Quantum Graphite’s joint venture partner, Sunlands Co has received its first patent grant for its thermal battery technology by the South African Patent Office. The company utilises Quantum’s flake graphite within its thermal energy storage cells that are part of the developing ‘long-duration energy storage’ sector that has been touted to form a key pillar in delivering stability and flexibility to energy grids increasingly dependent on renewable power.
Quantum is looking to develop thermal energy storage battery cells utilising graphite obtained from its Uley deposit on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia through a joint venture with Sunlands and the company’s first patent could serve as a major shot in the arm for the JV partners.
The duo says the high-purity natural flake graphite found at Uley is important for Sunlands' downstream processing and technologies required to develop thermal energy storage, or “TES” cells. TES cells are devices that temporarily store energy to be used for power generation later. They can be used to balance fluctuating energy demand caused by the changeable nature of renewable energy generation.
Wind and solar power generation is generally inconsistent and it is thought these systems could benefit from the flexibility and stability provided by TES batteries.
Quantum Graphite hit the headlines recently after its stock price skyrocketed over 200 percent following the company’s return to the ASX after a 15-month sabbatical. It now intends to intensify its graphite hunt to complement its recently revised Uley 2 and Uley 3 resource bases, which collectively house a massive 7.2 million tonnes of 10.5 percent Total Graphitic Carbon, or "TGC."
The company is presently focused on expanding its resource base and plans to explore a 75-square-kilometer exploration licence located directly south of the Uley deposits. Quantum says several major and secondary electromagnetic targets have been established at the licence, including what it believes could be an extension of the Uley 2 deposit.
The company intends to fire up the drill rig and target southern extensions of Uley 2 as part of a revised exploration play across its South Australian landholdings. It is also seeking to lift Uley 3's inferred resource to the higher confidence indicated category through an infill drilling program.
Quantum already has its foot on plenty of graphite at its Uley deposits and with its first patent under its belt, the company’s development of thermal energy storage cells has taken a vital step forward in the global push towards a net-zero economy.
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