While the continual progress of efficiencies in solar and wind
seem to make these technologies ideal candidates to eventually
replace fossil fuels further into the future, one key element
stands in the way of their adoption. That element is variability
of the power source. While one solution would be to offset these
power sources with continuous power sources such as tidal or
geothermal, another option is storage. Currently, two primary
methods exist of storing power for later use -- rechargeable
batteries and ultracapacitors (other exotic methods have also
been proposed). Ultracapacitors are a growing, but not widely
known field. Ultracapacitors can be mixed with fuel cells and
batteries or used independently to provide power. While
expensive, ultracapacitors have numerous advantages over
batteries, including higher power capability, longer life, a
wider thermal operating range, lighter, more flexible packaging
and lower maintenance. Now a new breakthrough promises even
better ultracapacitors. A typical capa