NanoMarkets Releases Paper Titled, Repositioning the Supercapacitor for “Burst” Storage

Nov. 22, 2010 - PRLog -- Glen Allen, Virginia:  Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets, has posted a paper on their website titled, “Repositioning the Supercapacitor for “Burst” Storage.” In the paper the firm examines how and where supercapacitors can develop stronger positioning with respect to batteries and why suppliers of the technology, supply chain elements and investors should be optimistic about this space.  

The paper is available at www.nanomarkets.net.  

From the Paper:

Supercapacitors are one of those technologies that have been around for a long time, have been the subject of numerous R&D programs, and yet have never demonstrated commercial lift off.   However, NanoMarkets’ latest market analysis of this field suggests that the supercapacitor market could present substantial opportunities if the supplier community can successfully reposition the technology away from being just another energy storage device that compares unfavorably with batteries to one that meets the needs of hybrid/electric (and eventually electric) vehicles, electricity grids and consumer electronics.   In a recent NanoMarkets report, we projected that the supercapacitor market will grow from around $400 million this year (2010) to approximately $3.0 billion in 2016.

About the report:

Like many “new” technologies, the supercapacitor actually has a long history that goes back decades.  In the past few years, though, new materials and improvements in manufacturing have made supercapacitors a force to reckoned with in the energy storage world.  In addition, the range of applications for supercapacitors have broadened to the point where it seems supercapacitors will almost certainly be a major revenue opportunity for both device makers and materials companies over the coming decade.

The uses of supercapacitors also seem to fit well with the current enthusiasm for green technologies.  They have, for example, been used in green building, wind turbines, and for frequency regulation in Smart Grids.  Meanwhile, supercapacitor use is expanding rapidly in the transportation sector.  The Toyota Prius uses them for backup power when braking and some BMW models use them in power assists.  Supercapacitor equiped buses have been used in relatively small numbers in California and China is deploying 13,000 electric buses.  

As supercapacitors become increasingly miniaturized, NanoMarkets also sees them playing a growing role in consumer markets.  Applications where supercapacitors have been suggested in the realm of consumer products include notebook PCs, digital music players, handheld devices of many kinds, toys, ebook readers and cell phones.  Yet another area that has attracted considerable attention for future use of supercapacitors is in power tools, where an essential requirement is to store power and recharge.

With so many opportunities available, NanoMarkets believed that it was high time to provide an analysis of where the money will be made in the supercapacitor business and where there is nothing but hype.  In this study we also look at the improvements in supercapacitors that are expected through the use of novel materials such as graphene and how materials firms in general can best capitalize on a supercapacitor boom.

Noting that manufacturing improvements have already led to significant changes in supercapacitor efficiency and other performance parameters, we also explore the cost reduction and manufacturing trends in the supercapacitor business.  In addition, the report contains detailed eight year forecasts in terms of supercapacitor applications, capacity and technology along with the profiles of leading supercapacitor manufacturers.

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NanoMarkets, a Virginia-based analyst firm offers market research and analysis coverage of advanced materials and emerging electronics and energy markets. Visit www.nanomarkets.net for a full listing of NanoMarkets' reports and other services.