The United States electrical grid is fragmented, which means transferring excess power from one region to another is no easy feat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. Department of Energy is searching for promising solutions to this challenge through its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy<\/a> (ARPA-E), including ways of transferring power using chemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that in mind, ARPA-E selected a project led by University of Wisconsin-Madison Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor James Pikul<\/a> for a three-year, $2.3 million grant as part of the agency\u2019s Vision OPEN 2024 program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pikul is working with UW-Madison mechanical engineering colleagues Eric Kazyak<\/a> and Luca Mastropasqua<\/a>, both assistant professors, to create a system for electrochemically charging chemicals, which could then be shipped or piped to locations where the energy could be extracted back into electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specifically, the researchers will use the ARPA-E funding to develop an electrolyzer, essentially a fuel cell that converts electrical energy into chemical energy, containing a class of sulfur-based compounds that are naturally found in broccoli and manufactured domestically as food additives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe energy-density of our materials are about three times more than a lithium-ion battery,\u201d says Pikul. \u201cThat is critically important for reducing the cost of shipping power, because you\u2019re paying for the mass and weight when you\u2019re shipping chemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have a material that\u2019s liquid, it can be shipped very easily, it can be stored for a long period of time, it\u2019s domestically produced, and it\u2019s low cost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The researchers previously worked on the back-end of the process\u2014discharging the chemically stored energy into electricity\u2014in a laboratory setting, work they\u2019re planning to publish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pikul specializes in using electrochemistry for applications ranging from energy storage to robotics. Mastropasqua adds expertise in electrochemical systems operating at elevated temperatures, while Kazyak brings experience using lithium metal and solid electrolytes, which are key components to the group\u2019s effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n