This program aims to develop Australian battery fabrication capabilities, enhance battery testing facilities and develop new battery energy storage systems.
It completes the value chain including battery manufacture, deployment and optimising use of energy storage systems in the economy.
Battery management system technologies will be developed for a diverse range of deployment environments that have demanding safety, reliability, security and quality requirements.
The five research themes are:
- Cell manufacturing and testing capability;
- Battery energy storage systems manufacturing and testing capability;
- Battery development for deployment-specific applications;
- Smart battery management systems; and
- Battery safety and security.
Program Impacts
The investment in the manufacturing, testing and deployment program will produce the following key outputs:
- Extended and enhanced pilot cell and battery manufacturing and testing plants equipped to take in an extended range of raw materials, cells and battery systems;
- Validated and tested designs of new battery and materials chemistries for new components. Battery hybrids, making use of the strengths of different cell types;
- Prototype smart battery management systems adapted to optimise battery performance, longevity and safety in various demanding operating environments as found in grids, defence, agriculture and mining equipment and vehicles;
- Risk models and guidelines based on battery risk types, failure event impacts, failure likelihood based on cell chemistry, battery quality, battery management systems and deployment environments; and
- Modelling and practical integration of Battery Energy Storage Systems in microgrid and consumer grid networks.
Projects
Establishment of the National Battery Testing Centre
To support Australia’s developing battery energy storage industry it is essential to have resources to test batteries both upstream from the battery cell, providing feedback on resource development, and downstream, to test module and pack performance, and the development of safety standards.
Project Lead: Dr Joshua Watts
Super Anode
Developing Australian capability across the anode material value to chain to produce high power anodes.
Project Lead: Prof Amanda Ellis, University of Melbourne
Electrochemical Testing of Li-ion Battery Materials in Standard Cell Formats
Establishment of fabrication and electrochemical testing facility for lithium-ion battery materials.
Project Lead: A/Prof Maggie Gulbinska
Key Techno-Economic Solutions to Drive Mass-Uptake of Australian Manufactured Battery Systems
Facilitating cost reduction throughout the battery energy management value chain for Australian battery manufacturers.
Project Lead: Tyrone Fernando, UWA
Future Electrolyte Systems
New electrolyte systems to improve Li-ion device performance in niche applications.
Project Lead: Prof Maria Forsyth, Deakin University
Battery Supported Mine Electrification
A holistic systems approach to mine electrification with batteries deployed in stationary and mobile applications. This project is under development and open for expressions of interest from companies, state governments and FBICRC research participants. A series of workshops held in early June in collaboration with VCI key inputs for research prioritisation and a publicly available report State of Play: Electrification.