Aziz and Gordon win Eni Award

Michael Aziz, the Gene and Tracy Sykes Professor of Materials and Energy Technologies at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Roy Gordon, the Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Materials Science, have won an Eni Award for Innovation in Energy for their research into renewable energy storage.

The Eni awards, given out by the Italian-based, multinational energy company, promote the better use of energy sources and encourage new generations of researchers.

Aziz and Gordon were awarded the Energy Frontiers prize for their work developing organic aqueous flow batteries, a new kind of battery that is particularly well suited for storing wind and solar energy for use during long periods when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. They are potentially cheaper and safer and have longer discharge durations than batteries currently available. Their batteries use molecules known as anthraquinones, which are composed of naturally abundant elements such as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, to store and release energy.

The award will be presented on October 10th, during an official ceremony held at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, attended by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.