Battery Research Centre Will Supercharge B.C.’s Clean-Energy Innovation
August 1, 2024
The Province is contributing $2 million through its Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) fund to establish a battery innovation centre at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus (UBCO).
This cutting-edge facility will focus on research and development of new battery technologies, advancing B.C.’s battery supply-chain sector and growing the Okanagan region’s role as a battery and critical-mineral hub.
“The battery innovation centre is a monumental step forward for British Columbia’s clean-energy transition, demonstrating the quality, leading-edge work emerging from the sector,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. “People and industry are increasingly relying on battery-powered devices for cellphones, electric vehicles, medical equipment and more. This project will see multiple benefits, opening up new research and development opportunities and creating quality jobs for British Columbians.”
The battery innovation centre will be the first of its kind in Western Canada, serving as a critical hub for testing and scaling up next-generation battery technologies that have the potential to offer increased energy density, higher safety, and lower-cost alternatives to lithium-ion batteries.
In addition, the centre will support regional economic development through the battery sector’s circular supply chain, incorporating battery recycling and metal processing in the Kootenay region, battery manufacturing in the Lower Mainland, and critical mineral mining throughout B.C. Locally available materials, such as sulphur from mining and oil refineries, and tellurium recycled from smelting wastes, will be used to reduce the reliance on overseas critical minerals and support domestic production.
“We are grateful to the government of B.C. for this significant investment in the Battery Innovation Centre,” said Lesley Cormack, principal, UBC Okanagan. “Effective energy storage is a critical element of a low-carbon energy future and the work of our research team has already improved Canada’s battery supply chain. This investment will elevate that work even further by providing the necessary space to create and test battery prototypes on a larger scale.”
B.C.’s $2-million investment will go toward construction and equipment costs for a 2,000-square-foot pilot pouch cell facility within the battery innovation centre. The facility will produce commercial-scale pouch cells for use in medical devices and other applications.
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Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Monashee –
“This $2-million investment through our Innovative Clean Energy fund to establish the Battery Innovation Centre at UBC Okanagan is so great for our region. This centre will be instrumental in advancing battery technology, potentially doubling the energy density of lithium-ion batteries while enhancing safety and reducing costs. This initiative will position UBC Okanagan and the region as a hub of battery innovation, driving economic growth.”
Quick Facts:
- As a project that strengthens B.C.’s existing battery and critical-mineral sector in the Okanagan region, the battery innovation centre supports B.C.’s Critical Mineral Strategy and the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030.
- The battery innovation centre will be part of the University of B.C. Okanagan’s Cleantech Hub, which was established with federal government funding in 2021 to support academic-industry collaborations.
- The innovators behind ICE Fund projects are on the leading edge, building connections, developing and demonstrating technology that will help B.C. transition to a low-carbon economy.
- Since 2008, the ICE Fund has committed approximately $114 million to support pre-commercial clean-energy technology projects, clean-energy vehicles, research and development, and energy-efficiency programs.
