The NAIADES project, which began in January 2015 and is part of the Horizon 2020 programme, aims to develop and demonstrate the room temperature Na-ion battery under realistic conditions as an effective alternative to the Li-ion battery for stationary electric energy storage applications. The overall purpose of this project is to develop a battery technology based on the sodium ion technology for sustainable electric energy storage that would bring a radical decrease in cost with respect to the lithium ion technology while ensuring sustainability and performance in terms of safety, cycle life, and energy density. 

Apart from the ICMAB (CSIC), the project consortium is formed by many other research centers, organizations and enterprises, such as: CEA (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique aux Energies Alternatives), CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), VITO (Vlamasse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek), Chalmers University, VDE (Testing and Certification Institute), SOLVAY, SAFT, EYPESA (Estabanell y Pahisa Energia) and MAST (Carbon International).

The project meeting took place on May 29th at Charlmers University, and from May 30th to June 2nd, a 4-day Summer School aimed at PhD students, postdocs and industry researchers alike is being held. Rosa Palacín is one of the Summer School professors, and Roberta Verrelli and Enrique Irisarri attend the school. 

You can follow the NAIADES project on twitter at @Naiades_eu or visit the website http://www.naiades.eu/.