NC State Joins National Energy Innovation Hub, Boosting Battery Research

RALEIGH, NC—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $62.5 million grant supporting a new energy research hub involving 15 research institutions, including North Carolina State University, to advance sustainable and economical electrochemical energy storage for electric grids.

The Aqueous Battery Consortium, led by Stanford University and the DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, aims to revolutionize battery technology by making a major component—the electrolyte—primarily from water. Researchers believe water is the only solvent capable of meeting the storage and affordability criteria needed for large-scale energy applications, with the rest of the battery composed of abundant, non-toxic materials.

Administered by Stanford’s Precourt Institute for Energy, the consortium includes over 31 researchers. Jake and Jennifer Hooks Distinguished Scholar and Professor Veronica Augustyn from NC State’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering is a co-principal investigator and will play a key role in this groundbreaking initiative.

“The Aqueous Battery Consortium is taking on one of the most critical technology challenges of our time: the need for low-cost, sustainable, and safe grid-scale energy storage,” says Professor Augustyn, ”We are excited by the opportunity to tackle this challenge with some of the best battery scientists in the world and leverage our group’s expertise in the aqueous electrochemistry of metal oxides.”

 “NC State’s involvement in this cutting-edge battery hub at Stanford is not only a testament to the university’s growing influence,” says MSE Department Head and Kobe Steel Professor Donald Brenner, “but also a crucial step toward pioneering battery technologies that could redefine the energy landscape.”

 “NC State’s involvement in this cutting-edge battery hub at Stanford is not only a testament to the university’s growing influence,” says MSE Department Head and Kobe Steel Professor Donald Brenner, “but also a crucial step toward pioneering battery technologies that could redefine the energy landscape.”

The consortium’s approach targets next-generation aqueous battery technologies that could offer significantly lower costs than existing lithium-ion batteries. Using cheaper raw materials, simpler electronics, and advanced manufacturing techniques, the consortium aims to develop batteries that can be deployed at large scale while minimizing environmental impact.

MSE alumnus Jake Hooks and his wife, Jennifer, recently donated $50,000 during the 2024 Day of Giving to support the future establishment of an Advanced Battery Materials Center on the NC State campus, further positioning the university as a leader in battery research. On September 6, 2024, Jake Hooks was honored for his significant contributions at the annual Watauga Medal awards ceremony. The Watauga Medal is NC State’s highest non-academic honor recognizing exceptional alumni support.

In addition to Stanford, SLAC, and North Carolina State University, the other participating institutions in this project are the Army Research Laboratory; California State University, Long Beach; Florida A&M University/Florida State University’s College of Engineering; the University of Waterloo; Oregon State University; San Jose State University; U.S. Naval Research Laboratory; UCLA; UC-San Diego; UC-Santa Barbara; University of Maryland; and the University of Texas at Austin.

NC State’s contributions, fueled by world-class researchers like Professor Augusyn and the generosity of supporters like Jake and Jennifer Hooks, poises the university to make a lasting impact on the development of next-generation batteries, propelling the university and its research community into a leading position on the global stage of energy innovation. 

This post was originally published in Department of Materials Science and Engineering.