Binghamton University to use $3M federal award for battery and energy-storage research

VESTAL, N.Y. — A Binghamton University professor will use $3 million in federal funding to continue research on battery systems and energy storage.

Professor Stanley Whittingham and his colleagues will utilize the funding to research and “better understand” the fundamental chemical reactions in energy-storage materials, according to a joint news release from U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.).

Whittingham is one of the inventors of the lithium-ion battery.

The researchers will use the information to make energy-storage materials work better and to develop new materials that are “cheaper, environmentally friendly, and able to store more energy than current materials can,” per the release.

The funding award is allocated through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) energy frontier research centers (EFRC) program.

Binghamton University is one of 42 EFRCs in the country selected for a total of $100 million in funding, Schumer and Gillibrand said, citing the DOE.

The DOE is awarding Binghamton University $2 million in fiscal year 2018 and $1 million in fiscal year 2019 through the program.

“Smart energy basic research is crucial if we are going to meet current societal demands and remain competitive in today’s global economy,” Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger, said in the release.

The DOE’s energy frontier research centers program was established in 2009 under the DOE’s Office of Science to help “spur innovation; the development of transformational technologies; and address energy security in the United States,” the lawmakers said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com