The most common renewable energy sources, solar and wind electricity, are intermittent. The storage of energy in batteries, is therefore an essential link in localizing and democratizing access to electricity. To reach the deployment level necessary for the Paris agreement, energy storage facilities in ALL scales, from domestic to industrial, are needed immediately. The main goal of this UCo project is to develop an open-source electrochemical battery technology that can be deployed and maintained in the field, for residential users, small scale commercial use, and rural health posts. The unusual aspect of this project is that we aim at practical affordability, reliability, and accessibility of the batteries developed in this project, by consulting local stakeholders.

We envision a world in which access to renewable energy is democratic, governed locally, and is built upon mutual exchange of knowledge and technology without exploitative transfer of natural resources. We plan to enhance the diffusion of knowledge on energy storage by structuring a design lab that prioritizes local needs and access to developing battery systems and uses open science to educate and enable a network of experts and end-users in choosing the best route for their locally sourced energy grids.

Get in touch

If you want to know more about this project or come into contact with the researchers working on this, you can e-mail Dr Sanli Faez.

Contact info

s.faez@uu.nl