Communications archive
Why energy storage needs a meeting
Materials, systems and the Australian minerals story behind the Sydney programme.
Energy storage sits at the centre of some of the largest changes in the global economy: the shift to electric transport, the growth of renewable electricity, the need for resilient grids and the demand for portable power in medicine, aerospace and industry.
IMLB 2022 was built around the science that makes those changes possible. The programme looked at advanced lithium batteries for energy storage and conversion, with an emphasis on both basic and applied research.
The materials question
Better batteries depend on better materials. Electrodes, electrolytes and interfaces determine how much energy a cell can store, how quickly it can charge and how long it can last. The meeting gave those questions a central place.
The system question
A material that works in a laboratory does not automatically work in a cell, a pack or a grid. The programme connected materials research to the engineering, safety and manufacturing questions that decide whether a technology reaches the market.
The Australian question
Australia is a source of minerals used in lithium batteries. The meeting created a place to discuss how those resources connect to the global value chain and how Australian research and industry can take part.