Grant: Industrial Research Chairs for Colleges Grants

As modern societies continue to advance, become more populous and adopt a variety of new technologies, the need for advanced and novel materials has been widely recognized. This need for novel materials is nowhere greater and more urgent than in the electric power sector to enable cost-effective, reliable and long-term energy generation and storage technologies which are essential for keeping pace with the ever-growing need for electricity in Canada and elsewhere. Renewable energy generation technologies such as wind and solar offer alternatives to conventional technologies; however, their intermittent natures and their relative high cost have hindered their widespread penetration into the electric power sector. Viable and affordable energy storage technologies have great potential to aid in the modernization of electric power grid, to facilitate inclusion and growth of renewable energy technologies, and to offer an alternative to fossil-based fuels in the transportation sector. The proposed Industrial Research Chair for Colleges (IRCC) for Lambton College, Dr. Shahram Karimi, will work with local and regional industrial partners offering his extensive expertise in novel material development for energy generation and storage using nano-engineering and other advanced techniques, system design, optimization and integration, and failure analysis. Confirmed collaborating companies include Volta Energy Inc., ProTerra Inc., and BioGen Solutions Inc. Other partnerships are currently under negotiation. It is anticipated to build a strong and robust applied research and development program at LC. Significant contributions to local and regional energy realted companies will be achieved through direct collaboration and knowledge transfer and the preparation of the next generation of highly qualified personnel (HQP).