LAVO, an Australian developer of integrated hybrid hydrogen battery, recently demonstrated a new energy storage system made of metal hydride alloy to a group of visitors comprised of parliamentarians and the media.
Unveiled at the Tomago site of Varley Group, the new solution involves hydrides, dubbed by the team as “solar sponge” or “metal sand,” stored in metal canisters.
According to a press release issued by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), the hydrides are capable of soaking up hydrogen in high density with a water purifier, a water splitter, and lithium-ion battery for rapid response for power demand. The solution includes built-in artificial intelligence and monitoring to determine the smartest use of the unit for the asset owner.
Developed by a team at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) led by Professor Kondo-Francois Aguey-Zinsou, the hydrides are expected to serve as an important enabler for long-duration and safe storage of green hydrogen, according to investors at Providence Climate Capital.
LAVO, along with a number of Australian companies, are seeking to bring the invention to market via storage systems ranging from household to utility-scale.
Michael Sharpe, national director industry at AMGC, said the Hunter region is seeing the development of new projects for lithium-ion batteries at Energy Renaissance.
“So, we’re seeing new, high-skilled jobs coming through, and we’re creating export opportunities,” Sharpe said.
“Ampcontrol has played a role in co-development with Varley alongside a few other partners. They’ve been working on the electrical, electronics, and programming side,” said Darren Jones, LAVO’s technical officer.
AMGC has co-invested $221,875 in the LAVO-led collaborative project, with participation from UNSW, Design + Industry, Providence, GHD, Varley, and Greater Springfield.
The visitors who got a glimpse of the new invention include Anoulack Chanthivong MP, NSW Shadow Minister for Industry & Trade, and fellow parliamentarians Kate Washington and Tim Crakanthorp.
