With the sheer bulk of mobile devices available in the market and the kind of power-consuming hardware they pack, battery time is becoming a critical factor for most users. U.S. Department of Energy(DoE) has now unveiled plans of enhancing battery power by 5 times within the next 5 years.
In order to achieve this rather ambitious goal, the DoE has set aside a whopping $120 million. This money will go into the creation of Joint Center for Energy Storage Research. DoE’s plan is to not only create more powerful batteries but ones which are more economical to manufacture.
According to the U.S. Energy Secretary, Stephen Chu, “When you had to deliver the goods very, very quickly, you needed to put the best scientists next to the best engineers across disciplines to get very focused”, he said referring to the World War II Manhattan Project. Apparently, DoE is borrowing some historical inspiration to make this project a success.
The project will encompass six national labs and five universities around the U.S. as well as four private firms. All will pool resources and research to procure better power storage solutions. The participating entities are very significant because DoE hopes that by having both researchers and private investors on the bandwagon, it can help steer ideas from research to private sector in real-time.
According to the DoE, “Based on new understanding, the Hub should foster new energy storage designs that begin with a ‘clean sheet of paper’ — overcoming current manufacturing limitations through innovation to reduce complexity and cost.”
The power storage solutions that this project will procure, says Chu, are critical for the future of American industry. One hopes that with so many brilliant minds and resources at one place, DoE will indeed be able to meet the goal it has set for itself.
Courtesy: Computer World
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