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Expanded graphite as a superior anode for sodium-ion batteries

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Researchers at the University of Maryland, with colleagues at the University of Illinois at Chicago, report on a new method for expanding graphite for use as a superior anode for sodium-ion batteries in a paper in Nature Communications. Sodium (Na) is an earth-abundant and inexpensive element, and shares many properties with lithium.

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U-M leads new DOE-funded research center for ceramic ion conductors; MUSIC

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Critical barriers remain before widespread commercialization can be realized—many of which center around the unique mechanical properties that emerge at solid-solid interfaces in electrochemical cells. Those include long-duration energy storage and hydrogen fuel cells.

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DOE Awarding $620M for Smart Grid Demonstration and Energy Storage Projects

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Center for the Commercialization of Electric Technologies (TX). This effort will build on Austin Energy’s existing Smart Grid programs by creating a microgrid that will initially link 1,000 residential smart meters, 75 commercial meters, and plug-in electric vehicle charging sites. Beacon Power 20MW Flywheel Frequency Regulation Plant.

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Can Flow Batteries Finally Beat Lithium?

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Nanofluids suspended in water-based electrolytes were first investigated for this application in 2009 by researchers at Argonne National Laboratory and the Illinois Institute of Technology. The prototype’s success encouraged several of the principal investigators to spin off a company, called Influit Energy , to commercialize the technology.

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ARPA-E awards $55M to 18 projects in two new programs: TERRA for transportation energy and GENSETS for distributed generation

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will advance improved commercial seed cultivars. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mobile Energy-Crop Phenotyping Platform (MEPP) The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), with its partners Cornell University and Signetron Inc., Finally, Chromatin Inc. Purdue University. GENSETS Solid State Devices Awards.

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ARPA-E Awards $151M to 37 Projects for Transformative Energy Research

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Eagle Picher, in partnership with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will develop a new generation of high energy, low cost planar liquid sodium beta batteries for grid scale electrical power storage applications. Scaling and Commercialization of Algae Harvesting Technologies. DOE grant: $7,200,000). DOE grant: $9,000,000).

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