NSF Engines: Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine

NSF引擎奖授予纽约州北部的能源储存引擎将解决整个电池技术价值链，以建立一个以技术为基础的、行业驱动的创新中心。电池技术的开发和部署涉及多组件分布式供应链。NSF引擎将涵盖电池生命周期，涵盖材料、组件、电池、模块、组件、系统管理、工业应用和回收，每一步都有行业合作伙伴的保护。NSF发动机将解决行业和技术层面的挑战，包括材料采购和回收、电池部件创新、安全测试和认证、试生产、应用程序集成和劳动力培训。行业和社区响应的NSF引擎计划将催化高科技研发成果，扩大参与以构建包容性创新生态系统，并推动地区和国家层面的公平经济发展。该引擎将利用来自经济发展管理局和NSF的变革性投资以及NSF引擎合作伙伴的集体能力，将纽约州北部新兴的电池生态系统定位为该行业的国际领先企业，推动美国电池创新和供应链弹性。纽约州北部储能引擎服务区由纽约州西部、中部、南部和指湖地区的27个县组成，横跨小城市和以农村为主的地区，拥有400多万居民和100多个联邦指定的机会区。该地区经历了数十年的经济低迷，有30%的农村社区和28%的环境正义社区。NSF引擎利用了一个庞大的核心合作伙伴生态系统，其中包括R1大学(宾厄姆顿大学、康奈尔大学、罗切斯特理工学院、锡拉丘兹大学和布法罗大学)、主要行业合作伙伴(包括BAE、Raymond、Li-Cycle、iM3NY、NYSEG、伊莱瓦亚、柯达等)、该地区的许多中小型制造商、行业贸易组织(包括纽约电池和能量存储技术联盟-NY-BEST)、孵化器和投资者(包括Launch NY和IncubatorWorks)以及劳动力发展合作伙伴(包括BOCES、纽约州立大学康宁社区学院、纽约州立大学布鲁姆社区学院、詹姆斯敦社区学院、绿色力量)。这种多元化的合作伙伴联盟将是研发、翻译和劳动力发展努力的核心。确定的受使用启发的研发的关键领域是与行业合作伙伴、国家实验室和联邦机构进行的广泛讨论。这些领域包括材料采购和加工方面的创新、替代化学和下一代电池技术、改进的计量、电池制造工艺创新、材料回收和循环利用以及安全和测试。所有这些研究努力都旨在开发跨越式创新，以支持国内电池生产，减少对非国内供应链的依赖。锂电池的生产依赖于国内供应面临中断风险的关键矿物，而且在活性材料的加工和关键电池部件的生产方面还存在重大差距；这些差距突出表明需要制定替代办法，例如采用新材料和替代材料，以及改进生产线计量，以减少制造过程中的浪费。材料回收和再循环以及替代化学的发展可以减少对关键矿物的需求和对不稳定的外国供应链的依赖。最后，随着安全和测试问题在电池开发和生产的各个层面上至关重要，NSF引擎将采用整体设计方法来提高电池系统的安全性，并具有系统规模的测试能力。纽约州北部的能源存储引擎提供了从实验室到市场的全面技术转换计划，从行业知情的研发开始，通过风险启动和增长、概念验证、原型制作、试点项目、规模和外部资金的商业开发来过渡技术开发。具体地说，NSF引擎将为早期区域初创企业提供GAP赠款，用于早期开发原型工作，以及支持包括知识产权在内的风险开发需求。NSF发动机将提供一整套地区性研发、测试和试生产基础设施，以支持不同阶段的电池开发。纽约州北部能源储存引擎与行业合作伙伴密切合作，以确定技能和培训需求，并与劳动力发展组织一起制定劳动力发展的全面计划，以支持这一重要行业。NSF引擎将在所有级别扩展STEM教育和劳动力发展，以培养熟练的技术人员、工程师和企业家，以支持行业的预期增长以及电池创新的开发和部署。劳动力发展的努力范围从下一代大学前；到本科生、研究生和博士后；再到现有劳动力的重新技能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF Engines award to the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine will address the entire battery technology value chain to establish a tech-based, industry-driven innovation hub. Battery technology development and deployment involves multicomponent distributed supply chains. The NSF Engine will cover the battery lifecycle spanning materials, components, cells, modules, packs, system management, industrial applications, and recycling, with industry partners secured along each step. The NSF Engine will address industry- and technology-level challenges including material sourcing and recovery, battery component innovation, safety testing and certification, pilot manufacturing, applications integration, and workforce training. The industry- and community-responsive NSF Engine programs will catalyze high-tech R&D outcomes, broaden participation to build an inclusive innovation ecosystem, and drive equitable economic development at the regional and national levels. The Engine will leverage transformational investments from the Economic Development Administration and the NSF and the collective capacity of NSF Engine partners to position Upstate New York’s emerging battery ecosystem as an international leader in the sector, powering American battery innovation and supply chain resiliency.The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine service region comprises 27 counties in Western, Central, Southern Tier, and Finger Lakes Regions of the state of New York spanning micropolitan and majority-rural areas with more than 4 million residents and more than 100 federally designated Opportunity Zones. The region has suffered from decades of economic downturn and has 30% rural and 28% environmental justice communities.The NSF Engine leverages a large ecosystem of core partners that includes R1 universities (Binghamton University, Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, and University of Buffalo), major industry partners (including BAE, Raymond, Li-Cycle, iM3NY, NYSEG, Electrovaya, Kodak and others), many of the region’s small and medium manufacturers, industry trade organizations (including New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium – NY-BEST), incubators and investors (including Launch NY and IncubatorWorks), and workforce development partners (including BOCES, SUNY Corning Community College, SUNY Broome Community College, Jamestown Community College, Green Force). This diverse coalition of partners will be central to R&D, translation, and workforce development efforts.The key areas identified for use-inspired R&D were shaped by extensive discussions with industry partners, National Laboratories, and Federal agencies. These areas include innovations in material sourcing and processing, alternative chemistries and next-generation battery technologies, improved metrology, battery manufacturing process innovation, material recovery and recycling, and safety and testing. All these research thrusts are aimed at developing leapfrog innovations to bolster domestic battery production and reduce dependence on non-domestic supply chains. Lithium battery production depends upon critical minerals whose domestic supply is at risk for disruption, and there are further major gaps in the processing of active materials and production of key battery components; these gaps underscore the need to develop alternative approaches, such as introduction of new and alternative materials, as well as improved metrology in production lines to reduce waste in manufacturing. Material recovery and recycling, as well as the development of alternative chemistries, can reduce the need for critical minerals and dependence on unstable foreign supply chains. Finally, with safety and testing issues critical at various levels of battery development and production, the NSF Engine will pursue a holistic design approach to improving battery system safety, with system-scale testing capabilities.The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine provides a comprehensive technology translation plan from lab to market that starts with industry-informed R&D and transitions technology development through venture launch and growth, proof-of-concept, prototyping, to pilot projects, scaling, and commercial development with external funding. Specifically, the NSF Engine will provide support for early-stage regional startups with gap grants for early development prototyping efforts, as well as for venture development needs including intellectual property. The NSF Engine will provide a comprehensive suite of regional R&D, testing, and pilot production infrastructure to support battery development at various stages. The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine has worked closely with industry partners to identify skills and training needs, and with workforce development organizations to develop a comprehensive plan for workforce development to support this important industry. The NSF Engine will expand STEM education and workforce development across all levels to deliver skilled technicians, engineers, and entrepreneurs to support the projected growth of the industry and the development and deployment of battery innovations. Workforce development efforts span from next-generation pre-college; to undergrad, grad, and postdoc; to reskilling of existing workforce.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.