Considered to be the father of the lithium-ion battery, 2019 Nobel laureate in Chemistry Stanley Whittingham will present "Overcoming Climate Change: The Critical Role and Challenges of Energy Storage" at 4:30 p.m. in Hill Auditorium. The event is free, open to the public and suitable for a broad audience. Note: Due to the popularity of this event, it is advised to arrive early to facilitate timely seating.

Abstract:
If North America is going to slow down climate change, it is essential that it goes to a clean sustainable energy economy. As many of the renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are intermittent it is necessary to store the energy for periods of generation outage. In addition, a clean transportation fleet requires majority conversion to electric vehicles particularly in urban areas. Lithium batteries are the dominant portable option, but they have a number of challenges in providing sustainable low cost transportation for most of us. After a description of the history of lithium batteries, I will describe some of the challenges and the resulting opportunities for all of us that will lead to a cleaner environment for our children and grandchildren.