MONASH ENERGY MATERIALS AND SYSTEMS INSTITUTE (MEMSI) memsi.monash.edu

Transcription

1 MONASH ENERGY MATERIALS AND SYSTEMS INSTITUTE (MEMSI) memsi.monash.edu

2 TACKLING A GLOBAL CHALLENGE The world s energy demands will double over the next 30 years. With energy availability underpinning the growth and supply of food, transport, communication and education, transforming how we generate, transmit and consume energy is one of the most imminent global problems that needs to be addressed. Research and development into new materials, efficient technologies and processes, and their implementation within optimised smart energy systems are required to enable this transition to a low-carbon economy and a sustainable energy future. RESEARCH ENABLING INNOVATION MEMSI is a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research environment that brings together over 80 leading researchers within world leading research facilities. Focused on developing solutions to enable sustainable generation, storage, distribution and use of energy, our research is directed by leaders with academic and industrial experience. This balance between academic rigour and applied focus provides MEMSI the ability to effectively address significant energy challenges.

3 SOLVING GLOBAL ENERGY PROBLEMS PARTNERING TO SUCCEED MEMSI s mandate is to work in collaboration with relevant partners to address relevant industry and global energy challenges. By partnering with industry, governments and international research organisations, MEMSI is impacting academic and industry sectors through research across the following impact areas: TRANSITIONING VICTORIA TO A CLEANER ENERGY ECONOMY Victoria developed as a manufacturing state due to its significant coal reserves and cheap electricity. With global pressure on reducing carbon emissions and with the ambitious Renewable Energy Target of 40% by 2025 set by the Victorian government, the state s energy profile will rapidly change towards cleaner energy sources. MEMSI is researching a host of clean energy technologies and their optimised implementation to help in this transition. ENHANCING AUSTRALIA S ENERGY RESOURCES With over $100 billion in energy ore exports, Australia has emerged as an energy resource export nation. Despite this, our cars, heavy machinery and remote-site diesel generators run largely on imported fuels. Understanding how to more efficiently and sustainably extract and better utilise our natural and recyclable energy resources, is critical towards maximising their value for industry and our people. MEMSI is developing new fuels, materials, technologies, processes and energy-solutions that make resourcebased sectors more energy efficient and can value add to Australia s economy. SUPPORTING ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIES ELECTRIFY The imminent growth of electricity demand across the Asia-Pacific region will present the largest energy growth in the history of humanity. With many emerging economies in the region having not made significant investments in or upgraded to traditional electricity networks, significant challenges remain on how this electrification process will occur. MEMSI is supporting this electrification process through its research into smart and efficient ways of electricity generation, storage and distribution. DEVELOPING SMARTER ENERGY NETWORKS Smart sensors within electricity networks have the capacity to enable complete monitoring, optimisation and forecasting of energy transportation and consumption. With increasing deployment of solar photovoltaics and wind, as well as the growing uptake of energy storage systems and electric vehicles in the market, understanding each of these factors will be critical to achieve a reliable electricity network. MEMSI is researching advanced data analytics and applying machine learning and optimisation tools to power systems deployed in smart network devices and sensors to develop efficient and optimised electricity networks. POWERING THE NEXT GENERATION Devices are rapidly developing towards being faster, smaller and better. Underpinning this evolution is a need for more energy efficient devices, higher efficiency power generation technologies and advanced energy storage systems. MEMSI is working at the cutting edge of materials, technology and systems to develop a host of energy generation and storage devices that will power next generation electronics, houses and beyond. CASE STUDIES PRINTING POWER PLANTS Challenge: To achieve wide-scale, global adoption of solar cells. Our Solution: High-efficiency and low-cost printable solar cells. Impact: Developed proof-of-concept, high efficiency (> 16 %) solar cells using printing techniques. Demonstrated recorded efficiency semi-transparent solar cells. Demonstrated successful partnership between academia and industry though the $29 million Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium and the $88 million Australian Centre for Advance Photovoltaics. NEXT-GENERATION SUPERCAPACITORS Challenge: To enhance the capacity of charge storage devices. Our Solution: Microstructurally controlled graphene supercapacitors. Impact: Developed compact supercapacitors with record-high energy density. Secured global IP around the processing and technology development. Spun out SupraG Energy for graphene commercialisation. PREDICTING NETWORK ELECTRICITY DEMAND Challenge: To create stable electricity networks and supply for customers. Our Solution: To utilise probability distribution modelling in the context of electricity networks to understand electricity demand. Impact: Monash Electricity Forecasting Model has been developed and shown to be reliable for complex electricity networks. The model has been used by Australian electric power system industry bodies since 2007.

4 RESEARCH CAPABILITIES The wind tunnel. ENERGY MATERIALS Energy storage: to develop next generation, high performance materials for storing energy within super-capacitors and battery technologies. Solar electricity: to discover the materials and concepts for alternative photovoltaic technologies through large-scale deployment of solar cells via industry partnerships. This will help meet the increasing worldwide needs for renewable energy sources. Alternate fuels: to develop materials, processes and devices that harness solar energy and for generation of fuels; water splitting for hydrogen production; carbon dioxide reduction and use for the generation of carbon monoxide, methanol, formic acid and methane; as well as developing processes and establishing the effect of various lignocellulose feedstocks for the production of fuels. Membrane and fuel cells: to develop materials and devices for energy-efficient separation and fuel cells. Energy efficient manufacturing and materials: to reduce energy demand for manufacturing functional materials and develop ultra-strong lightweight materials for applications such as the transport industry to reduce fuel consumption. High temperature energy materials: to understand and mitigate the degradation of metallic components and equipment in traditional and modern energy systems. ENERGY PROCESSING Combustion and gasification: investigate improved methods for producing energy from brown coal, a vast resource in the state of Victoria. Carbon dioxide sequestration: to find economical and feasible technologies for carbon capture and storage for the reduction of greenhouse gas levels. Carbon dioxide capture and utilisation: to develop chemical processes for capturing waste carbon dioxide and converting the carbon into feedstocks or useful products. Geothermal and unconventional gas: to pioneer technical solutions for energy production and waste containment that use the deep Earth. Energy in green mining: to improve energy efficiency in mining processes such as better ventilation system planning, diesel fleet management and equipment maintenance. ENERGY SYSTEMS Wind energy and transport aerodynamics: to employ experimental and numerical approaches to understand the aerodynamic factors for optimisation of wind turbines and for fuel efficiency of transport. Energy systems and modelling: to develop simulation, optimisation and machine learning tools for power systems, and power and gas markets, including for forecasting energy demand and other quantities. Smart grids and intelligent plant: to create efficient networks through monitoring, controlling and managing devices embedded within energy systems.

5 RESEARCH FACILITIES OUR PEOPLE RENEWABLE ENERGY LAB World leading facilities for developing new materials and devices for energy harvesting and storage applications DEEP EARTH ENERGY LAB Pilot-scale facilities suitable for developing new techniques in extracting deep earth energy With over 80 academic researchers spanning six academic faculties, MEMSI is a truly multi-disciplinary environment. PROFESSOR YI-BING CHENG Professor Cheng has research interests in interfaces, microstructure of materials, and the development of printed photovoltaics. He is currently a Chief Investigator and node leader of the $88 million Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, in which Monash is developing novel Perovskite-based solar cell technologies. Professor Cheng is a member of the 1000 talents program in China and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering. He has over 400 publications and 19 patents. MONASH WIND TUNNEL The largest facility in the southern hemisphere suitable for R&D into aerodynamics CENTRE FOR ELECTRON MICROSCOPY World leading transmission and scanning electron microscopy CENTRE FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING Translating new materials through advance processing CAVE2 TM AND SENSILAB World-leading visualisation, interactive design and digital fabrication facilities PROFESSOR DOUGLAS MACFARLANE Professor Doug MacFarlane is focused on the use of ionic liquids for clean fuel production and energy storage applications. He is an ARC Laureate Fellow and the leader of the energy program in the ARC funded Australian Centre for Electromaterials Science. Professor MacFarlane has been awarded over 60 grants and contracts totalling more than $32 million. He has published more than 600 journal papers, which have been cited more than times, and has filed over 30 patents. PROFESSOR DAN LI Professor Dan Li s research interests are centred on manufacturing and engineering graphene-based materials for applications in energy storage, separation membranes, biomedicine, flexible electronics and nanoionics. He is a co-director of Monash Centre for Atomically Thin Materials. Prof. Li has been named by Thomson Reuters as a Most Influential Scientific Mind in 2014 and He has published over 100 papers and filed over 8 patents. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR VICTORIA HARITOS Associate Professor Haritos researches biocatalytic routes and metabolic pathways in microorganisms for efficient, low energy production of fuels and chemicals. She has published 43 peer reviewed journal articles and has six patents. Before formally joining Monash University in 2014, she was the Stream Leader of Sustainable Transport Fuels at CSIRO and the recipient of two organisational awards. PROFESSOR MARK WALLACE Professor Wallace s research interests lie in modelling and software platforms for planning, scheduling and optimisation problems. His focus both in industry and university has been on application-driven research and development, which includes scheduling within the transport industry and using discrete optimisation in smart grids for aggregated scheduling of household appliances to reduce network peak demand. He sits on the advisory board of the Constraints journal and Constraint Programming Letters. The CAVE2. PROFESSOR ROB HYNDMAN Professor Hyndman is a world leading statistician with a focus on energy forecasting. He is the Director of the Monash University Business & Economic Forecasting Unit and of the International Institute of Forecasters, as well as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Forecasting. Professor Hyndman has authored of over 150 research papers and books in statistical science. In 2007, he received the Moran medal from the Australian Academy of Science for his contributions to statistical research, especially in the area of statistical forecasting.

6 Working with MEMSI MEMSI s broad research capacity in energy materials, processing and systems places it in a unique position to tackle industry s energy problems. Our researchers have a long history in working with partners to understand their challenges, and then collaborating to develop and deploy innovative energy solutions. By working with MEMSI you will gain access to this cutting-edge intellectual and physical research capability, with the potential to leverage from a variety of funding programs that support industry led research. Contact details Telephone: memsi@monash.edu Address Monash University 20 Research Way, New Horizons Building, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia Further information memsi.monash.edu 1800 MONASH ( ) The information in this brochure was correct at the time of publication (July 2016). Monash University reserves the right to alter this information should the need arise. You should always check with the relevant Faculty office when considering a course. Produced by Strategic Marketing and Communications, Monash University Job 16P-0873 T2. CRICOS Provider: Monash 00008C. Monash College 01857J.