus Li. © 2015 American Chemical Societyclose1