Energy Storage

Thursday 25 May 2023 - How can SMRs open new use-cases for nuclear energy, decarbonizing problem industries in the process? Where in the world are SMRs developing today and where would they be expected to see greatest success? Are evolutionary vs. revolutionary approaches to reactor design more likely to see success in the global SMR fleet? What are the major roadblocks to deployment of SMRs and how could these be overcome? What players are working on SMRs and who is closest to delivering outside of Russia and China?

Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) come in different forms, including thermal pads, thermal grease, gap fillers, thermal paste, and thermal gels. Thermal gel and thermal paste, two of the most commonly used forms, have gained significant momentum over the past several years, especially in the EV, data center, and 5G industries.

Fuel cells could play an important role in the future of power generation, enabling the transition from traditional hydrocarbon fuels to low or zero-emission fuels. The fuel flexibility of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) offers a competitive advantage over the currently dominant proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), which is limited to operating on hydrogen.

The Li-ion EV battery circular economy comprises multiple important steps, requiring decisions from key stakeholders at any one part. Second-life EV batteries can be useful after their first life in an EV.

Thursday 18 May 2023 - The following aspects will be addressed: Materials for sodium-ion cell design; Sodium-ion battery value proposition; Opportunities and challenges in the sodium-ion battery market; Sodium-ion battery players and commercialisation efforts; Will sodium-ion batteries replace lithium?

Small modular reactors (SMRs) promise cheaper nuclear energy, supplying zero-carbon grid baseload and enabling new use cases for nuclear reactors. By shrinking the size of nuclear reactors compared to conventional large nuclear reactors, much of the construction is transferred to factory assembly lines, cutting capital costs and making nuclear power cost-competitive with renewables in many applications.

Among the existing energy storage technologies, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have unmatched energy density and versatility. Since their first commercialization, the growth in LIBs has been driven by portable devices. In recent years, however, large-scale electric vehicles and stationary applications have emerged

Materials informatics is the application of data-driven methods, including machine learning techniques, to the field of materials science. This important part of the digital transformation toolbox for the materials industry has wide-ranging benefits, but the ability to enhance the sustainability of materials and their manufacturing processes could be the most impactful of these.

Conrad Nicols discusses the latest developments in Second Life Electric Vehicle Batteries. Visit www.IDTechEx.com/SecondLife for more information.

Blue hydrogen production is gaining traction, with announcements of large-scale projects, funding, and government support worldwide. According to IDTechEx's analysis, the blue hydrogen market will be worth US$34 billion by 2033. But which technology will drive most of this capacity and market growth?