23 | Cullen Quine — Postdoctoral Researcher at NREL & Co-founder of Activated Energy

<p>🐝 What is &gt;100X more energy dense (33 kWh/kg) than Li-ion batteries (0.3kW/kg), and why is it so hard to store it at room temperature? What is a naturally-occurring gas that can be uniquely compressed into a non-toxic, non-flammable liquid at room temperature? And, how is beekeeping like energy storage cleantech?! To answer these questions, we're joined by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cullen-quine-491966102/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Cullen Quine</a>. He provides insights on his team's work, both as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">National Renewable Energy Laboratory</a> (NREL) and as Co-Founder of <a href="http://www.activatedenergy.net/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Activated Energy</a> (<em>unaffiliated with NREL</em>), in conversation with BioZen's CEO Nate Kirchhofer.</p><p>At NREL, Cullen's team focuses on addressing the challenges associated with hydrogen (H2) storage: H2 has low volumetric energy density as a gas, and to increase that energy density, it must be liquefied, which requires energy and an extremely cold temperature of -423°F (-253°C or 20 Kelvin). The main issue then arises during the transfer between containers: to cryogenic liquid H2, everything looks scorching hot, so it flash boils, leading to significant boil-off losses. His solution employs a solid-state material to absorb the gas as it boils off, allowing for recapture and reuse, mitigating losses. This is critical research because H2 has many advantages as a storage medium, including the separation of Power and Energy (which conventional batteries fail at), but there are not good materials for storing it at ambient temperature (where Li-ion currently shines) despite proficiency storing at both cryogenic and hot temperatures.</p><p>At Activated Energy (one of the 27 companies in CalSEED Cohort 6 along with BioZen), Cullen's team is working to revolutionize energy storage with a system based on compressed liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2). The system discharges energy by releasing the high-pressure liquid CO2 through a turboexpander and then storing it in a low pressure solid state medium. This technology may be particularly appealing for urban environments due to its safety that addresses concerns associated with deploying energy-dense devices near residential areas.</p><p>Hang around for some discussion of efficiency, market segmentation, NIMBYism, and some advice from Cullen for individuals interested in entering the renewable energy or clean tech sectors. Hint: it's all about the people!</p><p>Recorded 14 November 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>BioZen Batteries produces this show as part of the Clean Power Media Group at cleanpower.media. If you would like to interact more, please send us an email at <a href="mailto:hello@biozenbatteries.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@biozenbatteries.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, write a comment, like, follow, share, or even leave us a voice message on your favorite episodes. </p><p>If you like our content, please support production with a recurring monthly donation here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beyondlithium/support</p>