2004

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  2004​

  ​Nanosafety​
  

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  Nanotechnology research really started to pick up speed in 2004, the year we started exploring nanosafety. As the debate around the public acceptance of nanotechnology took hold, we looked to nanomaterials—now known simply as “new materials”—to find answers to the different questions being raised. ​
  

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  2005

  High-temperature electrolysis
  

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  An internal CEA research project was initiated in 2005 to investigate different hydrogen production processes for coupling with Gen IV nuclear reactors—one of which was solid-oxide electrolysis. The technical and economic feasibility of several technologies was assessed. Solid-oxide electrolysis was deemed the best alternative, officially marking the start of our research in this area.​
  

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  ​​ ​ 2005 ​ ​

  ​National Institute for Solar Energy (INES)​
  

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  The same year, France’s main solar R&D stakeholders came together to create an institute capable of covering the entire solar value chain: INES. Together, the CEA’s silicon PV cell activity in Grenoble, its energy systems and storage activity in Cadarache, and its thin-film organic cell activity in Paris accounted for 95% of the new institute’s research. France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Construction Industry Science and Technology Center (CSTB) also joined INES. ​

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  2006

  ​Heterojunction cells​
  

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  Our research on heterojunction cells started in 2006. We obtained efficiencies of 14% on our early cells at that time. We’ve been paying close attention to our choice of materials and pushing efficiencies higher and higher ever since.​
  

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  2006

  Epicea hydrogen fuel-cell power generator​
  

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  Epicea was our first low-temperature PEMFC system featuring the CEA’s Genepac fuel-cell stack. Used as a power generator, the system could produce 2.5 kW of 230 V alternating current at a frequency of 50 Hz. Plus, the system’s innovative electrical architecture allowed direct fuel-cell-to-battery coupling without a DC/DC power converter. More than fifteen demonstrators ranging from 1 kW to 120 kW were subsequently designed and built.​
  

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  2006

  ​HIP assemblies tested at ITER

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  CEA-Liten is a center for expertise in hot isostatic pressing (HIP). What that has to do with nuclear reactors might not seem obvious at first. But HIP has been used in fusion reactor assemblies for more than four decades. This long history was marked by a major milestone in 2006 when HIP assemblies used in the ITER fusion reactor’s first wall panels were successfully tested under high thermal flux. ​
  

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  2007

  ​Carnot Energy of the Future

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  The Carnot Network is operated by France’s Higher Education and Research Ministry. Membership is awarded for a four-year renewable term. CEA-Liten earned the title of Carnot Energy of the Future Institute for its outstanding R&D on materials and processes for energy, components for hydrogen, components and systems for solar power and energy management, and micro-energy sources. Carnot is designed to help companies de-risk R&D on value-added innovations. Members of the Carnot Network receive financing from the French government according to the amount of R&D they conduct with partner companies.​
  

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  2008

  LIFePO4 scaled up​
  

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  ​The year 2008 was a major one for LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate, or LFP) technology at CEA-Liten. CEA-Liten’s LFP research began in 2000. We were one of the most advanced research institutes in the field, when we transferred our technology to phosphate manufacturer Prayon. This resulted in an attempt to commercialize LFP in the early 2010s. At the time, the whole world (except China) had abandoned LFP in favor of NMC (nickel manganese cobalt). It would take another 20 years for LFP to return to the forefront of battery R&D. ​
  

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  2009

  Herschel space telescope​
  

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  The European Space Agency’s Herschel space telescope was launched in 2009. CEA-Liten’s BraSiC brazing alloys were used to assemble some of the telescope’s massive parts. Astrium (now Airbus Defence and Space) subcontractor Boostec then scaled the brazing process up for very large industrial parts, a crucial step in ensuring the commercial success of this CEA-Liten innovation.​
  

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  2010

  Multifunctional heat exchanger/reactor​
  

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  CEA-Liten designed and developed three heat exchanger/reactor (HEX reactor) prototypes made using hot isostatic pressing (HIP), with the technology reaching maturity in 2010. Developed over a period of four years, the compact, safe HEX reactors offer high performance and cost savings. Chemical manufacturer Rhodia, for example, was able to bring synthesis down from three hours (in conventional reactors) to just minutes using the technology. This was the first HEX reactor concept developed with HIP.​
  

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  2010

  Battery lab expansion​
  

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  CEA-Liten’s battery lab installed a small (135 sq. m) anhydrous room in 2009. In 2010, the room was expanded to nearly 1,000 sq. m. The facility, unique in Europe at that time, solidly positioned CEA-Liten as a leading center for battery R&D. The year 2010 also saw the battery lab’s team grow from around 40 to around 100, making battery R&D one of CEA-Liten’s major activities.​
  

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  2012

  Magnet production line​
  

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  With magnets and, more generally, rare earth elements at the center of the transition to greener energy, CEA-Liten introduced a new magnet production line in 2012. The only facility of its kind in Europe, the magnet production line has since become one of the institute’s key resources in responding to manufacturers’ needs. The line is used to develop recycling, alternative materials, and near-net-shape manufacturing processes to reduce dependence on critical materials.​
  

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  2012

  Solar Impulse​
  

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  Our anhydrous room, fully operational, played a key role in CEA-Liten’s development of the first-ever cells to exceed 300 Wh/kg. The battery, with its innovative silicon negative electrode, provided an alternative to commercially-available batteries for Solar Impulse, a solar-powered plane. More than a decade later, the technology is still at the state of the art.​
  

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  2013

  ​Heterojunction LabFab sets new efficiency record​
  

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  CEA-Liten’s first heterojunction cell lab was built in 2008. It was in this first lab that our researchers obtained a record efficiency of 20% in 2010, positioning CEA-Liten among the world leaders. This success inspired LabFab. In 2013, LabFab’s average yield, on almost 30,000 industrially-manufactured cells, was 20%. And that was just the beginning: New records have been set year after year ever since.​
  

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  2014

  World’s first reversible electrolyzer​
  

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  We obtained efficiencies in excess of 90% on our Sydney 6 kW high-temperature electrolyzer prototype and demonstrated reversible operation (in fuel-cell mode). This was the world’s first demonstration of reversible operation on an integrated, multi-fuel system.​
  

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  2014

  Additive manufacturing​
  

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  ​​​The first half of the decade was marked by the global rise of 3D printing, or additive manufacturing. The trend was indicative of broader demand for materials- and energy-efficient manufacturing processes. CEA-Liten dove into these new technologies, launching additive manufacturing research and expanding our portfolio of materials to meet the needs of an even wider range of industries.​
  

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  2014

  New hydrometallurgical process​
  

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  We developed a new hydrometallurgical process for a France-based recycling company’s lithium-ion battery recycling needs. The novel process developed was based on the selective precipitation of transition metals. We were able to extract 95%-pure metals of interest and drastically reduce effluent volumes. The process was tested on a 5L reactor and scaled up for further testing on a pilot line.​
  

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  2015

  Na-ion batteries in the spotlight​
  

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  ​​CEA-Liten began developing the first-ever sodium-ion batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries for certain use cases. The development work built on three years of research conducted alongside CNRS with the RS2E electrochemical energy storage network. The new technology, which offers performance comparable to lithium-ion, is garnering growing interest from the market.​
  

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  2016​

  Jupiter 1000 project​
  

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  The Jupiter 1000 power-to-gas project with GRT Gaz and other partners kicked off in 2016. The project’s aim was to build and test a 1 MWel demonstrator—the first of its kind in France. Jupiter 1000 was built in the Fos-sur-Mer industrial park near Marseille, France. It produces hydrogen and synthetic methane from renewable electricity. The gases are injected into the natural gas distribution system. ​
  

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  2018

  ​Heterojunction technology transferred​
  

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  CEA-Liten signed an agreement to transfer a heterojunction technology to 3SUN, a subsidiary of Italy’s Enel Green Power. A record efficiency of 25% was obtained using the technology, which was developed over several years at our LabFab. A few years after the technology was transferred, the company announced the construction of its first PV gigafactory in Europe, which is ultimately expected to produce 3 GW of the heterojunction cells annually.​
  

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  2018

  CEA-Liten batteries in space​
  

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  We developed and qualified an innovative battery assembly process with Airbus Defence and Space for the OneWeb telecommunications satellite network. The first ten flight-qualified batteries were manufactured, tested, and shipped to Airbus Defence and Space in 2018 under the BOWIE project, with 700 more to follow. OneWeb integrated the batteries prior to the satellite launches a few months later.
  

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  2019

  ​Perovskite-on-silicon tandem cells set record​
  

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  ​​CEA-Liten and Enel Green Power (and its 3SUN subsidiary) worked together on two-terminal perovskite-on-silicon tandem cells capable of going beyond the efficiencies that can be obtained on silicon alone. A record efficiency of 23% was obtained on a PIN cell in 2019, demonstrating CEA-Liten’s expertise and marking the start of the race toward efficiencies of 30% or more on these new cell architectures.​
  

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  2019

  GEN-Z project​
  

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  CEA-Liten researchers, rally driver Cyril Desprès, explorer Mike Horn, and race car builder Vaison Sport came together on the GEN-Z rally car project. We helped create an energy train for an electric rally car for the Dakar Rally, investigating new components, designing a new CG9 bipolar plate, and developing an innovative control system to meet the vehicle’s ultra-tough robustness, range, efficiency, redundancy, dynamics, and maintainability requirements. The energy train’s excellent performance led to the creation of hydrogen fuel cell startup Inocel in 2022, making this exciting project a winner!​
  

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  2020

  RECYBAT project
  

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  ​​CEA-Liten and France-based Orano set up a strategic partnership that included a joint R&D lab on electric-vehicle lithium-ion battery recycling (RECYBAT) in 2019. The goal was to co-develop a process to recycle as much of the material in the batteries as possible. Orano’s objective is to leverage the CEA’s support to enter the battery recycling market by 2026. The company’s go-to-market plan spans the development of technologies at the laboratory scale through to the commissioning of its first recycling plant. ​
  

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  2021

  CALHIPSO* project ​
  

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  CEA-Liten has developed know-how in hot isostatic pressing (HIP), powder metallurgy, and the assembly of solid parts over nearly 40 years. In 2021 we joined the CALHIPSO* project, financed through the French government’s EQUIPEX+ instrument. The project provided a framework for experimentation, modeling, and simulation to support the development of custom HIP solutions for different industries. It is coordinated by Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté (UBFC). With a long history in nuclear and aeronautics, HIP is now making inroads into renewable energy.​
  

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  2021

  Genvia founded​
  

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  Startup Genvia was founded to accelerate the development of a reversible high-temperature solid oxide electrolyzer technology born in CEA-Liten labs in 2005. Today considered the most energy-efficient route to the affordable production of green hydrogen, the technology is expected to be scaled up for massive deployment by decade’s end. Genvia announced the ramp-up of its gigafactory by 2030.​
  

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  2021

  RAPACE project​
  

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  The RAPACE electric drone has a five-meter wingspan and is powered by hydrogen. This 100% French invention was developed jointly by the CEA, the Ecole de l'Air et de l'Espace, and drone manufacturer Atechsys. It offers excellent range and can fly at low altitude in all weather conditions. The project started in 2022, and the drone’s successful maiden flight took place the following year.​
  

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  2022

  Inocel founded​
  

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  The GEN-Z hydrogen-powered electric rally car project in 2019 led to the creation of hydrogen startup Inocel, backed by explorer Mike Horn, in 2022. Some 30 researchers worked on the technology for two years, filing fifteen patents, ultimately licensed to Inocel. At the time, GEN-Z project partners Horn and rally driver Cyril Desprès naturally turned to fuel-cell leader CEA-Liten to establish a new state of the art in power-to-volume. With Inocel, the focus has shifted from road to maritime vehicles. The startup recently unveiled Poséidon, a boat that will be used for research and development while racing off the coast of Monaco. ​
  

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  2022

  DistrictLab-H project
  

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  Launched in 2022, the DistrictLab-H project, which led to the development of DistrictLab-HTM software, leveraged CEA-Liten research on district heat network optimization dating back to 2013. The purpose of this exciting project was to create digital twins of different kinds of plants and equipment to support the decarbonization of heat networks. Initially incubated by the CEA’s Magellan startup program, the DistrictLab company was founded in 2023.​
  

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  2022

  Magnolia project
  

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  The Magnolia magnet project with CEA-Liten partners Orano, Valeo, Paprec, and Daimantel France started in 2022. This ambitious initiative will help build a domestic NdFeB magnet manufacturing and recycling industry—deemed essential to the energy transition—in France. The project partners will optimize manufacturing processes, reduce the use of critical rare earth elements, and implement circular economy principles to support sustainable, competitive magnet manufacturing in Europe.​
  

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  2022

  Gazhyvert 2 project​
  

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  CEA-Liten and French gas utility GRDF kicked off the Gazhyvert 2 project in 2022 to continue to support the emergence of a domestic hydrothermal conversion industry in France. The partners are setting up a research program to investigate the cost-competitive conversion of competition-free wet biomass into renewable natural gas. And, with the research results expected to be ready by mid-2025, the project will soon deliver on its promises.​
  

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  2022

  ​Heliup founded​
  

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  Startup Heliup officially left the CEA’s incubation program in 2022. The company is developing and commercializing ultra-lightweight, easy-to-install rooftop solar panels designed specifically for the structural limitations of metal-framed buildings. The panels can satisfy between 15% and 100% of a building’s electricity needs.​
  

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  2023

  Orthoradial methanation reactor research continues
  

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  The Jupiter 1000 power-to-gas project broke new ground in methanation reactor technology back in 2016. The year 2023 was marked by a second generation of orthoradial methanation reactors based on a technology in the works at CEA-Liten since 2012, when we laid the foundations for our research in the field. ​
  

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  2023

  Partnership with Vitesco​
  

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  Vitesco is a key CEA-Liten partner in the race to commercialize more compact, efficient automotive batteries. The partnership was set up to drive innovation around dynamic cell-by-cell management (for extended vehicle range and faster fast charging) and reconfigurable batteries with a single, converter-free architecture encompassing all functions (for longer battery service life). The technology developed was transferred to Vitesco in 2023 for integration into electric vehicles.​
  

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  2023

  Partnership with Renault​
  

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  CEA-Liten’s partnership with Renault spans several projects, including a promising bidirectional electric vehicle charger designed to respond to vehicle-to-grid connectivity challenges. The ultra-compact charger (five times smaller than a conventional charger) was developed over three years of research and is protected by eleven patents. Electric vehicles equipped with the charger can plug into any type of socket. We worked with Renault to develop a new electronic power converter architecture for the charger, which could be in Renault vehicles by decade’s end.​
  

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  2023

  ​PERSEE software
  

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  CEA-Liten’s PERSEE software, released in 2023, overcame the limitations of our Odyssey software. The entire approach to systems modeling was overhauled, making PERSEE a broader, more comprehensive, and more accurate solution. Plus, PERSEE leverages more detailed models and more realistic energy demand forecasts to generate a more faithful representation of the system.​
  

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  2023

  ​Record efficiency for perovskite-on-silicon tandem cells​
  

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  Our perovskite-on-silicon PIN cells with shading correction achieved a record efficiency of 28.7%, breaking the record of 23% set with Enel Green Power (and its 3SUN subsidiary) in 2019. The new record-breaking efficiency was obtained on an active surface area of almost 9 cm². Most of the records in the international literature are for an active surface area of 1 cm².​
  

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  2024

  ​SolReed founded​
  

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  SolReed, previously incubated by the CEA’s startup program, was officially created in 2024. The company is developing and commercializing repair and monitoring solutions plus an original maintenance process to extend the service life of solar panels. The newly-created company also signed a partnership in 2024 with leading French solar energy company ENGIE Green, which will supply several hundred defective solar panels from different manufacturers.​
  

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