Technology and R&D

BMW Group said it is targeting the premium segment with its iX5 Hydrogen car, Topsoe revealed that it will invest US$267 million (AU$392m) to build the world’s largest SOEC electrolyzer plant in Denmark, and Bosch announced plans to invest US$200 million (AU$292m) in US fuel cell production.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has commissioned a first-of-its-kind pilot plant pumped heat energy storage demonstration facility with tech from US startup Malta. Its 10-150+ hour energy storage technology is said to be applicable in a range of grid-scale applications.

Australian solar technology company SunDrive continues to impress with its copper-based solar cell technology, achieving 26.41% efficiency for a full-size silicon cell using mass-production compatible heterojunction technology.

Integrated clean home energy and smart appliances platform lets users run appliances on battery-stored solar energy in pre-determined time frames.

Dutch startup Elestor has secured funds to bring its hydrogen bromide (HBr) flow battery technology closer to commercial production. It said the system could achieve a levelised cost of storage below US$0.05/kW.

Quick and versatile, batteries are providing a growing number of services to homes, businesses, and on the grid. Electricity network operators are beginning to adopt grid-scale batteries, with the initial applications potentially opening the way for renewable energy to flow more freely and across larger distances than ever before.

West Australian company Technology Metals Australia, or TMT, will work with the government-backed Future Battery Industries agency to develop enhanced electrolytes for vanadium redox flow batteries. TMT will provide both the feedstock for the research as well as funding and hopes to eventually leverage the project’s findings.

Australia’s first lithium-ion battery giga-factory is expected to begin operations soon with battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance announcing the successful completion of a $1.47 million pilot program designed to develop and test its manufacturing processes, systems and plant design.

Clean energy start-up H2X Global has notched a major milestone with the first of its hydrogen-powered generators – built to replace traditional fossil-fuel fired gensets and provide green electricity for emergency supply and off-grid operations – released to the Australian market.

West Australian company Altech Chemicals has expanded its research and development laboratories to test how its “breakthrough” alumina-coated silicon for lithium-ion battery anodes performs for higher powered applications.