ABOUT
BACKGROUND
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I developed the first Urban Sustainability Course for Boston University. In teaching the course he became acutely aware that unless we could store electricity the role of most renewable energy generation, wind and solar in particularly was limited as energy is generated and used in the same instant. Producing Electricity remains the biggest contributor to rising CO2 levels as fossil fuels remain the dominate source of generation.
I reached out to Professor Sadoway, the inventor of the Liquid Metal Battery (LMB) to teach my students about battery technology. Through that course work, we became friends and then I saw the opportunity to create a collaboration program to continue the development of the LMB in Australia.
The Australian renewable energy market is more mature compared to the US market, and so there exists a public thirst for the advancement of technology that enables the uptake of renewable energy. The research undertaken in Australia could prove useful for the commercialisation of the LMB in global markets.
Both the education and energy sectors in Australia stand to benefit enormously through such a collaboration, through lower energy costs, as well as a genuine exchange of intellectual development of cutting edge technology between Australia and the United States. We will learn from each other. We will both benefit from each other.
And the over-arching benefit of building significant electrical storage in Australia is that we can begin a very real and effective program of reducing Australia’s CO2 emissions, enabling the Federal Government to make undertakings in the international arena without fear of cruelling the economy.
Further benefits of the technology will be the advancement of education globally, particularly in areas where such opportunities don't exist, or are under threat, through the availability of cheap electricity and in turn, access to the internet. Such a program will benefit women worldwide, which will change the world for the better.
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Gordon Hinds
Professor of Sustainability
Boston University (Sydney)
THE PROGRAM
The research progam will be housed in Australia at the NIER facilty in Newcastle University and run for three years under the direction of Professor Sadoway. The Australia componet will be lea by Professor Moghtaderi.
This Australian team will mirror the the efforts of the work in Boston. Both labs will have 3-4 post docs working to further develop the original chemistry of the LMB battery with the principal focus of lowering the temperature.
This will be done by experimenting with differing alloys. Other experiments to expand the development of the concept of the LMB technology could spill into other fields such as metal refining. Both teams will spend time in each others labs so the Boston team will be housed at Newcastle for part of the time, and vis versa.
Professor Sadoway will also spend time in Australia to mentor the team and has offered to teach at Newcastle University to all engineering students.
LMBRC will provide all logistical and funding support to the exchange progam.
The budget for the three years is $12 million. Funding is yet to be confirmed and hopefully will come from the Federal and NSW governments, as well as from private contributions.
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Key people behind the Australian Operaton
Gordon Hinds, CEO, Director
Gordon@lmbrc.com | + 61 (0) 419 266 932
Prof. Donald Sadoway
Global Research Director
Gordon has had a long career in global communications firms both in Australia and the USA, entrepreneurial roles in start-ups and advisory roles for asx listed corporations.
Qualifications
Bachelor in Economics (University of Sydney), Masters of Marketing (Australian School of Business)
Adjunct Professor, Boston University
Donald is the John F. Elliott Professor of Materials Chemistry
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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He is the inventor of the LMB and will Direct the research program both at MIT in Boston and in the NIEIR facilty in Newcastle University
Prof. Behdad Moghtaderi
Co-Research Director
Behdad is a chemical Engineer and Research Director at the NIER Facility at Newcastle University.