Agoracom Blog Home

Archive for the ‘Stria Lithium’ Category

Lithium demand from Electric Vehicles, “EVs,” alone could grow 30% annually for years to come

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:38 PM on Thursday, July 23rd, 2015

Lithium demand from Electric Vehicles, “EVs,” alone could grow 30% annually for years to come

Jul 17, 2015 | Posted by: Peter Epstein

 

  • Conventional wisdom seems to say that overall lithium demand will grow by 8%-12% annually
  • Everything’s going electric, lithium-ion batteries large & small will reign supreme

A short time ago, manufactures released hybrid gasoline-electric cars so that they could claim to be green companies. That has completely changed, now the race is on for market share, volumes and profits.

I’m on record as stating that demand for lithium will grow faster than most believe. Conventional wisdom seems to say that overall lithium demand will grow by 8%-12% annually. I understand why that range has been adopted, it’s already a fast growth rate by historical standards. Commodity and natural resource demand is frequently said to increase at, “the rate of GDP growth.” I wonder which country’s GDP rate is being referred to, hopefully not the U.S. A prime reason for my bullishness on lithium demand, with overall growth closer to 20% a year, is that Tesla is attracting A LOT of attention and competition. I will spare readers the obligatory rattling off a list of Tesla’s growing competition. But there’s much more to the story than Tesla.

I believe that hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles will be phased out sooner rather than later. Any manufacturer that can’t deliver a full EV within the next 2-4 years might as well start working on flying cars, previously known as airplanes. This paradigm shift to EVs is not 5-10 years away, it’s right around the corner. Hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars are deployed on new car platforms, why would it be any different for the builders of EVs? A short time ago, manufactures released hybrid gasoline-electric cars so that they could claim to be, “green” companies. That’s completely changed, now the race is on for market share, volumes and profits.

RANGE ANXIETY!!

“Range anxiety.” That’s the cool way of saying that prospective buyers of EVs are on the fence, until they’re confident that a massive infrastructure of electric charging stations is in place. Guess what? That’s nonsense. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, average daily driving per capita is about 40 miles. Commuters that drive 100-150 miles or more round trip are the exception, not the rule. Does 40 miles per day sound too low? That’s the U.S. average, the range around that average is probably fairly large. Take for example city dwellers that don’t drive daily.

If one were talking about natural gas stations, “range anxiety” would be a serious concern. Recall that T. Boone Pickens has been calling for the replacement of gasoline and diesel fueled cars with cleaner burning natural gas. In that highly unlikely scenario there would have to be a huge build out of natural gas stations. Not so with EVs. Electric Vehicles won’t require an epic rollout of thousands upon thousands of charging stations. As EVs evolve, there will be dozens of models with driving ranges in excess of 100 miles. By then, range anxiety will disappear. Instead of searching for a charging station, one’s garage electricity outlet will do the trick.

Everything’s going electric, lithium-ion batteries large & small will reign supreme

Admittedly there are occasions when long distances are called for. In this circumstance, let’s assume that a gasoline powered vehicle remains the best alternative. That still allows for EVs to potentially become 1 of the 2 vehicles in a suburban family. That equates to a staggering amount of lithium demand without the need of ubiquitous charging stations. The same will be the case for bikes, motorcycles, mail delivery vehicles and buses, (among others). That’s why I believe that the annual growth rate of lithium demand for EVs alone could be as high as 30%, a tripling in 5 years. If the fastest growing segment were to triple (30% growth annually from 2016-2020), that suggests 20% overall demand growth for lithium is not a crazy assumption.

Without range anxiety, EVs will become ubiquitous, not charging stations! This is especially true given that Nissan, Ford, GM and Toyota, (among others) will be coming out with a number of inexpensive EVs with price tags in the $20k-$25k range sooner rather than later. That’s before considering favorable State and/or Federal tax treatment. Importantly, the lower price point EVs will not necessarily use less lithium. Not if they want to achieve high milage per charge. Miles per charge will be a key determinate of customer preference. Note that inexpensive EVs will benefit as much as high end EVs, from lower annual operating expenses by plugging in instead of filling up.

Dajin Resources Corp. (DJI.V) / (DJIFF) a high risk / high return opportunity

While the available supply of lithium is difficult to forecast, and will come on-stream unevenly, demand growth for EVs alone could be two or three times that of today’s consensus. Clearly, the demand for lithium will be lower or higher than expected. Readers probably know which side of the coin I’m betting on. That’s why I like a small cap, pure-play lithium company named Dajin Resources Corp. (DJI.V) (DJIFF). Combined U.S. and Canadian trading volume is averaging roughly 625,000 shares per day. The company has no debt and a solid balance sheet. Warrant exercises have been helping to maintain adequate cash balances.

Taking a contrarian view by being substantially more bullish on lithium demand from EVs, calls for an investment approach that differs from those who follow the crowd. Following the crowd is prudent if conventional wisdom prevails. However, for those like me who believe overall demand for lithium could grow by 20% annually, (30% for EVs alone), a way to articulate a bullish position is through juniors such as Dajin Resources. Taking a contrarian view entails both higher risk and higher reward. Unlike following the crowd though, an investment in Dajin Resources could play off quite handsomely. With properties in both Nevada’s Lithium Hub, located approximately 12 km northeast of Rockwood’s decades long Nevada operations and a very large land position in Argentina’s, Lithium Triangle. This company’s tock is strongly positioned to move considerably higher upon an increase in lithium prices and/or a rebound in the morbid TSX Venture Exchange.

Disclosure:

Dajin Resources (ticker DJI.V) (DJIFF) – Mr. Epstein owns shares of this company. Investors should consult with their own advisors before making investment decisions. Mr. Epstein is not an investment advisor. The article on this company on EpsteinResearch.com should be viewed in this context. This company is highly speculative and not suitable for all investors. As of [5/1/15] Dajin Resources is a Sponsor of EpsteinResearch.com on a month-to-month basis.

Read more at: http://www.miningfeeds.com/2015/07/17/lithium-demand-from-electric-vehicles-evs-alone-could-grow-30-annually-for-years-to-come/#sthash.qvlZyaHW.dpuf

Tesla launches Powerwall home battery with aim to revolutionize energy consumption

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:55 AM on Friday, May 1st, 2015

Larger version of battery has been tested in pilot program

The Associated Press Posted: May 01, 2015 12:35 AM ET Last Updated: May 01, 2015 9:54 AM ET

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk unveils large utility scale home batteries at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, Calif. on Thursday night.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk unveils large utility scale home batteries at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, Calif. on Thursday night. (David McNew/AFP/Getty Images)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is trying to steer his electric car company’s battery technology into homes and businesses as part of an elaborate plan to reshape the power grid with millions of small power plants made of solar panels on roofs and batteries in garages.

Musk announced Tesla’s expansion into the home battery market amid a party atmosphere at the company’s design studio near Los Angeles International Airport. The festive scene attended by a drink-toting crowd of enthusiasts seemed fitting for a flashy billionaire renowned for pursuing far-out projects. For instance, colonizing Mars is one of Musk’s goals at Space X, a rocket maker that he also runs.

Now, he is setting out on another ambitious mission. “Our goal here is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy,” Musk told reporters gathered in Hawthorne, Calif.

Although Tesla will make the battery called “Powerwall,” it will be sold by a variety of other companies. The list of partners includes SolarCity, a solar installer founded by Musk’s cousins, Lyndon and Peter Rive. Musk is SolarCity’s chairman and largest shareholder.

I don’t believe this product in its first incarnation will be interesting to the average person.– Peter Rive, CTO of Tesla partner SolarCity

As with Tesla’s electric cars, which start around $70,000 US, the battery might be too expensive for most consumers. When it goes on sale, the system will carry a suggested price of $3,000 to $3,500, depending on the desired capacity. That could discourage widespread adoption, especially for a product that may only have limited use.

“I don’t believe this product in its first incarnation will be interesting to the average person,” conceded Peter Rive, SolarCity’s chief technology officer. Rive, though, still expects there to be enough demand to substantially increase the number of batteries in homes.

Hopes to ship internationally next year

Musk is so encouraged by the initial demand that he believes Tesla and other future entrants in the market will be able to sell two billion battery packs around the world — roughly the same number of vehicles already on roads. Although that may sound like a “super crazy” goal, Musk insisted it “is within the power of humanity to do.”

TESLA-MOTORS/BATTERIES

Tesla Energy batteries for businesses and utility companies are pictured providing energy for the Tesla Motors Powerwall Home Battery on Thursday. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters)

It will take a long time to get there. Tesla hopes to begin shipping a limited number of Powerwall batteries this summer in the U.S. before expanding internationally next year.

The long-term goal is to reduce the world’s reliance on energy generate from fossil fuels while creating regional networks of home batteries that could be controlled as if they were a power plant. That would give utilities another way to ensure that they can provide power at times of peak demand.

For now, the battery primarily serves as an expensive backup system during blackouts for customers like David Cunningham, an aerospace engineer from Foster City, California. He installed a Tesla battery late last year to pair with his solar panels as part of a pilot program run by the California Public Utilities Commission to test home battery performance.

Can be recharged with solar panels

Although Cunningham’s home has not endured a blackout in the six months that he has had the battery, it’s capable of running critical home appliances like lights and refrigeration and can be recharged by solar panels during the day.

“As long as a person has solar panels, it’s just a natural fit for the two to go together,” Cunningham, 77, said. “I consider it to be a whole power system right here in my home.”

Tesla Battery Power For Homes

In this April 20, 2015 photo, David Cunningham shows a prototype Tesla battery system that powers his Foster City, Calif. home. Cunningham installed the battery late last year to pair with his solar panels as part of a pilot program run by the California Public Utilities Commission. (Jeff Chiu/The Associated Press)

The battery Cunningham got had a whopping sticker price of $18,300, but he took advantage of state incentives that reduced the battery’s price to $7,500.

“The value proposition now is around reliability and backup power more than it is around savings, but over time that may change,” said Shayle Kahn, an analyst at GTM Research.

The batteries are likely to become more useful if, as expected, more utilities and regulators allow power prices to change throughout the day based on market conditions. That way, the software that controls the solar and battery system will allow customers to use their home-generated power — and not expensive grid power — when grid prices spike.

Many commercial customers already buy power this way, and Tesla also announced battery systems designed for them, along with bigger battery packs that utilities can use to manage their grids. Analysts say these utility and commercial markets will probably be more promising for Tesla during the next few years than residential customers.

Several businesses, including Amazon.com and Target, plan to use Tesla’s battery storage system on a limited basis. Southern California Edison is already using Tesla batteries to store energy.

Tesla is building a giant factory in Nevada that will begin churning out batteries in 2017, so Musk needs to begin drumming up customers now. The spotlight may help Musk push policy makers and utilities to consider reshaping regulations so solar and battery storage could be more easily incorporated into the larger electric system, Kahn said.

Tesla’s ambitions already have intrigued homeowners like Mike Thielen, who installed one of the prototype batteries with SolarCity panels on his Redondo Beach, Calif., home last year. Although he hasn’t needed the backup power yet, he has embraced the concept.

“I think it’s brilliant,” he said. “I would consider upgrading to a more powerful home battery if they could figure out a way to get me totally off the grid.”

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tesla-launches-powerwall-home-battery-with-aim-to-revolutionize-energy-consumption-1.3056587

Clean Energy Revolution Is Ahead of Schedule

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:16 AM on Wednesday, April 8th, 2015

By Noah Smith

The most important piece of news on the energy front isn’t the plunge in oil prices, but the progress that is being made in battery technology. A new study in Nature Climate Change, by Bjorn Nykvist and Mans Nilsson of the Stockholm Environment Institute, shows that electric vehicle batteries have been getting cheaper much faster than expected. From 2007 to 2011, average battery costs for battery-powered electric vehicles fell by about 14 percent a year. For the leading electric vehicle makers, Tesla and Nissan, costs fell by 8 percent a year. This astounding decline puts battery costs right around the level that the International Energy Agency predicted they would reach in 2020. We are six years ahead of the curve. It’s a bit hard to read, but here is the graph from the paper:

battery efficiencyThis puts the electric vehicle industry at a very interesting inflection point. Back in 2011, McKinsey & Co. made a chart showing which kind of vehicle would be the most economical at various prices for gasoline and batteries:

competitive
Looking at this graph, we can see the incredible progress made just since 2011. Battery prices per kilowatt-hour have fallen from about $550 when the graph was made to about $450 now. For Tesla and Nissan, the gray rectangle (which represents current prices) is even farther to the left, to about the $300 range, where the economics really starts to change and battery-powered vehicles become feasible.

QuickTake Batteries

But in the past year, the price of gasoline has fallen as well, and is now in the $2.50 range even in expensive markets. A glut of oil, and a possible thaw in U.S.-Iran relations, have moved the gray rectangle down into the dark blue area where internal combustion engines reign supreme.

Still, if battery prices keep falling, the gray rectangle will keep moving to the left. The Swedish researchers believe that Tesla’s new factories will be able to achieve the 30 percent cost reduction the company promises, simply from economies of scale and incremental improvements in the manufacturing process. That, combined with a rebound in gas prices to the $3 range, would be enough to make battery-powered vehicles an economic alternative to internal combustion vehicles in most regions.

But this isn’t the only piece of good energy news. Investment in renewable energy is powering ahead.

The United Nations Environment Programme recently released a report showing that global investment in renewable energy, which had dipped a bit between 2011 and 2013, rebounded in 2014 to a near all-time high of $270 billion. But the report also notes that since renewable costs — especially solar costs — are falling so fast, the amount of renewable energy capacity added in 2014 was easily an all-time high. China, the U.S. and Japan are leading the way in renewable investment. Renewables went from 8.5 percent to 9.1 percent of global electricity generation just in 2014.

That’s still fairly slow in an absolute sense. Adding 0.6 percentage point a year to the renewable share would mean the point where renewables take half of the electricity market wouldn’t come until after 2080. But as solar costs fall, we can expect that shift to accelerate. In particular, forecasts are for solar to become the cheapest source of energy — at least when the sun is shining — in many parts of the world in the 2020s.

Each of these trends — cheaper batteries and cheaper solar electricity — is good on its own, and on the margin will help to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, with all the geopolitical drawbacks and climate harm they entail. But together, the two cost trends will add up to nothing less than a revolution in the way humankind interacts with the planet and powers civilization.

You see, the two trends reinforce each other. Cheaper batteries mean that cars can switch from gasoline to the electrical grid. But currently, much of the grid is powered by coal. With cheap solar replacing coal at a rapid clip, that will be less and less of an issue. As for solar, its main drawback is intermittency. But with battery costs dropping, innovative manufacturers such as Tesla will be able to make cheap batteries for home electricity use, allowing solar power to run your house 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

So instead of thinking of solar and batteries as two independent things, we should think of them as one single unified technology package. Solar-plus-batteries is set to begin a dramatic transformation of human civilization. The transformation has already begun, but will really pick up steam during the next decade. That is great news, because cheap energy powers our economy, and because clean energy will help stop climate change.

Of course, opponents of the renewable revolution continue to downplay these remarkable developments. The takeoff of solar-plus-batteries has only begun to ramp up the exponential curve, and market shares are still small. But it has begun, and it doesn’t look like we’re going back.

To contact the author on this story:
Noah Smith at [email protected]

To contact the editor on this story:
James Greiff at [email protected]

Source: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-08/clean-energy-revolution-is-way-ahead-of-schedule

400% Growth Predicted For China’s Lithium-Ion Automotive Battery Market By 2017

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:18 PM on Monday, February 9th, 2015

Market research firm CCM predicts that the lithium-ion battery market is beginning to enter its golden era in China following high growth of electric car sales.According to CCM data, in 2014 manufacturers in China produced 78,499 EVs (including tiny vehicles), which is 250% more than in 2013. In 2015, sales will grow even faster to 250,000!In such a case, the lithium-ion battery industry should jump by 400% by 2017.

CCM expects it to grow from 4 billion Ah a year to 20 billion Ah a year. Times 3.5 V (cell voltages differences among different chemistries), that would be 70 GWh (twice the size of the Tesla Gigafactory and two times more than world production in 2013).

“This rapid growth is sparking similar growth in demand for power lithium-ion batteries, Chinese EV brand BYD has already encountered difficulties meeting orders due to a shortage of batteries, according to CCM.

Samsung, LG, and Foxconn all invested more than RMB 2 billion (US$325 million) in China’s lithium-ion battery market in 2014, and CCM expects to see similar levels of investment in 2015.

Most domestic Chinese battery manufacturers currently lag behind their competitors in Japan, South Korea, and the US in terms of their ability to manufacture high performing EV batteries, though this gap is narrowing gradually, so there is a large opportunity for international players to gain market share in China’s power lithium-ion battery market in the coming years, the firm suggests.”

Source: http://insideevs.com/400-growth-predicted-for-chinas-lithium-ion-automotive-battery-market-by-2017/

CLIENT FEATURE: Stria Lithium (SRA: TSX-V) Powering The Green Revolution

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:04 PM on Tuesday, January 27th, 2015

SRA: TSX-V

Why Stria Lithium?

  • A Mining TECHNOLOGY Company
  • No Expensive Drill Programs, No Expensive CapEx
  • Lithium Processing Technology Will Be Used By Lithium Producers
  • Aiming to become one of the lowest cost producers in the world for battery- grade technology lithium — critical for high-technology green energy industries.
  • Stria’s strategic, cost-effective exploration substantially reduces the risks and expenditures of exploration by focusing on deposits that are readily available to advance.
  • lithium market remains robust with tremendous upside potential versus other metals.

 

A New Source, a new process for technology lithium

Several foreign nations are already stockpiling materials critical to the emerging green technology economy, which means a reliable North American supply of high quality lithium-based products has never been more urgent. Stria believes Canada has a key role to play in the green tech economy, and plan to be a part of it by carving out a supply and technology niche in the critical and strategic metals world.

Proprietary Processing Technologies

  • Following completion of positive bench scale testing of its proprietary, environmentally sustainable lithium ore processing technologies, the Company has moved into the design stage for its limited production pilot plant.
  • Pilot plant will be designed to produce up to 140 kg per month of lithium compound over a six month period, commencing in early 2015, with the aim of providing potential customers with sufficient 99.99% purity materials for validating process economics and product quality.

Pontax-Lithium property …

Stria holds 100 per cent ownership of the Pontax-Lithium property located in the west-central James Bay territory in northern Quebec.

The property, which Stria acquired from Khalkos Exploration Inc. in 2013, is host to a recently discovered swarm of a dozen spodumene-bearing (a lithium mineral) pegmatite dikes, each one metre to 10 metres in thickness, plus a series of small centimetre-thick dikelets.

The lithium-bearing dikes outcrop over an area of 450 metres by 100 metres (for more information, click here to view the NI-43-101 Technical Report (Girard,2013) on the Pontax-Lithium Property).

Close-up view of Pontax’s spodumene-bearing pegmatite. The light grey spodumene is idiomorphic and lath-shaped. The intergranular grey mineral is quartz.


Willcox Lithium / Arizona

Stria holds 100 per cent ownership of the Willcox Lithium project, located in Cochise County, Arizona. Acquired through the purchase of Pueblo Lithium LLC from AGR-O Phosphate Inc. in 2014, the property is comprised of 61 lode mining claims.

The purpose of the 2014 Willcox drilling program is to confirm historic exploration results and to test groundwater samples for use in Stria’s proprietary membrane processing technologies now under development. This technology will allow Stria to recover lithium from brine type deposits without the need of large scale evaporation ponds and their associated environmental impacts.

Stria Lithium Updates Its Novel, Environmentally Sustainable Lithium Processing Technologies

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:50 PM on Monday, January 19th, 2015

OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Jan. 19, 2015) – Stria Lithium Inc. (TXS VENTURE:SRA) (“Stria” or the “Company”) is pleased to report the following update on its proprietary, environmentally sustainable lithium ore processing technologies and the extension of its non-brokered private placement until February 2nd.

Market Outlook

The Energy Storage sector is growing substantially faster than the Electrical Vehicle (EV) battery sector. According to Industrial Minerals, a reliable global source of mineral data, commercial energy storage applications using lithium-ion phosphate batteries has become a multi-billion industry.

Industrial scale energy storage for regional energy storage installations in California, Hawaii and Bolivia, complement the corporate electrical storage requirements of EV pioneer Tesla, for example, for use in its trans-American charging network.

While lithium markets have held their price values in a soft commodities market during the last 18 months, lithium juniors face other challenges in securing a toehold into the lithium space.

In his year-end 2014 market outlook, analyst Chris Berry stated:

“Lithium production is an oligopoly. Despite the strong growth rates in lithium demand (estimated at 8% per year), oligopolies do not welcome competition and therefore if you’re a company aspiring to join the ranks of producers, you need some sort of a competitive advantage or strategic relationship which allows you the possibility of achieving the lowest cost of production. The growth rate in demand is key.”

Stria Lithium’s business advantage is built through its strategic clean energy alliance with Focus Graphite Inc., and Grafoid Inc.

Industrial Minerals, reported that despite real or perceived barriers, “… new sources of raw material are likely to be needed to prevent price inflation as demand from the battery sector grows.”

Mineral markets expert Simon Moores, in his January 15, 2015 commentary in Benchmark Notes, admonishes investors to consider the impact rapid growth in lithium demand had on the smartphone industry:

“The smartphone uptake took the battery supply chain by surprise. Such was its unprecedented nature, leading lithium suppliers of the key battery raw material continually underestimated the speed of growth in demand which ranged from 8-12% each year in that period. Lithium saw a supply squeeze and its price spike three-fold between 2004 and 2009 as a result.

And with EVs and utilities, the batteries are bigger… much bigger. For supply chain disruption, EV sales would not need to be in the billions or millions, global annual sales of over 200,000 would force significant change.”

Stria’s novel technology, is designed to produce low-cost and high purity lithium directly from spodumene lithium ore.

Stria is currently at the design stage of its pilot plant and has engaged an external, third party engineering firm to validate and audit its proprietary process. The pilot plant will be designed to produce up to 140 kg per month of lithium compound over a minimum six months with the aim of providing potential customers with sufficient 99.99% purity materials for validating process economics and product quality.

Non-Brokered Private Placement

The Company is pleased to announce its private placement offering of non flow-through and flow-through units will remain open until February 2nd, 2015.

On October 30, 2014, Stria Lithium announced the close of its first tranche of a non-brokered private placement offering of up to $1,000,000.

The total private placement consisted of the sale of up to 2,666,667 non flow-through units (the “Units”) at a price of $0.15 per Unit for gross proceeds of $400,000 and up to 3,157,895 flow-through units (the “Flow-Through Units”) at a price of $0.19 per Flow-Through Unit for proceeds of up to $600,000.

Each Unit consists of one (1) common share of the Company and one (1) warrant (a “Warrant”). Each Flow-Through Unit consists of one (1) flow-through common share of the Company and one (1) Warrant. Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one (1) additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.35 for a period of 24 months from closing.

The closing of the first tranche of the non flow-through portion of the Offering realized gross proceeds of $26,650.05 from the issue of 177,667 Units. The closing of the first tranche of the flow-through portion of the Offering realized proceeds of $154,770.20 from the issue of 814,580 Flow-Through Units.

About Stria Lithium Inc.

Stria Lithium (TSX VENTURE:SRA) owns the Pontax spodumene lithium property in Northern Quebec and the Willcox brine lithium property in southeastern Arizona, that are currently at the exploration stage. They host no mineral resources or reserves.

As announced in January 2014, Stria’s core business is the development of proprietary, in-house processing technologies. Stria’s technologies, based on recovering lithium metal directly from ore and from brine liquids, will be more efficient, will require fewer controls, less chemistry and require less energy from compact facilities designed to enable easy automation.

Qualified Person: This news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Julien Davy, P.Geo., M.Sc., MBA, President and COO of Stria and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 Guidelines.

Forward Looking Statement – Disclaimer

This news release may contain forward-looking statements, being statements which are not historical facts, and discussions of future plans and objectives. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove accurate. Such statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those anticipated or projected. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations are in our documents filed from time to time with the TSX Venture Exchange and provincial securities regulators, most of which are available at www.sedar.com.

Stria Lithium Inc.
Mr. Julien Davy
President and COO
[email protected]

U.S. Navy Buys $81 Million Lithium-Iron Battery

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:56 PM on Monday, January 5th, 2015

Energy storage technology just got a big boost courtesy of Uncle Sam’s Canoe Club, also known as the U.S. Navy.

The Naval Sea Systems Command awarded an $81 million contract to K2 Energy Solutions, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-iron phosphate battery technology based in Henderson, Nevada, to design an energy storage system capable of powering “a large modular capacitor bank for the electromagnetic railgun.”

The electromagnetic railgun has become one of the largest science and technology projects supported by the Office of Naval Research. The railgun uses electricity rather than gunpowder or rocket motors to hurl hypersonic projectiles over extremely long distances. The railgun can deliver a projectile at speeds greater than Mach 7. A projectile can strike a target located more than 200 nautical miles away from a warship in about six minutes.

The railgun is one of the crown jewels in the Navy’s directed energy program, which also includes several high-risk, high-payoff laser technologies.

Directed energy technologies have critical advantages over traditional guns, bombs and other kinetic weapons, including the ability to attack multiple targets with greater precision. The Navy is not the only branch of the military pursuing directed energy applications.

“Directed Energy Weapons are a critical game-changing technology for the Navy-Marine Corps Team TISI -3.05%,” said James Thomsen, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition.

The ability to generate the massive pulse of electricity required by the railgun has been a critical barrier to mass deployment. The battery contract awarded to K2 Energy Solution suggests that this barrier has at least partially been cleared.

Lithium-iron phosphate batteries are one of many types of lithium-ion batteries available in the market today. They are rechargeable and are typically used for high power applications that demand flat discharge rates and stay relatively cool.

K2 Energy Solutions Inc Provider NAVSEA

The contract was awarded in July but the first order was not placed until today. The battery system is expected to be completed by 2016. Per the U.S Department of Defense’s press release announcing the award: “K2 Energy Solutions, Henderson, Nevada, is being awarded a ceiling-priced $81,400,000 firm-fixed price/cost-plus fixed-fee, basic ordering agreement for the fully self-contained battery intermediate energy store system required to power a large modular capacitor bank for the electromagnetic railgun.”

In addition to military applications, K2 Energy Solutions has developed both high energy and high power cell battery technologies for medical, industrial and utility applications. The company was not available to comment.

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2015/01/05/u-s-navy-buys-81-million-lithium-iron-battery/

INTERVIEW: Stria Lithium Discusses Revolutionary Lithium Processing Technology

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:06 AM on Wednesday, December 17th, 2014

SRA: TSX-V

WATCH INTERVIEW NOW!

  • Focused on the emerging green energy revolution, with a particular focus on Lithium.
  • Aiming to become one of the lowest cost producers in the world for battery- grade technology lithium through partnerships, licensing and joint ventures which are critical for high-technology green energy industries such as consumer electronics, energy storage and military.
  • Unveiled lithium procession technology that will provide the company with significant advantages.

Hub On AGORACOM / Corporate Website / Watch Interview Now!

Stria Lithium Year End Update Includes Start of Pilot Plant Design for its Novel, Environmentally Sustainable Lithium Processing Technologies

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:31 PM on Tuesday, December 9th, 2014

OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Dec. 9, 2014) – Stria Lithium Inc. (TXS VENTURE:SRA) (“Stria” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that following the completion of positive bench scale testing of its proprietary, environmentally sustainable lithium ore processing technologies, the Company has moved into the design stage for its limited production pilot plant.

Company President and Chief Operating Officer Julien Davy said the pilot plant will be designed to produce up to 140 kg per month of lithium compound over a six month period, commencing in early 2015, with the aim of providing potential customers with sufficient 99.99% purity materials for validating process economics and product quality.

Mr. Davy said the pilot plant will be constructed at the Grafoid Global Technology Centre in Kingston, Ontario.

“As a key member of the Grafoid, Focus Graphite battery materials development business platform, Stria completes a potential North American supply solution to both domestic and international battery manufacturers,” Mr. Davy said.

“And, as a mineral mining and technology supplier group, our battery platform is unique in the world,” he added.

Stria Lithium’s business strategy is based upon meeting three key milestones for success. They are: time to market; meeting universal standards for environmental sustainability, and; setting market prices for lithium concentrates.

Stria targets clean energy customers in the automotive, industrial, medical, motorsports, marine, military, avionics and energy storage battery system sectors – the prime movers of demand for the foreseeable future.

With management backgrounds in geological sciences, business development and process engineering, Stria is the sole proprietor of two exploration properties intended to feed its pilot plant development with raw material – the Pontax hard-rock lithium project in Northern Quebec and the Willcox brine lithium project in southeastern Arizona.

Canadian Government Participation

Mr. Davy said the Company’s development advances in producing low-cost, high-purity Li-metal, Li-carbonate and Li-hydroxide products were made possible, in part, by a $137,700 funding commitment from the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (“IRAP”).

The National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) is Canada’s premier innovation assistance program for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is a vital component of the NRC and a cornerstone in Canada’s innovation system, regarded worldwide as one of the best programs of its kind.

Under the terms of financial commitment announced on November 12, 2014, IRAP will reimburse Stria for salaries paid to scientists and technical staff and for expenses directly related to process development.

Non-Brokered Private Placement

The Company is pleased to announce its private placement offering of non flow-through and flow-through units will remain open until December 29, 2014.

On October 30, 2014, Stria Lithium announced the close of its first tranche of a non-brokered private placement offering of up to $1,000,000.

The total private placement consisted of the sale of up to 2,666,667 non flow-through units (the “Units”) at a price of $0.15 per Unit for gross proceeds of $400,000 and up to 3,157,895 flow-through units (the “Flow-Through Units”) at a price of $0.19 per Flow-Through Unit for proceeds of up to $600,000.

Each Unit consists of one (1) common share of the Company and one (1) warrant (a “Warrant”). Each Flow-Through Unit consists of one (1) flow-through common share of the Company and one (1) Warrant. Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one (1) additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.35 for a period of 24 months from closing.

The closing of the first tranche of the non flow-through portion of the Offering realized gross proceeds of $26,650.05 from the issue of 177,667 Units. The closing of the first tranche of the flow-through portion of the Offering realized proceeds of $154,770.20 from the issue of 814,580 Flow-Through Units.

About Stria Lithium Inc.

Stria Lithium (TSX VENTURE:SRA) owns the Pontax spodumene lithium property in Northern Quebec and the Willcox brine lithium property in southeastern Arizona. As announced in January 2014, Stria is developing proprietary, in-house processing technologies for both projects with the purpose of reducing processing costs on an environmentally sustainable basis.

Stria’s technologies, based on recovering lithium metal directly from ore and from brine liquids, will be more efficient, will require fewer controls, less chemistry and require less energy from compact facilities designed to enable easy automation.

Forward Looking Statement – Disclaimer

This news release may contain forward-looking statements, being statements which are not historical facts, and discussions of future plans and objectives. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove accurate. Such statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those anticipated or projected. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations are in our documents filed from time to time with the TSX Venture Exchange and provincial securities regulators, most of which are available at www.sedar.com.

Stria Lithium Inc.
Mr. Julien Davy
President and COO
613-241-4040
[email protected]

Why Elon Musk’s Batteries Scare the Hell Out of the Electric Company

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:57 AM on Friday, December 5th, 2014
Tesla Factory in California
Tesla Motor Inc. associates work on a Model S at the company’s factory in Fremont, California. More than 100,000 plug-ins have been sold in California, according to data from HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates, though electric vehicles make up less than 1 percent of all U.S. car sales. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Here’s why something as basic as a battery both thrills and terrifies the U.S. utility industry.

At a sagebrush-strewn industrial park outside of Reno, Nevada, bulldozers are clearing dirt for Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA:US)’s battery factory, projected to be the world’s largest.

Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk, sees the $5 billion facility as a key step toward making electric cars more affordable, while ending reliance on oil and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At first blush, the push toward more electric cars looks to be positive for utilities struggling with stagnant sales from energy conservation and slow economic growth.

Yet Musk’s so-called gigafactory may soon become an existential threat to the 100-year-old utility business model. The facility will also churn out stationary battery packs that can be paired with rooftop solar panels to store power. Already, a second company led by Musk, SolarCity Corp. (SCTY:US), is packaging solar panels and batteries to power California homes and companies including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT:US)

“The mortal threat that ever cheaper on-site renewables pose” comes from systems that include storage, said Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a Snowmass, Colorado-based energy consultant. “That is an unregulated product you can buy at Home Depot that leaves the old business model with no place to hide.”

J.B. Straubel, chief technology officer for Palo Alto, California-based Tesla, said the company views utilities as partners not adversaries in its effort to build out battery storage. Musk was not available for comment.

The Tesla systems are arriving just as utilities begin to feel increasing pressure worldwide from the disruption posed by renewable energy.

Lima Meeting

In Germany, the rapid rise of tax-subsidized clean energy has undermined wholesale prices and decimated the profitability of coal and natural gas plants. Germany’s largest utility EON SE (EOAN) said this week it will spin off its fossil-fuel plant business to focus on renewables in part because of new clean energy competitors coming onto its turf.

Threats to the traditional utility model come as energy and environment take the world stage at the latest round of United Nations climate talks that began Dec. 1 in Lima. Delegates, backed by global environmental groups, want to leave the conference with a draft agreement to tackle climate change by lowering carbon-dioxide emissions — something that has eluded them for years.

The Rocky Mountain Institute’s Lovins has installed solar on his house in Snowmass and uses it to power his electric car. His monthly electric bill: $25. He has a lot of company.

100,000 Plug-ins

In California, where 40 percent of the nation’s plug-in cars have been sold, about half of electric vehicle owners have solar or want to install it, according to a February survey by the Center for Sustainable Energy, a green-energy advocate. More than 100,000 plug-ins have been sold in California, according to data from HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates, though EVs make up less than 1 percent of all U.S. car sales.

Few homes and businesses use solar and back-up-battery storage, proof for some utilities that the systems remain a hard sell outside of states like California or markets like Hawaii where high power costs make solar competitive.

Still, the Edison Electric Institute, a trade group representing America’s investor-owned utilities, recently announced that its members will help to encourage electric vehicle use by spending $50 million annually to buy plug-in service trucks and invest in car-charging technology.

“Advancing plug-in electric vehicles and technologies is an industry priority,” said EEI President Thomas Kuhn.

Charging Stations

Analysts think the industry has been slow to react. Tesla, SolarCity and green-energy companies are already moving aggressively into unoccupied space. “Some of the more nimble companies that think and move more quickly, they are beating the utilities to the punch,” said Ben Kallo, a San Francisco-based analyst for Robert W. Baird & Co.

Tesla has installed 135 solar-powered fast-charging stations across North America where its Model S drivers can refuel for free. NRG Energy Inc. is building a network of public charging stations in major cities that drivers can access on a per-charge basis or for a flat monthly fee of about $15.

And then there’s the home front. In a July report, Morgan Stanley said Tesla’s home and business energy-storage product could be “disruptive” in the U.S. and in Europe as customers seek to avoid utility fees by going “off-grid.”

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-12-05/musk-battery-works-fill-utilities-with-fear-and-promise