Â鶹ӰԺ

Most electricity storage is currently provided by pumped hydro plants, where energy surplus is used to pump water uphill, which can then be released on demand to drive turbines to re-generate electricity. The development of lithium-ion batteries is starting to change this paradigm. Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable with a high power and energy density that first enabled the mobile phone revolution and is now part of the expansion of electric cars.

Energy Storage, either in batteries, hydro plants, or through the generation of chemical fuels that can be used in other applications, is a crucial component of the clean energy transition. Renewable solar and wind power generation are intermittent, energy storage systems can collect excess energy generated during peak productions times and release when production is low, ensuring a stable and reliable energy supply. This storage capacity can in turn stabilize the grid and help balance supply and demand. As more distributed energy resources, such as rooftop solar panels, are added to the grid, installed energy storage capacity can better integrate and manage these decentralized sources. Development of effective energy storage capacity also has significant security, resilience and financial benefits. Reduced blackouts and outages during extreme weather events or cyber-attacks, reductions in capital investments in new power stations and reducing prices by harnessing energy at peak low-cost times.

RASEI researchers explore various facets of energy storage. Teams are using advanced materials science to explore the fundamentals of how batteries operate and importantly how they degrade. Research into new battery modalities, such as redox flow batteries, offers options to build enhanced storage capacities. Development of new electrochemical methods to directly produce chemical fuels from renewable electricity are just some of the areas that RASEI research is supporting.

Here are just some of the ways in which several of the Research Foci are making advances in this impact area:

Batteries

• Exploring different battery modalities, from flow batteries, to integration into household appliances, to develop a more stable and resilient power grid.

Bio-Catalysis

• Exploring how biological organisms can provide bio-fuels using photosynthetic processes.

Buildings

• Developing distributed battery storage and control systems that can help provide a stable and reliable energy supply.

Catalysis and Photocatalysis

• Developing approaches that convert renewable energy sources into chemical fuels.

Fuels

• Exploring different aspects of low- or zero-carbon fuels that can be produced using energy surpluses (such as solar during the day) to produce fuels that can be used during high energy demand or for energy dense applications (such as aviation and large vehicle transport).

Grid Innovation

• Developing grid designs that incorporate distributed storage capacity to create a stable and resilient power supply.

Hydrogen

• Development of sustainable approaches to generate this valuable fuel from renewable energy sources.

Nanoscience and Advanced Materials Research

• Exploring the materials science of the membranes, electrolytes, and components in batteries to better understand how they work, how they fail, and how new and more efficient systems can be designed.

Social, Institutional, and Behavioral Analysis

• Understanding public opinion on energy storage systems and exploring barriers to adoption of these technologies.

Theory, Computational Modeling, and Simulation

• Using advanced theoretical models and computational tools to generate a fundamental understanding of how the different materials and components in a battery function to inform the design of future research.
• Using density functional theory to better understand the conversion of energy to fuels to develop new reactions and new low-carbon fuel alternatives.