Research and Development

For the seventh year in the row, China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL) looks set to claim the title of the world’s biggest battery maker. There are a number of reasons why it continues to maintain its lead in the electric vehicle (EV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) markets..

Scientists in the United States pieced together data from hundreds of different sources, looking to establish the key factors that have led to consistently falling prices for lithium-ion technology since their commercialization thirty years ago. They find that public-funded research, primarily in chemistry and materials science, has made the largest contribution to cost reduction. And they offer suggestions on policy and investment to ensure that the research can continue to make these important contributions to reduction in battery costs.

Commercialisation of hydrogen production is a priority of the Australian government. Seven applicants for ARENA funding of large-scale hydrogen proposals made it through to the next round, in which they will submit full applications for projects that will be expected to commence construction in 2022.

Monocrystalline cells and modules are rapidly overtaking multi as the dominant technology in solar markets globally. To understand why, you need to go up the value chain.