Grant: Applied Research Tools and Instruments Grants

Economically-viable, socially-acceptable, and environmentally-friendly energy conversion and storage technologies are essential for keeping pace with the ever-growing need for energy in Canada and elsewhere. Electrochemical power sources, including rechargeable batteries, ultra-capacitors, and fuel cells, have been identified as critical enabling technologies for advanced, reliable energy conversion and storage applications.Renewable energy system characterization, optimization, and integration are at the center of our research efforts and activities and, as such, we employ a wide array of analytical, laboratory and field tests and techniques to systematically and objectively evaluate the performance of clean energy systems. It is through these efforts that we try to understand the behavior of such systems under different, demanding operating conditions to further improve their performance, durability and economic feasibility in diverse energy fields. This proposal and the requested laboratory equipment aim at enhancing Lambton College's Clean Energy Research capacity and capability to meet the needs of local and regional SMEs by initiating and conducting highly collaborative, industry-driven applied research projects. The equipment to be purchased include an electrochemical energy test station and a dynamic vapour sorption analyzer to conduct applied research on a wide range of energy systems and components used in different clean energy conversion and storage applications such as rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, and thermal storage materials.The requested equipment will be initially utilized by eight (8) local and regional companies to assist them with their product and process development and commercialization activities through existing and new collaborative applied research projects.