REG - Gelion PLC - £2.5m Australian Government Grant awarded

GelionAnnouncement

18/12/2024 16:30

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RNS Number : 6408Q  Gelion PLC  18 December 2024

18 December 2024

Gelion plc

("Gelion" or the "Company" or the "Group")

 

£2.5m Australian Government Grant awarded for lithium sulfur cell production
testing and validation with partners

 

Gelion (AIM: GELN), the Anglo-Australian battery innovator, has been awarded a
c.£2.5m (A$4.8m) grant by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency ("ARENA") as
matched funding to implement its Advanced Commercial Prototyping Centre
("ACPC") Project ("Project") in Sydney. The ACPC Project will enable the Group
to produce and optimise its next generation GEN 3 Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) and
Silicon Sulfur (Si-S) battery technologies and provide these for test and
validation by prospective global partners and customers.  The Project will
commence upon Gelion securing its appropriate co-funding.

Gelion has achieved 402 Wh/kg (gravimetric energy density) in a 12 Ah Li-S
pouch cell which is over 60% higher than traditional lithium-ion. This makes
Gelion's light-weight sulfur battery technologies well suited for high growth
applications such as electric aviation, electric vehicles and specific
stationary energy storage, such as remote power supply.

ARENA's funding will enable Gelion to accelerate its pathway to scale
production and revenue, with the ACPC Project targeted to deliver:

§     Production of c. 2000 Li-S and Si-S cells p.a. for validation with
potential commercial offtake partners, toward revenue generation

§      Building out key global supply chain partners to underpin
commercial scale up

§     Third party certification of Gelion sulfur battery safety

§    Advanced manufacturing methods to create efficiencies when scaling up
production (e.g. Gelion's unique in-situ-assembly approach to sustainable
electrode production giving Gelion a strong advantage in reducing production
costs and carbon footprint)

During this Project, Gelion will aim to successfully validate its products
with partners and then seek to scale up production to match offtake demand.
Gelion plans to work closely with ARENA regarding potential commercial scale
up grant funding opportunities in the future.

The ACPC Project aligns with ARENA's strategic priority to improve the
economics of energy storage through the use of novel battery chemistries. It
also has alignment with the Battery Breakthrough Initiative, which was
announced by the Australian Government in the 2024-25 Budget to promote the
development of battery manufacturing capabilities.

Gelion CEO John Wood said "We are really grateful to ARENA for their support
of this important project.

Australia has developed a small but strong community of battery innovators
attaining global recognition.  Gelion is part of this community, and this
program is key to our own growth and also will continue to develop battery
technology development and commercialisation capabilities in Australia.

Gelion aims to deliver both strong commercial returns and impact success by
unlocking the breakthrough performance possible with sulfur battery cathode
technology.  Sulfur offers an early path to commercialisation in applications
that benefit from lighter batteries, and we also seek to build on the
advantages of its low cost, abundance, and local geographic availability to
help attain the full scale of energy storage needed for the clean energy
transition.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said: "The project will drive the next generation of
battery technology, delivering more efficient, less expensive and more
sustainable energy storage solutions. Energy storage is a critical component
in the clean energy transition, and this project which aims to demonstrate the
potential of alternative battery chemistries, could be a game changer. The
clean energy transition is dependent on batteries for energy storage and
transport. It is therefore critical that we explore and commercialise
innovations that make batteries perform better through improved energy density
and at a reduced cost. "

 

CONTACTS

 Gelion plc                                                        via Alma

 John Wood, CEO

 Amit Gupta, CFO

 Cavendish Capital Markets Limited (Nominated Adviser and Broker)  +44 20 7220 0500
 Neil McDonald / Seamus Fricker / Adam Rae (Corporate Finance)

 Louise Talbot (Sales)

 Alma Strategic Communications (Financial PR Adviser)              +44 20 3405 0205

 Justine James / Hannah Campbell / Will Ellis Hancock              gelion@almastrategic.com (mailto:gelion@almastrategic.com)

 

About Gelion

Gelion ("gel: ion") is a global energy storage innovator, supporting the
transition to a more sustainable economy by commercialising two globally
important next generation technologies: Lithium-Sulfur (LiS) and Zinc-based
(Zn) hybrid cells to electrify mobile and stationary applications. Gelion plc
(the Group) is listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment
Market and wholly owns Australia based Gelion Technologies Pty Ltd and UK
based OXLiD Ltd. Gelion is designing and delivering innovative battery
technologies and integrated systems solutions to enable that transition and
return value for its customers and investors.

Lithium Sulfur

Gelion's effort is directed at the potential for the Li-S chemistry to deliver
double the gravimetric energy density of standard Lithium-ion chemistries
whilst concurrently reducing cost and increasing safety, targeting the EV and
e-aviation market, helping to make global transport, energy consumption and
storage more sustainable.

Gelion is developing a Lithium Sulfur cell product at its expanded R&D
facilities in Australia and UK, enabling it to integrate with a variety of
anodes ranging from graphite to silicon to lithium metal, depending on the
targeted application.

Gelion's GEN 3 cell is unlocking the potential of sulfur batteries for a wide
range of global mobile applications including electrical
vertical-take-off-and-landing (eVTOL), drone markets, electric vehicles (EVs)
and stationary energy storage (ESS).

Gelion's GEN 3 Lithium Sulfur

·       High energy density - Energy density > 400 Wh/kg, when
using a 10+ Ah pouch cell.

·       Semi-solid-state as a route to increased longevity/cycle life:
GEN 3 employs a semi-solid-state mechanism, maintaining the sulfur-based
cathode materials in the cathode, preventing their diffusion into the
electrolyte and diminishing associated battery degradation caused by reactive
polysulfides. This approach mitigates the major degradation factor associated
with conventional Li-S technology.

·       Increased sulfur utilisation: GEN 3 demonstrates the full
theoretical capacity of sulfur, i.e. a much higher sulfur utilisation than
found in conventional Li-S approaches.

·       In-Situ Cathode Composite Synthesis: The innovative cathode is
produced by mixing commercially available materials with abundant sulfur using
a low-energy, room-temperature process, with potential to eliminate the need
for pre-fabrication of the sulfur composite (sulfur composite is related to
cathode active material in conventional lithium-ion batteries), streamlining
the associated supply chain and production process and enabling localised
manufacturing.

·       Environmental and economic benefits: The cathode production
process is water-based and occurs under standard-atmosphere, eliminating the
need for toxic solvents, leading to significant cost savings and enhanced
manufacturability.

Glossary

 Ah                                                              Ampere hours. A measure of capacity stored in the cell. The larger the number
                                                                 the higher the capacity.
 Energy density (Wh/kg)                                          The ratio of energy stored per unit weight i.e. Watt-hours per kilogram. The
                                                                 higher the number the lighter the battery.
 Pouch cell                                                      An industry standard format of a battery which comprises a flat pouch-shaped
                                                                 design with a multi-layered laminate structure.
 Semi solid-state as a route to increased longevity/cycle life:  Gelion's Advanced Lithium Sulfur technology employs a semi-solid-state
                                                                 mechanism, maintaining the sulfur-based cathode materials in the cathode,
                                                                 preventing their diffusion into the electrolyte and diminishing associated
                                                                 battery degradation caused by reactive polysulfides. This approach mitigates
                                                                 the major degradation factor associated with conventional Li-S technology.

 

Zinc

Gelion is adapting its zinc technology to comprise an alternate cathode
technology, a zinc hybrid cell to develop complementary next-generation
batteries for the lead-acid eco-system. Early testing indicates that this
solution has the potential to maintain good energy density levels with
enhanced cost and safety aspects. Once fully developed, Gelion intends for our
zinc technology to provide a durable and sustainable market extension within
the ecosystem that supports lead-acid batteries.

Recycling

Gelion is pioneering an innovative battery recycling technology designed to
enhance and supplement current recycling methods. Our technology aims to
significantly reduce the initial costs of recycling plants, minimize waste,
and lower carbon emissions, while improving the purity of metal products and
enabling efficient lithium extraction. This advancement will allow for a
broader range of scrap materials to be recycled. Currently in the feasibility
stage, Gelion is committed to advancing our technology to a pilot-scale
demonstration, paving the way for commercialisation through material
production and IP licensing.

Integration Solutions

Gelion leverages its significant integration and BMS capability to deliver
bespoke BESS for Australian customers. These BESS are currently based on
lithium-ion technology and will also include Gelion's next-generation
batteries as these become available. Gelion will deploy BESS with our
proprietary cloud-based battery monitoring system, which will provide
real-time diagnostics and alerts to maximise performance and return on
investment for our customers.

 

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