Grant: Industrial Research Chairs for Colleges Grants

Soaring energy costs, emergence of new technologies, and an ever-increasing awareness of harmful emissions*from burning of fossil fuels for electricity generation have necessitated an urgent need for more abundant and*less polluting sources of energy. Renewable energy technologies offer alternatives to conventional*technologies; however, their intermittent nature has limited their widespread penetration into the electricity*market. Electrochemical energy storage devices such as rechargeable batteries and ultra-capacitors have been*identified as critical enabling technologies for advanced, reliable and cost-effective energy storage.*Nano-engineered materials and coatings have attracted the attention of industrial and scientific communities*because of their unique physical, chemical and catalytic properties and their impact has nowhere been more*pronounced than in the field of energy conversion and storage. The proposed continuation of the Industrial*Research Chair for Colleges (IRCC) program at Lambton College in 'Advanced Nano-Engineered Material*Development for Conversion, Storage and Integration of Renewable Energy' will continue and expand the*applied research program on development of advanced, affordable materials for the energy sector as well as*conducting business-oriented research in energy system design, optimization and integration.*Currently, there are six (6) confirmed local and regional SME partners committed to collaborate on multiple*industry-driven research projects and is anticipated to grow the program by initiating new partnerships and by*expanding the collaborative work with the current partners in the course of the IRCC program. The proposed*program will create a conducive teaching environment to train highly qualified personnel, at least paid and*unpaid fifty students, and five recent graduates in the next five years.*The IRCC program and its project outcomes can have significant positive impacts on local economy and the*environment through skilled job creation, development of high-value commodities in the form of new products*and processes, and substantial reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other harmful pollutants.