Geelong-based battery technology company Li-S Energy has been awarded $7.86 million in Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) funding to progress its planned lithium-sulfur battery cell manufacturing facility. According to a statement from ARENA on Tuesday, the grant will support plans to scale up production to 1 gigawatt hour per year of battery cell capacity, a…
Battery technology company Relectrify, which aims to provide “the operating system for the world’s best battery energy storage systems” (BESS), has been awarded $25 million through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to accelerate its AC1 BESS product. According to a statement from ARENA on Wednesday, the funding supports a project which will “deploy up…
EV Fire Protection, a Brisbane-based company developing fire suppression products for electric vehicle parking bays, has announced the independent verification of “effectiveness, safety, and compliance with international standards” for its EV FirePro system. According to a statement from the company this week, it used Applus+ Laboratories in Spain for the tests due to an absence…
Industry lobby group the Advanced Materials and Battery Council (AMBC) has rejigged its leadership team, with former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) appointed its new chair. In a statement Monday, the AMBC said the former premier brings “proven executive leadership in policy delivery and large-scale industrial development” to the role. Outgoing AMBC Chair Craig Nicol…
New electrolyte research led by the University of Adelaide could improve the usefulness of rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries (AZB.) According to a statement from the university on Monday, AZBs could be an attractive alternative to lithium ion chemistries because of their non-flammability and the abundance of zinc as a resource, but are held back by…
By Niusha Shafiabady, Australian Catholic University and Xiaoying Qi, Australian Catholic University For more than a century, global geopolitics has revolved around oil and gas. Countries with big fossil fuel reserves, such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, have amassed significant wealth and foreign influence, helping shape the world order. But the global shift toward renewable…
Researchers have developed a new catalyst that Monash University says could bring zinc-air batteries “closer to real-world, grid-scale and transport uses”. According to a statement from the university on Monday, the catalyst is able to make the batteries oxygen reactions “much faster and more efficient”, and “[offer] more power, longer life and lower costs.” The…
Applications opened on Tuesday for the federal Battery Breakthrough Initiative, announced in the 2024 budget, offering $500 million in support through “capital grants, production incentives or other payments” and administered by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA.) According to a statement from industry minister Tim Ayres (pictured) on Tuesday, the initiative aims to see more…
Bin Lu, Australian National University and Marnie Shaw, Australian National University As the electrification of transport and heating accelerates, many worry the increased demand could overload national power grids. In Australia, electricity consumption is expected to double by 2050. If everyone charges their car and heats water using electric systems at the same time, peak…
Battery recycling company Iondrive has announced a new project with the CSIRO to convert waste graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries into anode-grade material, extending the usefulness and revenue-generating potential of the company’s proprietary Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) platform. According to a statement from the company on Tuesday, the project kicked off on July 1 and…