{"673098":{"#nid":"673098","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Energy Materials: Driving the Clean Energy Transition","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEnergy is everywhere, affecting everything, all the time. And it can be manipulated and converted into the kind of energy that we depend on as a civilization. But transforming this ambient energy (the result of gyrating atoms and molecules) into something we can plug into and use when we need it requires specific materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese energy materials \u2014 some natural, some manufactured, some a combination \u2014 facilitate the conversion or transmission of energy. They also play an essential role in how we store energy, how we reduce power consumption, and how we develop cleaner, efficient energy solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAdvanced materials and clean energy technologies are tightly connected, and at Georgia Tech we\u2019ve been making major investments in people and facilities in batteries, solar energy, and hydrogen, for several decades,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/timothy-charles-lieuwen\u0022\u003ETim Lieuwen\u003C\/a\u003E, the David S. Lewis Jr. Chair and professor of aerospace engineering, and executive director of Georgia Tech\u2019s Strategic Energy Institute (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/energy\u0022\u003ESEI\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat research synergy is the underpinning of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/energymaterials\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Energy Materials Day (March 27)\u003C\/a\u003E, a gathering of people from academia, government, and industry, co-hosted by SEI, the Institute for Materials (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/materials\u0022\u003EIMat\u003C\/a\u003E), and the Georgia Tech Advanced Battery Center. This event aims to build on the momentum created by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/georgia-tech-battery-day-reveals-opportunities-energy-storage-research\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Battery Day\u003C\/a\u003E, held in March 2023, which drew more than 230 energy researchers and industry representatives.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe thought it would be a good idea to expand on the Battery Day idea and showcase a wide range of research and expertise in other areas, such as solar energy and clean fuels, in addition to what we\u2019re doing in batteries and energy storage,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mse.gatech.edu\/people\/matthew-mcdowell\u0022\u003EMatt McDowell\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the George W. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWoodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mse.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)\u003C\/a\u003E, and co-director, with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mse.gatech.edu\/people\/gleb-yushin\u0022\u003EGleb Yushin\u003C\/a\u003E, of the Advanced Battery Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEnergy Materials Day will bring together experts from academia, government, and industry to discuss and accelerate research in three key areas: battery materials and technologies, photovoltaics and the grid, and materials for carbon-neutral fuel production, \u201call of which are crucial for driving the clean energy transition,\u201d noted \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mse.gatech.edu\/people\/eric-vogel\u0022\u003EEric Vogel\u003C\/a\u003E, executive director of IMat and the Hightower Professor of Materials Science and Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech is leading the charge in research in these three areas,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re excited to unite so many experts to spark the important discussions that will help us advance our nation\u2019s path to net-zero emissions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EBuilding an Energy Hub\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEnergy Materials Day is part of an ongoing, long-range effort to position Georgia Tech, and Georgia, as a go-to location for modern energy companies. So far, the message seems to be landing. Georgia has had more than $28 billion invested or announced in electric vehicle-related projects since 2020. And Georgia Tech was recently ranked by U.S. News \u0026amp; World Report as the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/georgia-tech-named-top-ranked-public-university-energy\u0022\u003Etop public university for energy research\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia has become a major player in solar energy, also, with the announcement last year of a $2.5 billion plant being developed by Korean solar company Hanwha Qcells, taking advantage of President Biden\u2019s climate policies. Qcells\u2019 global chief technology officer, Danielle Merfeld, a member of SEI\u2019s External Advisory Board, will be the keynote speaker for Energy Materials Day.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGrowing these industry relationships, building trust through collaborations with industry \u2014 these have been strong motivations in our efforts to create a hub here in Atlanta,\u201d said Yushin, professor in MSE and co-founder of Sila Nanotechnologies, a battery materials startup valued at more than $3 billion.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMcDowell and Yushin are leading the battery initiative for Energy Materials Day and they\u2019ll be among 12 experts making presentations on battery materials and technologies, including six from Georgia Tech and four from industry. In addition to the formal sessions and presentations, there will also be an opportunity for networking.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI think Georgia Tech has a responsibility to help grow a manufacturing ecosystem,\u201d McDowell said. \u201cWe have the research and educational experience and expertise that companies need, and we\u2019re working to coordinate our efforts with industry.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/marta-hatzell\u0022\u003EMarta Hatzell\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor of mechanical engineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering, is leading the carbon-neutral fuel production portion of the event, while \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/juan-pablo-correa-baena\u0022\u003EJuan-Pablo Correa-Baena\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in MSE, is leading the photovoltaics initiative.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey\u2019ll be joined by a host of experts from Georgia Tech and institutes across the country, \u201csome of the top thought leaders in their fields,\u201d said Correa-Baena, whose lab has spent years optimizing a semiconductor material for solar energy conversion.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOver the past decade, we have been working to achieve high efficiencies in solar panels based on a new, low-cost material called halide perovskites,\u201d he said. His lab recently discovered how to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/researchers-find-they-can-stop-degradation-promising-solar-cell-materials\u0022\u003Eprevent the chemical interactions that can degrade it\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of a miracle material, and we want to increase its lifespan, make it more robust and commercially relevant.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile Correa-Baena is working to revolutionize solar energy, Hatzell\u2019s lab is designing materials to clean up the manufacturing of clean fuels.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re interested in decarbonizing the industrial sector, through the production of carbon-neutral fuels,\u201d said Hatzell, whose lab is designing new materials to make clean ammonia and hydrogen, both of which have the potential to play a major role in a carbon-free fuel system, without using fossil fuels as the feedstock. \u201cWe\u2019re also working on a collaborative project focusing on assessing the economics of clean ammonia on a larger, global scale.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe hope for Energy Materials Day is that other collaborations will be fostered as industry\u2019s needs and the research enterprise collide in one place \u2014 Georgia Tech\u2019s Exhibition Hall \u2014 over one day. The event is part of what Yushin called \u201cthe snowball effect.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou attract a new company to the region, and then another,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we want to boost domestic production and supply chains, we must roll like a snowball gathering momentum. Education is a significant part of that effect. To build this new technology and new facilities for a new industry, you need trained, talented engineers. And we\u2019ve got plenty of those. Georgia Tech can become the single point of contact, helping companies solve the technical challenges in a new age of clean energy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEnergy materials facilitate the conversion or transmission of energy. They also play an essential role in how we store energy, reduce power consumption, and develop cleaner, efficient energy solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Energy materials facilitate the conversion or transmission of energy. They also play an essential role in how we store energy, reduce power consumption, and develop cleaner, efficient energy solutions."}],"uid":"34760","created_gmt":"2024-02-21 16:55:41","changed_gmt":"2024-04-29 18:57:42","author":"Laurie Haigh","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-02-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-02-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673164":{"id":"673164","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech Energy Materials Day 2024","body":null,"created":"1708534719","gmt_created":"2024-02-21 16:58:39","changed":"1708534718","gmt_changed":"2024-02-21 16:58:38","alt":"Images of a light bulb, solar panels, and batteries","file":{"fid":"256522","name":"GTEM_event_web (2).png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/21\/GTEM_event_web%20%282%29.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/21\/GTEM_event_web%20%282%29.png","mime":"image\/png","size":420152,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/02\/21\/GTEM_event_web%20%282%29.png?itok=HkvgnWJZ"}}},"media_ids":["673164"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"},{"id":"187433","name":"go-ien"},{"id":"193266","name":"cos-research"},{"id":"192251","name":"cos-quantum"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"},{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}