UTRGV partners with NVTX Energy for better power storage, more jobs

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A new partnership between the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and NVTX Energy looks to bring more jobs and better energy storage to the Valley.

The partnership is to help create sodium-ion batteries to better store electricity for Valley homes and businesses.

Chief Commercial Officer, Warren Rapp with NVTX explains these new batteries are cheaper to make because of sodium, which is easier to find and stronger than our current lithium batteries.

Its strength will better resist power outages in the Valley.

"Sodium-ion batteries, we feel, are going to be the future of battery energy storage and people wonder why. The reason being is they are much more environmentally tolerant. Which in Texas, when you have the cold spell and it knocked out half the wind farms, solar farms. The batteries that we would use, the sodium batteries, will not be susceptible to that.”

Jianzhi "James" Li with UTRGV Engineering Research says the partnership will bring even more jobs to the Valley.

"This partnership is gonna help UTRGV in external funding, and training of our students. And also establish an award-leading, battery-manufacturing operations here in the Valley.”

Li also noted overwhelming support at Tuesday's signing ceremony, from city and community leaders alike who plan to invest in their operation’s future.