Electrochemical Energy Storage: A Key for Future Energy Systems

5 May 2015, 09:00 → 6 May 2015, 17:35 Europe/Zurich

WHGA/001 (PSI, Villigen West)

 

The large volume of electricity production capacities from fluctuating sources wind and solar installed in the recent years is the first step towards a CO₂ and nuclear waste free energy future. Nevertheless, to transfrom this vision into reality, a second step, the large scale energy storage has to be taken.



In light of this context, the SCCER Storage and the Electrochemistry Laboratory at PSI invites you to two Symposia back to back.
 

  The SCCER Heat and Electricity Storage
2^nd Symposium
and
The 31^st PSI Electrochemistry Symposium
Electrochemical Energy Storage:
A Key for Future Energy Systems
 

The first day covers the range of energy storage in general, presented by experts from academia and industry with sessions on:
- Battery technology.
- Heat storage.
- Hydrogen production and storage.
- Catalytical and electrocatalytical CO₂ reduction - Storage System Interaction.
Information on the past event (2014) can be found here.

The second day is dedicated to the energy storage solutions electrochemistry can offer. Besides of traditional ways of energy storage in pumped hydropower, electrochemistry offers the possibility to store energy not only in various types of batteries, but also in low molecular substances like methane, formaldehyde or others. The field of co-electrolysis  (the electrochemical synthesis of e.g. methane from water and carbondioxide) has a high potential to become a solution for the energy storage problem, and also helps to become less dependent from fossil feedstocks for organic synthesis by reducing the CO₂ in (from) the atmosphere. Five experts in the fields of battery research, hydrogen electrochemistry and co-electrolysis will share and discuss their results with you.
Information on the past event (2014) can be found here.

We hope you find the program attractive and are looking forward to welcoming you on May 5 and/or on May 6, 2015, at the Paul Scherrer Institut for discussions, sharing viewpoints or simply updating your state of knowledge.
 

Electrochemistry Laboratory, Paul Scherrer Institut and the SCCER Heat and Electricity Storage
 

For enquiries, please contact us via email at electrochem@psi.ch

Programme Programme.pdf

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Tuesday 5 May

09:00 → 09:45 Registration and Coffee

09:45 → 10:15 Energy Storage: International Outlook UK

09:45 An Overview of the UK Energy Storage Research Network and Supergen Energy Storage Hub

Speaker: Prof. Nigel Brandon (Imperial College, UK)

10:15 → 11:15 Battery Reseach: Battery Research

Academic and industrial research highlights

10:15 A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study of Sodiation and Desodiation Reactions of Tin and Tin Alloys: Interface and Bulk Processes

Speaker: Dr Claire Villevieille (Paul Scherrer Institute)

10:45 Li-ion Batteries for use in Public Transportation Infrastructure

Speaker: Dr Timothy Patey (ABB Schweiz AG)

11:15 → 11:45 Coffee Break

11:45 → 12:45 Heat Storage

Academic and industrial research highlights

11:45 Modelling and Simulation of High-Temperature TES Systems

Speaker: Dr Maurizio Barbato (SUPSI)

12:15 Adiabatic CAES: The ADELE-ING project

Speaker: Dr Stefan Zunft (DLR, D)

12:45 → 14:15 Meet and Eat: Poster Session

14:15 → 15:45 Chemical Energy Storage

Academic and industrial research highlights

14:15 Catalysts for Water Splitting using Renewable Energy

Speaker: Prof. Kevin Sivula (EPFL)

14:45 (Electro) reduction of CO2: From Fundamentals Towards Applications

Speaker: Dr Peter Broekmann (Uni Berne, CH)

15:15 sunfire Power-to-Liquids: Fuels and Chemicals from CO2, Water and Renewable Energy

Speaker: Mr Christian von Olshausen (Sunfire, D)

15:45 → 16:15 Coffee Break

16:15 → 17:15 Interaction of Storage Technology

Research highlights

16:15 Development and First Application of an Assessment Method for Energy Storage

Speakers: Dr Christian Bauer (PSI, CH), Dr David Parra (Uni Genf, CH)

16:45 The Energy Systems Integration Platform at PSI

Speaker: Dr Peter Jansohn (Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), General Energy, Combustion Research Laboratory)

17:15 → 17:30 Wrap-up

Wednesday 6 May

09:00 → 09:30 Registration and Coffee

09:30 → 09:45 Welcome and Introduction

09:30 Welcome and Introduction

Speaker: Thomas J. Schmidt (Paul Scherrer Institut)

09:45 → 11:45 Electrochemical Energy Storage

09:45 Sunlight-Driven Hydrogen Formation by Membrane Supported Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

We are developing an artificial photosynthetic system that will utilize sunlight and water as inputs and will produce hydrogen and oxygen as outputs using a modular, parallel development approach in which the three distinct primary components-the photoanode, the photocathode, and the product-separating but ion-conducting membrane-are fabricated and optimized separately before assembly into a water-splitting system. The design principles incorporate two separate, photosensitive semiconductor/liquid junctions that will collectively generate the 1.7-1.9 V at open circuit to support both the oxidation of H2O (or OH-) and the reduction of H+ (or H2O). The photoanode and photocathode will consist of rod-like semiconductor components, with attached heterogeneous multi-electron transfer catalysts, needed to drive the oxidation or reduction reactions at low overpotentials. The high aspect-ratio semiconductor rod electrode architecture allows for the use of low cost, earth abundant materials without sacrificing energy conversion efficiency due to orthogonalization of light absorption and charge-carrier collection. Additionally, the high surface-area design of the rod-based semiconductor array electrode inherently lowers the flux of charge carriers over the rod array surface relative to the projected geometric surface of the photoelectrode, lowering the photocurrent density at the solid/liquid junction and thereby relaxing demands on the activity (and cost) of any electrocatalysts. Flexible composite polymer film will allow for electron and ion conduction between the photoanode and photocathode while simultaneously preventing mixing of the gaseous products. Separate polymeric materials will be used to make electrical contact between the anode and cathode and also provide structural support. Interspersed patches of an ion conducting polymer will maintain charge balance between the two half-cells. The modularity design approach allows each piece to be independently modified, tested, and improved, as future advances in semiconductor, polymeric, and catalytic materials are made. This work will demonstrate a feasible and functional prototype and blueprint for an artificial photosynthetic system, composed of inexpensive, earth-abundant materials while simultaneously efficient, durable, manufacturably scalable, and readily upgradeable.

Speaker: Prof. Nate Lewis (California Institute of Technology)

10:45 Electrolyte-less Design of PEC Cells for Solar Fuels

Speaker: Prof. Gabriele Centi (University of Messina)

11:45 → 13:00 Meet and Eat

13:00 → 14:00 Electrochemical Energy Storage

13:00 The Potential of Hydrogen for Future Energy Systems

Speaker: Prof. Detlef Stolten (Research Center Jülich)

14:00 → 16:00 Batteries

14:00 Electrolytes as Key to New Battery Technologies

Speaker: Prof. Martin Winter (University of Münster)

15:00 Recent Advances on Li-batteries and Beyond

Speaker: Prof. Jean-Marie Tarascon (Collége de France)

16:00 → 16:20 Farewell Coffee