“Sustainable and Innovative Materials for Batteries”
SIM has set up a new program on sustainability for batteries. Battery research has been given a top spot on the research agenda in Europe as many platforms, roadmaps, partnerships, and action plans illustrate. Why? More frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought, more intense tropical storms … It probably needs no further explanation. The growing awareness of global warming grows stronger each day and the need for sustainable energy solutions goes along with it. For good reason, the Flemish government declared sustainable energy already in 2016 as one of its seven transition priorities. The European Commission also dedicated important funding for this research. SIM is not lagging behind. As climate change is no longer a far-off phenomenon, we need to act now. That is exactly what the SIM SIMBA Program intends to do: increase the impact in terms of energy transition and climate goals.
Solar- and wind energy are abundant, but their availability is variable. As such, to realize a significant reduction in the use of fossil fuels a clean and cheap means of energy storage is required to bridge the periods during which the energy needs exceed the availability of wind- and solar energy. Batteries are one of the promising solutions, but the existing battery-technologies still face several hurdles, such as limited cycle life, insufficient energy density, safety, availability of the required raw materials and above all the price.
The Flemish SIM program “SIMBA – Sustainable and Innovative Materials for Batteries” is defined in line with the European R&I strategy for Energy Storage. The program focuses on the local cross-sectoral competences in materials development, electrochemistry, characterization, modelling, and sustainability assessments. The scope encompasses the full value chain, from “raw materials” up to “end-of-life”. The ambition of the SIMBA program is to bundle this knowhow and effort to create a local battery ecosystem, which enables value creation and jobs in Flanders by the time generation 4 batteries (all solid-state, ASSB) break through. The strategy of the SIM battery program is to build on the knowledge developed in 2 cSBOs LifeSBat and FUGELS.
Would you like to learn more about this valuable program and its projects? Read more on the program page!