Establishment of the NBTC
Funded by the Future Battery Industries CRC (FBICRC), the NBTC is the emerging national facility at QUT that Australia will require for standardised and application-based testing, validation and certification of battery energy storage systems (BESS). The facility contributes to Australian battery standards development and assists in advancing the technology readiness level (TRL) of developing battery technologies for deployment of functional BESS solutions within Australia.
The NBTC actively supports and enables Queensland battery industries through commercially relevant, results-driven collaborations co-located with industry partners and centred around the generation of high-quality data for practical outcomes. The NBTC’s industry collaboration model facilitates cross-training and expertise sharing of skilled workers across multiple interrelated projects and disciplines enabling real-world research, development and deployment (RD&D) solutions for Queensland’s energy storage requirements. The current core capabilities of the NBTC include:
A battery cell/module/pack and systems testing facility for validation and non-destructive safety testing of all types of energy storage devices such as lithium-ion batteries (LIB) and vanadium/iron redox flow batteries (RFB). Consisting of dedicated battery testing units, specialised test fixtures, environmental chambers and advanced testing protocols, this facility enables Australian manufacturers to rapidly develop safe and reduced-cost market-ready BESS products within Queensland.
A renewable energy Battery Testing Microgrid (BTM) powered by a 100 kW roof-top solar PV array. The BTM provides testing, validation and standards compliance services for a diverse range of large-scale BESS under real-world operational conditions.
