Europe’s budget is investing in cutting-edge materials for a healthier, smarter future.
The Graphene Flagship is unlocking the potential of graphene and other 2D materials, enabling innovations for Parkinson’s treatment, safer flights with de-icing systems, and next-generation batteries and solar panels.
Europe invests where it matters, to make a difference for 450 million Europeans.
@EUCommission We don't need new materials for a healthier future. Getting rid of sources of microplastics would be a good start.
@csepp @EUCommission What? We *very much do* need better and cheaper batteries because renewable energy is intermittent.
@csepp @EUCommission Batteries are needed because sun doesn't shine at night and our energy usage patterns don't align with sun intensity during the day. Here's a simple explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-k5uS7ALXk
It's not a "magic solution". Grid storage is necessary if we want to completely remove fossil fuels, unless you want to build thousands of nuclear power plants worldwide.
@elgregor @EUCommission Are new materials needed for grid storage or is energy density less of a problem for stationary batteries? Are usage patterns immutable?
@csepp @EUCommission AFAIK the main problems are cost, materials, longevity, and efficiency. Today the main problem with graphene is its high cost. Developing ways to produce it cheaper would bring down the cost of energy storage (directly through cheaper graphene-using batteries, but also through those batteries having better properties).
As to energy usage patterns, you can adjust them somewhat, but in the end you'll still need grid storage.
@elgregor @EUCommission Or we could consume less electricity. We wouldn't need so many batteries either if our infrastructure wasn't so centered around cars. I'm just saying, there are *much* easier ways to make us healthier *right now*. Ones that don't rely on whatever fancy new "right around the corner" tech someone is trying to sell to us that promise to magically solve all our problems without having to make any hard political decisions. See: fusion, AGI, carbon nanotubes.
Sadly the EU seems to not be immune to industry lobbying either.