A new laboratory at the Wisconsin Energy Institute on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus will strengthen Johnson Controls’ capabilities as the company researches and develops next-generation technology.
The partnership represents the kind of innovation Johnson Controls is developing to craft the next generation of market-leading energy storage technology.
“This partnership will help advance the energy storage industry by expanding the reach of our university research partnerships,” said Christian Rosenkranz, vice president of advanced products for Johnson Controls Power Solutions. “With the help of the UW-Madison, Johnson Controls will test cutting-edge energy storage concepts while training a new generation of engineers.”
The donation includes battery testing technology, which will allow students, faculty and engineers to study and optimize energy storage systems. The research will enable manufacturers to build systems that utilize battery power more efficiently.
“We deeply appreciate Johnson Controls’ generosity in making this suite of battery test equipment available to faculty, students, and other researchers at UW-Madison,” said Mike Corradini, director of the Wisconsin Energy Institute. “The availability of this valuable new resource represents a significant milestone in our pursuit of integrated clean energy systems and cutting-edge storage technology at the university.”
The lab, called the Johnson Controls Advanced Systems Test Lab, will support research focused on vehicular and stationary energy.
The project will team industry scientists with UW professors, graduate students and undergraduate students. It will build on UW-Madison’s strong foundation of leadership in energy, power and controls research.
The UW-Madison partnership complements Johnson Controls’ existing partnership with UW-Milwaukee. At UW-Milwaukee, Johnson Controls scientists are working with university research staff and students to develop new energy storage materials. The partnership enables students there to expand their knowledge in a test lab on campus. Once cells are clustered into energy storage solutions in the form of battery modules or systems, those systems can be tested at the new UW-Madison lab. The tests conducted at UW-Madison could come as part of the engineering development phase or final product testing phase. The lab will be equipped to test batteries both inside and outside of a vehicle.
Johnson Controls partners with universities around the world. In addition to the University of Wisconsin system universities, the company currently has partnerships with Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, Argonne National Lab, Lawrence Technological University, Ohio State University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Hannover University, Aachen University, University of Cambridge and University of Science and Technology-Beijing.
