Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (ECD, Rochester Hills, MI) announced that the US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a new $750,000 cost-shared grant to Sovlux Battery, ECD's US-Russian joint venture with the Chepetsky Mechanical Plant in Glazov, Russia, and the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy for the further development of ECD's proprietary metal-hydride technology to provide clean energy for the Russian market.
The grant was awarded under the DOE's Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention program, which provides funding to employ scientists and engineers, formerly engaged in the production of metal alloys for nuclear weapons, in the pre-production and qualification of materials for use in nickel-metal-hydride batteries for a wide range of applications, including hybrid-electric vehicles and electric scooters. A variation of the materials may be used for hydrogen storage systems.
Stanford Ovshinsky, ECD's president and CEO, said, “This award will help to convert Russia's previously large nuclear weapons industry to build new, needed industries for clean energy production. It will also contribute to US economic growth, US-Russian scientific collaboration, a safer and more sustainable energy future, and reduction of environmental pollution and greenhouse gases.”
