The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory to develop and produce new battery technology. UTD and Argonne signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as part of an effort to innovate new energy storage solutions.
The partnership comes as the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) faces a 2027 deadline to eliminate Chinese-sourced battery materials from its supply chain. Under the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, the DOD is prohibited from procuring batteries containing materials from six major Chinese companies.
Following the MOU, Argonne and UTD will share resources and research to advance the manufacturing of batteries in the U.S. Researchers from Argonne will work directly with UTD’s Batteries and Energy to Advance Commercialization and National Security (BEACONS) center.
BEACONS was launched in 2023 with a $30 million grant from the DOD to establish an Energy Storage Systems Campus. The center focuses on innovating and commercializing new battery technology, improving current manufacturing methods and strengthening the domestic supply chain. The center also trains students for future jobs in the energy storage industry.
The BEACONS facility spans 15,000 square feet and includes a 3,500-square-foot dry room kept at below 1% humidity to protect moisture-sensitive manufacturing processes. The center partners with Associated Universities Inc. and LEAP Manufacturing, a consortium of energy storage companies working to develop advanced battery technologies for both commercial and defense applications.
The partnership will help train workers for the growing battery industry. The DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory projects the battery energy storage industry will need a minimum of 130,000 additional workers nationwide by 2030, with at least 12,000 positions expected in Texas alone. UTD will collaborate with community colleges across North Texas to train technicians and engineers for both defense and commercial battery applications.
Texas currently operates 6,500 MW of utility-scale battery capacity and maintains the nation’s largest renewable energy infrastructure, according to the Energy Information Administration. The state has 42,000 megawatts of wind power and 22,000 MW of solar farms as of the end of 2024.
The UTD-Argonne partnership represents part of federal efforts to build domestic battery manufacturing capabilities ahead of the 2027 deadline for eliminating Chinese materials from defense supply chains. The university plans to partner with regional community colleges to train battery technicians and engineers for defense and commercial use.
Photo by Francesco Paggiaro from Pexels
