Graphene Flagship to Showcase Innovations at Enlit Europe

Graphene, with its high surface area, large electrical conductivity, light weight nature, chemical stability and high mechanical flexibility, has a key role to play in Europe’s energy transition and progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The Graphene Flagship will highlight its latest innovations in this field at Enlit Europe, a constantly growing, inclusive and end-to-end forum that brings together professionals from every corner of the energy sector. Between Nov. 29 and Dec. 1, 2022, leading stakeholders from industry, science and government will meet to discuss today’s challenges, as well as tomorrow’s opportunities. Enlit Europe will in 2022 bring together over 15,000 attendees, 700 exhibitors, and 500 speakers.

Since its inception in 2013, the Graphene Flagship has invested in energy production and storage. Among other initiatives, our industry-led spearhead projects have led to the development of a graphene-enabled solar farm and lithium-ion batteries with capacity 30% greater than that of other currently available alternatives.

Solar cells, batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen storage and fuel cells are all areas where graphene – and other layered materials – can make a difference. They could be used to produce unique, new devices or integrate into current devices to boost their performance. For example, activated graphene enables supercapacitors for energy storage and increases the lifespan, energy capacity and charge rate for lithium-ion batteries.

At Enlit Europe, the Graphene Flagship will exhibit innovations from its Spearhead Projects, which are special industry-led initiatives working to move materials from research labs towards real components and system-level integration. Among these initiatives are:
• CircuitBreakers, led by ABB and developing first-of-their-kind grease-free, maintenance-free, low-voltage circuit breakers for fault protection in key parts of the electrical grid.
• GRAPES, led by Enel Green Power and working on combining silicon solar cells with perovskite solar cells, paving the way for low-cost, highly efficient photovoltaic energy, surpassing the limits of silicon cells.

The Graphene Flagship will also exhibit innovations from international partners TU Dresden, BeDimensional and Graphene-XT, among others. These include:
• Graphene composite materials allowing for fuel savings when integrated into plane and automotive construction.
• GXT-Lube by Graphene-XT which can reduce friction, heat and wear between mechanical components. Graphene could replace some toxic and hazardous components in traditional oils and can resist severe temperature and pressure conditions.

Piero Gamarra, the Graphene Flagship’s Business Developer for energy generation and storage, added that Enlit Europe plays an important role in spreading understanding of energy challenges and solutions.

“Enlit Europe offers a live platform where projects can introduce themselves to industry,” said Gamarra.