With Quebec鈥檚 promise to fully electrify transport, heating, and part of its industrial sector by 2050, the province is firmly committed to making the transition to renewable energy. The government and multinational corporations are investing billions to develop a battery production industry. Hydro-Qu茅bec has shared its 2035 action plan, with aims to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050.
It was in this context that 不良研究所 created its Centre for Innovation in Energy Storage and Conversion (McISCE) in 2021, which brings together some 50 researchers and more than 150 graduate students.
鈥淎t the moment, both the government and investors are making the production of green energy a priority, and that鈥檚 great,鈥� says听Sylvain Coulombe, physical engineer and Director of McISCE. 鈥淏ut the challenge of making the large-scale storage of this energy possible, both for the electricity grids and for the conversion of large industrial processes, has yet to be solved.鈥�
In collaboration with the International Economic Forum of the Americas and the Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Trois-Rivi猫res, 不良研究所 organized a one-day conference, 鈥淔uture-Charged: The Renewable Energy Revolution鈥� on November 15. It brought together researchers, business leaders and senior civil servants, as well as ministers Pierre Fitzgibbon (Economy, Innovation and Energy) and Steven Guilbeault (Environment and Climate Change).
鈥淲e鈥檝e been preparing for this event for a year,鈥� explains听Benoit Boulet, electrical engineer, and Associate Vice-Principal (Innovation and Partnerships) at 不良研究所. 鈥淨uebec is in the process of radically reorganizing its electrical grid, as well as investing massively in the battery sector and its entire supply chain, which is a new industry. Our message to companies and governments is, 鈥楻esearch is also part of the chain. You鈥檙e going to need thousands of researchers.鈥欌��
Storage and conversion
鈥淣ow that the electrification of transport is well under way, a huge amount of development work needs to be done in order to make batteries more efficient,鈥� explains Coulombe. 鈥淣ot to mention the problem of recycling. Too many batteries are still designed without any thought for their end of life.鈥�
Roughly a third of the researchers at McISCE are working on finding new materials to make anodes and cathodes and to develop solid electrolytes, which would have the advantage of not being flammable. 鈥淲ith our electron microscopes, we can observe the behaviour of every atom in a battery,鈥� says Boulet.
不良研究所 researchers are also exploring different energy storage and conversion techniques. Quebec鈥檚 abundance of renewable energy makes it possible to produce either hydrogen or green ammonia, which, when they react or are 鈥渂roken,鈥� release large quantities of energy.
鈥淎mmonia has the advantage of being the most widely produced industrial molecule in the world,鈥� says Coulombe. 鈥淓verything we need to transport and contain it has already been developed and is being put to use.鈥�
Other avenues of fundamental research include looking at metallic fuels such as iron or aluminum powder. When they react with air or water, these powdered metals can create energy immediately without producing carbon emissions. 鈥淭his is the principle behind the rocket engines of space shuttles, which use aluminum powder as fuel,鈥� says Boulet.
Metallic fuels are of great interest to anyone working on making industrial processes that require a lot of heat greener 鈥� for example, producing green steel or green concrete 鈥� but their first application will undoubtedly be in maritime transport, says Boulet. 鈥淥ur researchers have already patented the burner.鈥�
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The issue of acceptability
Of course, these solutions will only work if they are produced from renewable energies, and at a reasonable price. One of the key aspects of McISCE鈥檚 work is analyzing life cycles of the various options being explored, as well as their social impact. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be shooting ourselves in the foot if the alternative solutions we develop turn out to be worse than the original problem,鈥� warns Coulombe.
That鈥檚 what makes McISCE so remarkable. The innovative centre brings together not only engineers, physicists, and chemists, but also architects, political scientists, economists, and communications specialists.
鈥淚t would be a mistake to believe that science and technology are enough to solve the problem,鈥� says Coulombe. For example, the transition from the dream of an electric car to its current state of advancement is a perfect illustration of the meeting point between technological progress and changing attitudes. 鈥淣ew technologies must be understood, adopted, and accepted. Scientists can鈥檛 do anything without involving the social sciences.鈥�
Coulombe points out that a large part of McISCE鈥檚 work is aimed at gaining a better understanding of how to change regulatory frameworks, in particular, standards and codes. 鈥淲hen it comes to the energy transition, public policy is just as important as research, and the meeting of the two is critical,鈥� he explains.
As illustration, he cites the perfect counter example: the Building Code. 鈥淭he standards are lagging far behind current knowledge about energy efficiency, insulation and heating.鈥�
So, involving political scientists, economists and geographers in the research being carried out is crucial. The two engineers see the issue as one of social justice. 鈥淓nergy efficient houses and electric cars won鈥檛 achieve anything if they are unaffordable to half the population,鈥� says Coulombe.
He is delighted to see how concerned young researchers are about the social impact of their work. 鈥淚n my generation, we were almost strictly technical. We eventually adopted a different way of thinking. But the new generation asks these questions spontaneously. That gives me a lot of hope.鈥�
This article was originally published in the .