Energy Generation & Storage

Focus area of Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy Systems (EIRES)

Energy Generation & Storage - EGS

Materials and interfaces for energy generation, conversion and storage, such as batteries, fuel cells, fusion reactors, metal fuels, and photovoltaics.

The focus area Energy Conversion & Storage focuses on materials, interfaces and components that play a crucial role in the generation and storage of energy. Typical applications under investigation are photovoltaics for solar power, fusion reactors, electrolyzers, fuel cells, heat storage systems, batteries and heat pumps. Together with industrial partners, the focus area aims to set up an open dialogue to identify the challenges at energy device and material level and contribute to solving them.

Both the storage and harvesting of renewable energy involve conversion processes. For example, photovoltaics enables the conversion of sunlight, where photons carry the energy, into electricity, where electrons act as energy carrier. Similarly, lithium-ion batteries reversibly convert electricity into chemical bonds. In thermal chemical energy storage heat is stored by breaking chemical bonds. The focus area Energy Conversion & Storage is dedicated to the fundamental understanding of these conversion and storage processes, and the improvement of the yield and selectivity of these processes by specifically tackling challenges at the material and interface level.

EGS for science, society and industry

The focus area EGS works on fundamental material science with relevance for society and industry.

Scientific focus
The scientific goal of this focus area is to explore new (combinations of) materials and their manufacturing processes, and to develop components to optimize the performance of energy harvesting, conversion and storage devices and systems. In the field of photovoltaics (PV) research, we combine experimental efforts and atomistic/multiscale computational work to design and engineer highly efficient metal halide perovskite solar cells, with control over the electrical and optical properties of the sunlight absorber and the selective charge transport layers.

For flow batteries, the research focuses on the design and engineering of porous electrodes where their reactive surface area, mass transfer rates and hydraulic resistance are essential in determining the performance of the device.

For next-generation high-energy density lithium-ion batteries, next to recyclability challenges, the key material and interface challenges encompass reduction in the use of critical materials in high-voltage cathodes, and the development of solid electrolytes for safe battery operation and of high-capacity anodes.

In thermal energy storage, we design and engineer thermochemical materials (TCMs), phase change materials (PCMs) and components for heat batteries. TCMs adopt reversible binding of gas molecules with a solid (i.e. hydration transitions of salts, gas adsorption by zeolites and MOFs, etc.). PCMs utilize melting transitions and can be either inorganic (i.e. hydrated salt mixtures) or organic materials (i.e. wax, fatty acids, sugar alcohols). We address key questions such as optimizing reaction kinetics for faster charging and discharging, identifying the most efficient storage materials, understanding the impact of material degradation on long-term performance, exploring innovations in reactor design to enhance energy density, and integrating all these advancements into industrial processes. Furthermore, hydrogen storage in porous media is studied.

For fusion reactors, we are looking for materials that can withstand intense thermal stress and radiation, and at the same time avoid quick degradation.

Societal relevance
To improve the conversion efficiency and storage capacity of current and future energy systems, understanding and control over material properties from the nanoscale to the macroscale is essential. This allows for the tuning of material properties to the user requirements. What鈥檚 more, to make sure our future energy system is sustainable for the long term, we need to drastically reduce the use of critical and costly materials, without compromising the operation of the energy devices. For example, the reduction in critical and costly materials is a highly relevant research direction for H₂O splitting and CO₂ reduction processes driven by renewable electricity.

Fusion reactors drive the quest for suitable containment materials, like advanced superconducting magnets to confine hot plasma. Additionally, the development and procurement of tritium, a vital fuel for fusion reactions, poses both scarcity and handling challenges due to its radioactive nature.

Opportunities for industry
For new materials and coatings to be successfully applied, involvement of the manufacturing industry is key.
EIRES researchers are involved in a myriad of public-private programs and initiatives where industry helps identify the most promising routes:

BEHeaT: Within the EIRES BEHeaT (Built Environment Heat Transition) program, research is conducted into the development of various materials, components and/or systems in relation to intelligent buildings, heat storage, heat networks and/or electricity grids.

Future Chemistry: An EIRES-funded collaboration among the CEC, APSE, ME and EE departments to tackle the challenges for sustainable H₂ production, electro-synthesis of high-value chemicals, metal fuels and system integration.

BatteryNL: A 8 year-program granted by NWA ORC, focusing on the material and interface challenges in next-generation lithium-ion batteries. It is a collaborative effort connecting 果冻传媒, TUD, UU, UT, UvA and RUG, universities of professional education, companies and stakeholders.

Battery Competence Cluster: An innovation program for companies, knowledge institutions and organizations that want to work together to acquire knowledge and develop skills in the field of battery technology.

National Growth Fund Material independence and circular batteries: A collaborative project connecting research and industry to develop and scale-up sustainable and circular battery materials/components/equipment.

National Growth Fund SolarNL: A collaborative project involving all solar PV-researchers and stake-holders in the Netherlands and focusing on the development and industrialization of innovative solar PV technologies.

National Growth Fund HyPRO: a collaborative towards flexible, durable, and high-performance Hydrogen Production Technology.

Principal Scientists

department of Applied Physics

Adriana Creatore

department of Mechanical Engineering

Silvia Gaastra-Nedea

department of Applied Physics

Henk Huinink

Related Research Groups

We acknowledge the 果冻传媒 research groups which are already involved with EIRES, either through the 果冻传媒 Sector Plan positions and PhD projects. We welcome all research groups interested in collaborating and contributing to the research focus of EIRES.

Department of Applied Physics

Sustainable process engineering

Transport in Permeable Media

Molecular Materials and Nanosystems

Michel Speetjens

Associate Professor

Ang猫le Reinders

Contact

EIRES | Focus Area: Energy Generation & Storage (EGS)

Adriana Creatore - m.creatore@tue.nl
Silvia Gaastra-Nedea - s.v.nedea@tue.nl
Henk Huinink - h.p.huinink@tue.nl
EIRES office - eires@tue.nl

果冻传媒