"Energy Storage for the Electric Grid – MegaWatts from picoWatts"
Sean J. Hearne, Sandia National Laboratories
Abstract: The rapid expansion of renewable generation onto the US electric grid is driving the need for new grid energy storage options. The impetus for this need is largely based on the variable nature of renewable energy, which can cause instabilities in power delivery and directly impact our daily lives (e.g. our ability to watch Netflix). However, the deployment of energy storage technologies is hampered by high initial cost, often inadequate service lifetimes, and the low monetary value of the services provided. In this presentation, we will discuss the current state of drivers for the utilization of grid energy storage and dive into a few specific examples of how nano-science is being used to understand and control degradation in Li-ion batteries.
Bio: Sean Hearne, Ph.D. Is the manager of the CINT Science group at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The CINT user facility is one of five DOE office of Basic Energy Science funded nanoscience research centers whose mission is to advance the frontiers of nanotechnology. Research efforts within the CINT Science group span energy storage, microscopy, nanofabrication, nanoparticle synthesis and the CINT Discovery PlatformsTM. Prior to managing the CINT Science group, he was the program manager of the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability’s Energy Storage program at Sandia National Labs. Sean has a long standing interest in energy storage ranging from fundamental material science in both the transportation and grid sectors and has worked extensively with state and federal agencies on deployment of storage technologies.
Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed-Martin Company, for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.
