Latest news with #HusamAlshareef
Asharq Al-Awsat
05-08-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi KAUST's Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy Advances Energy Innovation
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), through its Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies (CREST), has launched initiatives to support innovation in energy fields, in alignment with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to transition toward a knowledge-based economy and build sustainable development. These efforts include transforming new ideas into practical solutions, developing prototypes of KAUST inventions and ensuring their reliability, and scaling up these prototypes through collaboration with local and international partners, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Monday. KAUST has leveraged the center's research to boost energy security, reduce environmental impact, create new job opportunities for youth, and continue advancing education, training, and workforce development. These steps aim to support and localize renewable energy research, boost academic and industrial collaboration, and position the center as a leading research hub and a preferred destination for students, researchers, and faculty members. CREST Chair Professor Husam Alshareef stressed that the center's research, focused on prototype development and technology scaling, enhances energy efficiency, reliability, storage, and sustainability. Many projects are based on innovative technologies developed at KAUST in cooperation with industrial partners. These include advanced photovoltaic cells and new battery chemistries that reduce cooling requirements and fire risks in harsh conditions, as well as lithium extraction and battery recycling to ensure a stable lithium supply and enhance the Kingdom's battery sector, he added. The center conducts research on sustainable cooling technologies aimed at improving the performance of electronic devices such as solar panels and LED lights, thereby extending their lifespan, he went on to say. Additional research includes storing energy in chemical fuels and generating electricity, testing and modeling energy storage technologies, and integrating them across disciplines within the university by merging research strategies involving experts in chemistry, engineering, and software development, he revealed.
Arab News
02-08-2025
- Science
- Arab News
Salt solution boosts aqueous battery lifespan tenfold, KAUST study finds
JEDDAH: Scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology's Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies have identified a key molecular barrier preventing aqueous rechargeable batteries from becoming a safer, cost-effective option for sustainable energy storage, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, show how water shortens battery life and performance — and how adding low-cost salts such as zinc sulfate can counter this effect, extending battery life more than tenfold. 'A major factor in battery lifespan — aqueous or not — is the anode, where energy-generating chemical reactions occur. However, parasitic reactions at the anode degrade it over time,' the SPA reported. The study reveals that free water fuels these parasitic reactions, while zinc sulfate reduces free water levels, mitigating damage and improving performance. Free water refers to water molecules not strongly bonded to others, making them more reactive. This state enables them to trigger unwanted reactions that consume energy and degrade the anode, according to the SPA. 'Our findings highlight the importance of water structure in battery chemistry — a key factor that has been largely overlooked,' said Husam Alshareef, KAUST professor, center chair, and the study's principal investigator. Sulfate was found to stabilize the bonds of free water, acting as what the KAUST team describes as 'water glue,' altering water molecule dynamics to reduce parasitic reactions. Most of the KAUST team's experiments involved zinc sulfate-based batteries, but early results suggest sulfate has a similar stabilizing effect on other metal anodes. This points to a potentially universal solution for extending the lifespan of aqueous batteries. 'Sulfate salts are cheap, widely available, and chemically stable, making our solution both scientifically and economically viable,' said KAUST research scientist Yunpei Zhu, who led the experiments. Aqueous batteries are attracting global attention as a sustainable solution for large-scale energy storage, with the market reportedly projected to surpass $10 billion by 2030. Unlike the lithium batteries commonly used in electric vehicles, aqueous batteries 'offer a safer, more sustainable option for integrating renewable energy sources like solar power into electrical grids — a key goal in Saudi Arabia's energy transition,' according to the SPA's report. KAUST professors Omar Mohammed, Osman Bakr, Xixiang Zhang, and Mani Sarathy also contributed to the study.
