A total of $3 million in Australian Research Council (ARC) funding is going towards a research hub for developing cheaper and more effective energy storage for Australians, including towards storage technology manufacturing.
“The research conducted at this hub will drive more secure, sustainable and economically efficient energy usage through the use of more effective storage devices and advanced technologies,” Minister for Education, Dan Tehan, said at the opening of the ARC Research Hub for Integrated Energy Storage Solutions at the University of New South Wales last week.
“It will also create novel battery technologies to meet the rapidly growing need for electric vehicles, and battery services for the electricity grid.
“Importantly, this research hub will bring together experts from universities and industry to work together to develop new, commercially-viable methods to capture surplus electricity from Australia’s abundant renewable resources. “
The hub, led by Professor Joe Dong, will focus on generating knowledge in storage technology manufacturing, control and management, as well as providing solutions to a more sustainable, secure, reliable and economically efficient energy supply.
It will develop advanced energy storage technologies including batteries for extreme environments, structural supercapacitors, innovated fuel cells, and power-to-gas systems. The goal is to integrate these storage solutions into existing energy networks and applications using novel storage monitoring, control and optimisation technologies.
The new research hub will involve 14 participating organisations and international collaborations providing a total of $8.7 million in additional cash and in-kind support.