Grant: Industrial Research Chairs for Colleges Grants

Soaring energy costs, emergence of new technologies, and an ever-increasing awareness of harmful emissionsfrom burning of fossil fuels for electricity generation have necessitated an urgent need for more abundant andless polluting sources of energy. Renewable energy technologies offer alternatives to conventionaltechnologies; however, their intermittent nature has limited their widespread penetration into the electricitymarket. Electrochemical energy storage devices such as rechargeable batteries and ultra-capacitors have beenidentified 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 communitiesbecause of their unique physical, chemical and catalytic properties and their impact has nowhere been morepronounced than in the field of energy conversion and storage. The proposed continuation of the IndustrialResearch Chair for Colleges (IRCC) program at Lambton College in 'Advanced Nano-Engineered MaterialDevelopment for Conversion, Storage and Integration of Renewable Energy' will continue and expand theapplied research program on development of advanced, affordable materials for the energy sector as well asconducting 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 multipleindustry-driven research projects and is anticipated to grow the program by initiating new partnerships and byexpanding the collaborative work with the current partners in the course of the IRCC program. The proposedprogram will create a conducive teaching environment to train highly qualified personnel, at least paid andunpaid 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 theenvironment through skilled job creation, development of high-value commodities in the form of new productsand processes, and substantial reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other harmful pollutants.