Electricity and Control August 2023

ENGINEERING THE FUTURE

Electromagnetic energy: changing the way electricity is produced

W hat if there were a viable alternative to the internal combus tion engine? One that can be quickly adapted for different applications, from agriculture to the maritime industry, the motor industry and more. What if, instead of taking up 400 hectares to build a solar power plant, we could generate the same number of kilowatts on land the size of a basketball court? And, what if we could travel unlimited kilometres in electric cars because we didn’t need charging stations? V2Techs, a technology startup co-founded in the USA by a South African team, suggests that these possibilities – and many others – can be realised by applying the principles of electro magnetics. V2Techs is disrupting the way that electricity has been pro duced and distributed for the past 140 years. The company has invented an electromagnetic combo motor that works as a prime mover for any electric power generator, and as a substitute for hydropower, wind power, fossil fuels, and other forms of power generation as an external rotating source. Simple, scalable, and highly efficient, the motor has been named ‘Remora’, after the fish of the same name, which attaches itself to larger marine animals in a mutually beneficial relationship. By using it in electric power generators, it creates a new technology for electricity utilities, named ‘SpinG’ (spinning generators). V2Techs wants to make a positive contribution to reducing the carbon footprint by creating innovative technologies that harvest the power of electromagnetic energy via innovative designs and patented applications. Shipping Electric ships, for example, could be retrofitted or newly developed, consistent with the UN’s International Maritime Organisation’s directive that greenhouse gas emissions be sharply reduced. The industry is the backbone of the global economy, transporting over 80% of the world’s goods. By removing all systems associated with fuel-based power generators, a significant amount of cargo space can be freed up, resulting in substantially reduced shipping costs per container of between 50-60%. Sasha Vlad, CTO of V2Techs says this new technology marks a substantial leap forward from pursuing alternative fuels like am monia, gas, green and blue hydrogen, all of which require large production and storage facilities on almost every maritime route. Microgrids “Because our technology is scalable, we can convert any elec tric power generator to a microgrid power plant, with little impact on an existing installation,” says Vlad. “Imagine that we could run a wind turbine in a building’s basement, without blades or wind. There is no need to store energy, as it can be produced on site, instantly, and on demand.” This would remove the need for large power lines and simplify national power grids. The new concept power plants could be operated by city authorities directly, in small non-polluting facili ties, and via remote control technologies.

V2Techs is disrupting the way electricity has been produced and distributed for the past 140 years.

Electric vehicles EVs would be another industry that could benefit from V2Techs’ technology. A new EV could have unlimited mileage, eliminating the need for charging stations, and there could be different forms of kWh payment on board: via mobile phone, NFC payment, or by direct account. Moreover, once parked in the garage, the EV could become an electricity provider for the household, by charging storage batteries in a power wall. Electric farming Farms could operate on the same principles as the EV. The tech nology could open new agricultural areas in remote regions, with no need for national electric power grids, but with all modern farming facilities. With the world population at over 8 billion, new farming lands and lower farming costs will be needed. Power efficiency is key In developing the technology, the V2Techs team wanted to find an alternative that has the same, or better, power efficiency as hydropower. At 90%, hydropower has a much higher power effi ciency than wind at 59.6%, solar power at 15 to 20%, or coal at 33 to 40%. The power efficiency of a device indicates how much of the input energy is converted into useful power. “Our technology has a 98% power efficiency, which we achieved by combining three different elements,” says Vlad. The first is a brushless motor, the technology used in a power drill. To this, a flywheel is added, a technology that has been used for centuries for things as simple as a pottery wheel. It cre ates kinetic energy, the energy an object creates because of its motion. And thirdly, induction. “Our technology has a battery as well as an induction power generator. We harvest energy through the flywheel, feed this back to the battery, and redirect it again to the brushless motor,” Vlad explains. V2Techs has received two WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) patent certificates for its technologies and has three more patent applications pending. “We’re at the forefront of a new age of lower cost, low-emission power generation that has the potential to contribute significantly to a better future around the world,” says Vlad.

For more information visit: https://v2techs.net/

AUGUST 2023 Electricity + Control

31