BEACONS, battery work earn bigger spot on national stage

As artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and other emerging technologies increase demand for electricity, the nation needs new ways to store energy and manage the flow of electricity to keep the power grid reliable.

The University of Texas at Dallas’ Batteries and Energy to Advance Commercialization and National Security (BEACONS) center is helping to advance next-generation battery technologies and encourage U.S. manufacturing through research, industry partnerships and workforce development.

“As energy storage and power electronics are increasingly necessary for a reliable, affordable power grid, UT Dallas’ innovations and graduates will help support a growing, vibrant domestic supply chain for these critical grid components,” said Eric Hsieh, deputy assistant secretary for systems and standards in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity.

Hsieh and officials from the DOE and its national research laboratories visited UT Dallas and BEACONS as part of the Office of Electricity’s Energy Storage Program Annual Meeting and Peer Review, which drew about 300 engineers and other visitors to campus July 27-30.

During the meeting, BEACONS personnel showcased a battery prototyping facility, which opened in 2025, and highlighted the center’s growing role in advancing battery manufacturing and energy storage research. UT Dallas and Sandia National Laboratories officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on research in energy storage, power systems and other technologies that support a reliable electric grid.

“By providing a ready-made, lab-to-university collaboration structure, the MOU helps expertise, ideas and connections accelerate through the research, development and commercialization pathway,” Hsieh said.

The partnership with Sandia builds on BEACONS’ efforts to connect university research with national energy priorities.

“We want to work with Sandia National Laboratories to address emerging areas in grid systems, reliability and energy storage and to leverage our capabilities with BEACONS,” said Dr. Babu Chalamala, professor of materials science and engineering and of electrical and computer engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.

“Batteries, especially lithium batteries, are critical for so many things we depend on including electronics, electric vehicles and supporting the grid and data centers,” said Chalamala, who holds the Jonsson School Distinguished Chair and previously was a senior scientist at Sandia.

BEACONS is supported by a $30 million award from the Department of Defense to develop and commercialize new battery technologies and manufacturing processes, enhance the domestic availability of critical raw materials, and train high-quality workers for jobs in an expanding energy storage workforce.

Key partners include LEAP Manufacturing, a consortium of energy storage companies; AUI (Associated Universities Inc.); the University of California, Berkeley; and the University of Chicago. 

Since its launch in 2023, BEACONS has expanded collaborations and research efforts to strengthen the U.S. energy supply chain, including:

• Opening the 15,000-square-foot battery prototype and commercialization facility to help researchers and industry partners scale battery technologies, test manufacturing processes and accelerate the transition from laboratory discoveries to commercial applications.
• Establishing a partnership with the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratories to collaborate on research to accelerate U.S. battery innovation and strengthen domestic supply chains for battery manufacturing.
• Expanding workforce development efforts through partnerships with community colleges and specialized energy storage education programs to prepare workers for positions in the industry.

In a recent Nature Communications study, UT Dallas researchers developed a durable catalyst that could improve hydrogen production by replacing expensive platinum-based materials with a lower-cost alternative. The catalyst exceeded the DOE’s performance targets for efficiency and durability, demonstrating its potential for large-scale hydrogen production.

The corresponding authors of the study are Dr. Kyeongjae Cho, BEACONS director and professor of materials science and engineering; Dr. Guoping Xiong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; and Dr. Dewen Hou of Argonne National Laboratories.

These and other collaborations help position BEACONS as a leader in the growing effort to strengthen the nation’s energy storage infrastructure, Cho said.

“BEACONS is a driving force in advancing the development of a U.S. battery manufacturing ecosystem centered in North Texas and connected with battery companies across the U.S. and allied countries,” he said.