The US Department of Energy (DOE) has opened $3.5 billion in funding which includes all battery chemistries, from lead to sodium-ion and redox flow batteries.
Battery Council International (BCI) said the decision to support all battery types is necessary to provide the US with the full breadth of energy storage options.
It said: “Policymakers must continue to support an equitable, balanced approach to energy storage that makes the most of our proven domestic battery industries. By doing so, we can secure American energy independence, create good jobs, and build a sustainable future powered by the full range of incredible homegrown innovations.”
Among the companies on the partner list of Clean Energy Infrastructure is a multitude of solutions, from the small women-owned Sun Company Americas, which is developing a unique cylindrical cell-based on redox flow technology to the large, listed company ultralife Co, a specialist in lithium cell development.
Other companies funded by the initiative work with everything from battery safety to nanoscale recovery of battery waste. One of the major partners is the Oak Ridge Laboratory, a federally funded research and development centre.
The laboratory works with energy storage solutions including design of battery manufacturing facilities (BMF). The BMF houses the equipment and instrumentation necessary to research every step in the battery manufacturing process with an emphasis on advanced materials, electrolyte development, electrode formulation chemistry, rheology of slurries, innovative coating technology, and high-performance electrode architectures.
BCI also said it has been working hard to help policymakers understand the many innovative and effective options supporting a more sustainable global economy.
