Head: Energy Storage Innovation Laboratory, University of the Western Cape
Prof. Bladergroen, a former student at the University of Twente in the Netherlands joined the South African Institute for Advanced Materials Chemistry University at the Western Cape (UWC) in 1998 as a PhD student and was appointed as research manager for industrial contract research in 2005, overlooking a wide portfolio of projects including H2 production, H2 separation, H2 storage and H2 fuel cells. Since 2015 he is heading the Energy Storage Innovation Laboratory (ESIL), home to the only Li-ion battery assembly pilot plant on the African continent capable of producing cylindrical cells and pouch cells in a semi-automated fashion. Recently, his R&D focus shifted towards pack design, assembly and implementation. For the last few years Bladergroen is the coordinator for the national flagship programme on Energy Storage funded by the DSI.