Battery Lab launch: advancing research in lithium-ion & sustainable, next gen batteries

A new world-class facility located at The Australian National University is set to research lithium-ion batteries, optimising their enabling materials, providing characterisation, and testing and assessing recycling and reuse options. The facility will also investigate other sustainable batteries.

The Battery Materials and Energy Storage Laboratory (the Battery Lab) will be officially unveiled via an online event at 12 – 1pm, Tuesday, 16 February 2021. Never before has the role of battery storage in the global energy transition been so pronounced. This event will showcase the new lab and highlight the important role it will play for both industry partners and the research community.

Lithium-ion batteries are becoming a dominant storage technology in a whole spectrum of applications, ranging from the next generation grid to electric bikes and drones. According to predictions by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the lithium-ion battery market will be worth USD $116 billion annually by 2030. Considerable research and development efforts are concentrated on testing various types of lithium-ion batteries and recycling battery cells or reusing them for their “second life”. The Battery Lab will engage in working in these important areas as well as in providing insightful characterisation of battery materials and cells.

It is not clear however, if the dramatic expansion in the use of batteries can be sustained by lithium-ion battery technology alone. A feasible strategy is to complement the use of lithium-ion batteries with alternative battery storage solutions that utilise more sustainable materials and chemical elements. The Battery Lab, part of the Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program at ANU, is also tasked with researching post-lithium storage technologies.

What: The Battery Materials and Energy Storage Laboratory official launch event
When: 12 – 1pm, Tuesday 16 February
Where: Online via Zoom

Program of events

- Welcome by Professor Lachlan Blackhall, Head, Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, ANU.
- Official opening by Professor Keith Nugent, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), ANU.
- The Battery Materials and Energy Storage Laboratory – vision & purpose, by Associate Professor Alexey Glushenkov, Research Leader, Materials and New Technologies for Battery Storage, Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, ANU.
- Industry panel discussion and Q&A with:
Leeanne Bond, Non Executive Director, Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Alexey Glushenkov, Research Leader, Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, ANU
Bruce Godfrey, Principal and Director, Wyld Group Pty Ltd
Colin Jackson, Associate Director (Research), Research School of Chemistry, ANU

Located in the Research School of Chemistry at ANU, the Battery Materials and Energy Storage Laboratory is collaborating with national and international partners to conduct a range of research including lithium-ion, sodium-ion and potassium-ion batteries, hybrid capacitors and supercapacitors. The Battery Lab supports the characterisation, development and performance testing of battery materials, electrolytes and devices.