Energy Storage

Expertise in battery management systems including the ability to monitor temperature, state-of-charge, and maintain the system within safe operating limits to improve battery life.

Design and development of novel semiconducting materials systems for efficient, direct conversion of solar energy to hydrogen allows solar energy to be stored and transported in the form of a chemical fuel, so that it can be used on-demand.

Extensive expertise in development of new solar thermal and thermal energy storage technologies with testing capabilities to understand the performance of existing technologies, with an emphasis on real-world experimentation ‘on-sun’, where appropriate.

Specialists in permanent magnet (PM) type electric machines and drive systems. Strong capabilities in designing and optimising high-speed PM machine geometries and developing advanced control techniques to further improve performance for emerging applications such as flywheel storage.

Small-scale energy storage plays a critical role in managing mismatch between loads and renewable energy supply. In recent years, micro compressed air energy storage (CAES) systems have gained significant attention, as they can potentially overcome these issues and provide hybrid electric-thermal storage for buildings and plants that require significant amounts of heating and cooling in addition to electricity.

Hydrogen is regarded as the fuel of the future because it possesses the highest mass-energy density of any fuel. Hydrogen production from electrochemical water electrolysis is considered as the simplest and cleanest approach to producing highly pure H2.

Hydrogen is a clean energy vector that can enable zero emission and a decarbonised economy. Development of suitable technology to enable the general public to produce and utilise hydrogen safely has the potential to revolutionise the way energy is generated and used.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells consume hydrogen and air to produce electricity and water, and are a cornerstone technology for a greener and more sustainable future. The key issue in achieving wide-scale commercialisation is the reduction of cost.

The production of renewable hydrogen from preconditioned biomass is an important source of energy and a key component of Australia’s future energy offerings for the generation and exporting of hydrogen. It is economically viable and environmentally friendly, with zero carbon dioxide emissions.

Lightweight storage vessels are important for the transportation and storage of hydrogen in vehicles such as spacecraft, satellites, cars and marine ships. Existing carbon-fibre reinforced composites suffer matrix cracking that leads to leakage and lower strength. Techniques to eliminate matrix cracking by nano-scale engineering of polymer matrixes are being developed.

Hydrogen is a clean energy vector that can enable storage of any form of energy including renewable with high density. Development of suitable models to enable the design of effective solid-state hydrogen storage tanks will enable the transition to a new economy based on the use of hydrogen.

Hydrogen is a clean energy vector that can enable storage of any form of energy including renewable with high density. Development of suitable technology to store hydrogen safely and with high efficiency will enable the transition to a new economy based on the use of hydrogen.

Hydrogen is a clean energy vector that can enable zero emission and a decarbonised economy. Development of suitable technology to utilise hydrogen safely and with high efficiency will enable the transition this a new economy based on the use of hydrogen.

Batteries of the future will need to supply more energy. To make this happen, new materials and new concepts are required for alternative battery chemistries, such as lithium-sulfur and potassium-ion.

Recent advances in lithium-ion battery technology have seen them used in applications ranging from portable electronic devices to electric vehicles. In the future, developing energy storage applications for renewable resources will become increasingly important.

MXenes are a newly discovered class of two-dimensional transition metal carbides, nitrides and carbonnitrides. They are emerging materials for electrochemical storage and possible use in lithium-ion batteries for applications such as cell phones and electric vehicles. However, their practical applications are currently limited by challenges with manufacturing, and fire and explosion safety.

Sodium-ion batteries are a potential candidate that can either supplement or replace lithium-ion batteries for specialised applications such as renewable energy storage. Making sodium-ion batteries commercially viable requires developing components for these batteries and understanding their structure-property relationships.

Battery safety is a key challenge, as is the practical implementation of batteries over a wide range of temperatures without additional heating or cooling. Solid state batteries present a solution to these challenges, providing inherently safe batteries that are stable over applicable temperature ranges.