Flexible screen-printed batteries may be the way forward for renewable energy thanks to a joint project between The University of Queensland and the University of New South Wales.

The technology behind new ultra-thin, energy storage devices was on display today for Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Senator Arthur Sinodinos.

Senator Sinodinos’s visit follows a $2 million commitment from the Federal Government toward an industry partnership led by Printed Energy Pty Ltd.

The successful Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-P) bid will support a research team led by UQ Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering and Innovation Director Professor Chris Greig and Professor Lianzhou Wang from UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.

Printed Energy’s batteries are a thin, flexible format – printed in a roll-to-roll process like a newspaper – that can be adapted to almost any shape, with potential to eventually power everything from disposable medical devices, smart cards and wearable electronics, even to larger-scale power storage.

 “This technology represents not just an opportunity for us to be involved in cutting-edge science and innovation, but presents a real opportunity for the next generation of Australian manufacturing,” Professor Greig said.

“Our mission is to foster and facilitate advances in science and engineering which are technologically, economically and socially sustainable.

“This project fits the bill perfectly and the range of applications is probably only limited by our imagination.”

Printed Energy is backed by energy innovator and philanthropist Trevor St Baker, founder of ERM Power and creator of the St Baker Energy Innovation Fund.

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