UK center gets grant for energy storage studies

Lexington Herald Leader

The University of Kentucky has been awarded a grant of nearly $1.2 million for its work on energy storage technologies.

UK's Center for Applied Energy Research received the grant Wednesday from E.ON AG of Dusseldorf, Germany.

E.ON U.S. owns and operates Kentucky Utilities Co. and Louisville Gas and Electric Co.

The announcement came at the first Energizing Kentucky conference in Louisville. The event is sponsored by UK, the University of Louisville and Centre and Berea colleges.

UK is among 10 international universities and institutes that won a total of $9.4 million in grants in the 2007 E.ON International Research Initiative competition.

"We need to continue to push for innovative energy solutions and it's nice to have a worldwide leader in the type of research right here in Kentucky," Paul W. Thompson, senior vice president for E.ON U.S. in Louisville, said in a UK release.

The UK center studied how to store energy using carbon electrochemical capacitors. These work rapidly and can discharge energy through hundreds of thousands of cycles. Carbon capacitors have far greater life, are more efficient and require less maintenance than batteries.

UK won a $1.5 million E.ON grant in 2006 for clean-coal research.