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BESTAR - Archive

Berkeley Energy Storage and Conversion for Transportation and Renewables

Archives for March 2012

Hydro-Québec

Gold Level Sponsor

Hydro-Québec generates, transmits and distributes electricity, mainly using renewable energy sources, in particular hydroelectricity. It is one of the biggest electric utilities in North America.  Technological innovation is an integral part of Hydro-Québec’s core strategic orientations.  For four decades, the Institut de recherche d’Hydro-Québec (IREQ) has put its expertise and energy into supporting Hydro-Québec, helping the company improve the performance of its operations, develop areas of growth and better serve its customers.  Researchers at IREQ are contributing to the development of all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. They are conducting extensive work on advanced materials, particularly molten salts, lithium iron phosphate and nanotitanates. Their contribution is helping to develop safe, high-performance lithium-ion batteries that can be charged more quickly and a greater number of times. The future success of plug-in vehicles largely depends on the battery. Innovation efforts cover both high-power batteries and high-energy batteries.  Hydro-Québec patents the advanced materials it develops and then grants licenses to suppliers of battery manufacturers for future use in the area of electric ground transportation.  To date, Hydro-Québec holds 15 licenses and 100 patents which resulted from IREQ’s work on battery materials.

FMC Lithium

Bronze Level  Sponsor

FMC Lithium, a division of FMC Corporation, a $3.3 billion chemical company, is an integrated lithium supplier with an extensive product and technology offering to the battery industry. With respect to raw materials, we have the longest history in supplying into the lithium-ion battery industry. We supply various grades of lithium carbonate, hydroxide and various forms of metal for our customers’ needs. In addition, FMC Lithium is the only lithium supplier who has developed cathode technologies and still licenses that technology. FMC Lithium’s deep understanding of both the cathode and anode technologies allows us to offer better products and services to cathode makers as well as the lithium-ion battery industry. Finally, FMC Lithium, a leading innovator, is offering a new Stabilized Lithium Metal Powder (SLMP®). This new product is potentially a game changer that breaks the limit on the current lithium-ion battery design by providing an independent source of lithium. It allows more choices of active materials for higher energy, lower cost and better safety. FMC Lithium continues to invest in developing cutting edge new battery materials and technologies.