04th July 2023 | Poles have made a breakthrough in energy storage. Now they need support. Poland must not lose these technologies.
Prof. Marcin Molenda’s team has developed breakthrough inventions in the field of energy storage Jagiellonian University Technology Transfer Centre
The team led by Prof. Marcin Molenda from the Jagiellonian University presented inventions that can revolutionize the energy market. The question arises: will breakthrough technologies remain in Poland and serve the Polish economy?
Table of contents
- Battery-powered cars will stop burning like torches
- Polish energy storage facilities are more ecological than competitive ones
- Scientists have legally secured their achievements
- Electricity bills will fall with better cells
- Who has the rights to breakthrough inventions?
- On the last straight of Poland, new technologies can escape again
Scientists from the Materials and Nanomaterials Technology Group of the Faculty of Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University have developed several technologies that could be a breakthrough for the battery and home energy storage market. Thanks to their discoveries and already tested technologies, an economy such as Poland could become independent from suppliers of expensive and rare raw materials: cobalt, nickel, lithium and graphite. And these are just some of the effects of the work of the team led by Prof. Marcin Molenda. Despite these groundbreaking achievements, no one today can be sure of ultimate success. Why?
Battery-powered cars will stop burning like torches
First, a few words about what the researchers managed to develop. The use of one of their technologies will reduce the risk of spontaneous ignition of cells used in lithium-ion batteries. This basically means the end of horrific images from the roads, where fire brigades can not cope with extinguishing an electric car. But as Prof. Marcin Molenda suggests, the automotive industry is just one of many that could benefit from the new technologies of the team from Krakow, and it is not number one, although – as he admits – the Polish battery in Jizera is also a nice prospect for him. But let us go further.
Polish energy storage facilities are more ecological than competitive ones
Another invention of scientists from the Jagiellonian University will enable the production of alternative anodes, m.in. from starch, and yet another technology will be used to create ecological cathodes. The creators of these solutions emphasize that their inventions are ecological. The production of many of them does not leave a carbon footprint, and assembled battery prototypes can be more efficient than those currently used.
Electricity bills will fall with better cells
As the scientist explains, the inventions developed by his team will help to become independent of foreign supplies and make the Polish economy even more competitive. But that’s not all.
“Our inventions will help not only to increase the efficiency of energy storage, but also to reduce the cost of energy storage,” says Prof. Marcin Molenda.
And that means lower electricity bills.
On the last straight of Poland, new technologies can escape again
It seems, therefore, that everything is secured and nothing but benefit from breakthrough discoveries. Unfortunately, on the last straight there is a serious problem that has stopped the development of a Polish project or technical thought more than once or made others benefit from it.
“We have a pilot phase ahead of us, for which we need about three million euros. Without financial support, we will not launch an automatic production line, and this is necessary to create a cell demonstrator on the basis of which we will demonstrate the competitive advantages of batteries and it will be possible to conclude contracts” – says the scientist.
– I want the technologies created by my team to bring benefits primarily to our economy. We are waiting for support from the state, but if a private entity comes forward, we will also accept such an offer,” sums up Prof. Molenda.
Norwegian Polish Cooperation in the field of sustainable energy storage technologies
17th October at the Faculty of Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University, a Polish-Norwegian working meeting was held on cooperation in the field of education for sustainable battery manufacturing technologies.
The meeting was attended by a delegation from the Norwegian University of Stavanger (UIS), the dean’s authorities of the Faculty of Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University, employees of the Jagiellonian University Materials and Nanomaterials Technology Team and representatives of the Jagiellonian University CITTRU Technology Transfer Centre and the Norwegian-Polish Foundation.
The event was an opportunity to present the scientific and research potential of the faculties of both universities and to discuss the possibility of undertaking educational and research cooperation between the Faculty of Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University and the Faculty of Science and Technology of the Norwegian university.
The most important aspect of the Polish-Norwegian meeting is the desire to cooperate in the field of educating qualified staff with extensive knowledge and competences in the field of sustainable electrochemical battery technology.
“China is currently firmly leading the global race in the battery market. The use of batteries in a wide range of applications is an important element of the green transformation and decarbonisation process. The projected needs of the battery market are high, and the establishment of competence in this field is crucial for Europe to become a world leader in battery technology and achieve high export value. Close cooperation between European universities and working within a European team will strengthen European universities in terms of a faster learning curve and the sharing of information and resources, which will allow for faster progress,” explains Prof. Øystein Arild, Head of the Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering at UIS.
Undertaking educational cooperation in the field of sustainable energy storage technologies will increase the opportunities for training specialists, which are currently lacking on the market. They were considered both in terms of formal possibilities, obtaining appropriate funding and, above all, using the research potential of both scientific centers. The guests visited the building of the Faculty of Chemistry, got acquainted with the modern research infrastructure available in didactic and scientific laboratories and the specialized laboratory of the Materials and Nanomaterials Technology Team. After the meeting, UIS employees emphasized that research at the Faculty of Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University is carried out at a high, international level and that these activities are very important for the further development of battery technology.
“In particular, we liked that you combine science with battery engineering skills, and we were also impressed by the wide range of experimental infrastructure that is at the disposal of both students and researchers,” adds Professor Arild.
The first meeting allowed to identify research opportunities and establish contacts between faculties. Further activities will focus on the formal and practical aspects of starting cooperation.
