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Peak Energy announces operation of first large-scale sodium ion battery in US - Energy Storage

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 2d

ESS News brings us Peak Energy's Na-ion battery go live. Focusing on the lower costs of Na-ion batteries. Here at @mcresearch.bsky.social being so close to Moss Landing, we're more interested in the possible safety advantages of Na>Li - still an open item. 🔌💡

www.ess-news.com/2025/09/26/p...

Denver-based Peak Energy claims its sodium-ion battery system offers the lowest operating cost of any energy storage technology on the market today.

www.ess-news.com

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Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 4d

Nerd post. "The U.S. company said that the novel material absorbs vibrations and has self-healing properties that repair small cracks without external intervention." Pretty cool. As I recall the Ancient Romans developed a self-healing concrete. Progress! 🔌💡

pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/09/15/d...

Dow releases new silicone gel for high voltage PV

The company said that its Dowsil EG-4175 Silicone Gel resists temperatures of up to 180 C in next-generation IGBT modules used in inverters.

Fort Lewis College Solar Initiative brings off-grid energy to Navajo Nation communities

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Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 5d

2/2 From the @durangoherald.bsky.social "Students, alumni & faculty–under the leadership of Professor Laurie Williams & first-generation FLC graduate & Diné engineer Camille Keith–have completed 15 solar installations across Navajo Nation land since 2023" 🔌💡

www.durangoherald.com/articles/for...

For some Navajo Nation families, power in the home is a luxury – not a given. Fort Lewis College’s Village Aid Project Solar Initiative is trying to change that. Students, alumni and faculty – under ...

www.durangoherald.com

Some LADWP customers can get free solar panels and battery storage. Here's how

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 5d

1/2 I'd like to end the week with 2 positive stories. As part of the state SGIP program (covered at @mcresearch.bsky.social website):"Single-family households making 80% or less than the area median income are eligible for LADWP’s new solar plus battery storage program." 🔌💡
laist.com/news/climate...

The goal of the L.A. Department of Water and Power program is to help low-income households save on their bills while boosting the power grid.

laist.com

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Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 6d

3/3 One of my favorite topics. Ryan Kennedy tells us:
"The solar array spans about two acres and is comprised of 1,200 solar modules secured to an anchoring system designed to withstand hurricane-force winds." 700KW. Don't tell you-know-who. 🔌💡

pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/10/01/f...

Florida college installs 700 kW floating solar project

Developed by D3Energy, the project is the first floating solar facility at a university in the United States. Despite increased capital investment to start a project, floating solar has advantages in ...

Solar and batteries had a record-setting, grid-stabilizing summer in…

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Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 6d

2/3 Good on ERCOT and Texas for proving "solar’s growing ability to replace fossil fuels and meet power demand in Texas, especially when the clean energy source is paired with batteries." And thanks to @kathrynkrawczyk.com for letting us know. 🔌💡

www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...?

Solar has set 17 power generation records in Texas so far this year, shoring up the grid alongside batteries as some gas plant developers step back.

www.canarymedia.com

Thacker Pass is Trump’s latest move for direct federal ownership in private companies • Nevada Current

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 6d

1/3 Since we've been talking about Lithium lately. How do you feel about nationalizing key industries? 🔌💡

nevadacurrent.com/2025/09/25/t...

The Trump administration is seeking an equity stake in Lithium Americas as it renegotiates the company’s $2.26 billion federal loan for the Thacker Pass mine project in Nevada. Reuters reported on Tue...

nevadacurrent.com

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 7d

3/3 Kurt Knutsson reports on Wisconsin's Paris Solar-Battery Park. He explains to his audience: "These batteries capture excess energy from the solar panels and release it at night, during cloudy weather, or when demand suddenly rises." More like this please. 🔌💡

www.foxnews.com/tech/wiscons...

Wisconsin unveils historic solar farm with battery storage for round-the-clock power

The new groundbreaking Paris Solar-Battery Park in Wisconsin provides renewable energy day and night by capturing excess energy from its solar panels.

www.foxnews.com

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Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 7d

2/3 Then even if you have the materials... @phoebeskok.bsky.social "the real bottleneck to building out a robust battery supply chain might not be policy, domestic content requirements or access capital. It’s the workforce." 🔌💡

pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/09/12/i...

It’s easy to announce a battery gigafactory. It’s much harder to build one

America’s battery factory buildout hinges on experienced operating teams.

Grid transformers face significant supply deficits, says Wood Mackenzie

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 7d

1/3 It's not just raw materials that can be scarce. Ryan Kennedy reporting on Wood Mackenzie predictions: "The firm expects a supply deficit of 30% for power transformers in 2025 and 10% for distribution transformers". 🔌💡

pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/08/14/g...

Power transformer supply may fall short 30% this year, while distribution transformers may reach a 10% supply deficit in 2025, said the firm.

Despite mineral's price slump, Nevada still set up for a lithium boom, officials say • Nevada Current

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 9d

3/3 "Benchmark Mineral Intelligence said average lithium fell from nearly $80K per tonne globally in December 2022 to about $10K per tonne this September." Lower Li prices mean lower battery prices but also less incentive to invest in Li mining. 🔌💡

nevadacurrent.com/2025/09/22/d...

Nevada is the only state in the nation that can deliver on every phase of the lithium life cycle – from mining to recycling. Industry experts in the state say that selling point has the potential to m...

nevadacurrent.com

The steel supply crunch threatening U.S. solar ambitions

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 9d

2/3 Add steel to the list of materials squeezing US solar. "Few industries feel the squeeze as sharply as solar. Steel is not just an input; it is the skeleton of every project. Mounting structures, racking, and single-axis trackers are all steel-intensive."
🔌💡

pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/09/19/t...

With U.S. domestic steel mills booked solid through 2025, a sudden doubling of tariffs on imported steel has created a critical bottleneck for American industries. The move, which hits specialized Ind...

Orsted shares jump 7% after U.S. court overturns Trump project block

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Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 9d

I guess this was predictable. Did any of you see it coming? How do you decide which clean tech companies to invest in? 🔌💡

www.cnbc.com/2025/09/23/o...

The decision means Orsted can resume work on the nearly completed Revolution Wind project.

www.cnbc.com

US aluminum producers need cheap, clean power. That may be tough to…

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 15d

3/3 Speaking of aluminum @mariagallucci.bsky.social alerts us to a Catch-22 situation. The energy industry needs more aluminum but to make more the aluminum industry needs more energy. 🔌💡

www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...

Century Aluminum and Emirates Global Aluminium want to build the nation’s first smelters in decades, but must compete with data centers for a limited…

www.canarymedia.com

Polymer batteries could help protect the energy storage industry from copper tariffs

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 15d

2/3 OTOH @phoebeskok.bsky.social reports on Sakuu’s additive manufacturing technologymetal to make metal free polymer batteries.
“We’re able to eliminate copper and aluminum foils and replace them with lightweight polymer conductors,” Karl Littau, Sakuu’s CTO. 🔌💡
pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/09/08/p...

As tariffs push copper costs higher, one startup thinks additive manufacturing could free batteries from the metal altogether.

Global power grid expansion fuels fresh copper demand surge

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 15d

1/3 More from our scarcity discussion: "Copper is often a massively underestimated part of grid infrastructure. People... often misjudge the sheer volume of copper this will require," Michael Finch, head of strategic initiatives @benchmarkminerals.bsky.social 🔌💡

www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Copper demand is rising faster than the industry anticipated, driven by billions of dollars being invested worldwide to modernise and expand power grids for the digital and clean energy revolutions that need vast amounts of electricity.

www.reuters.com

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Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 17d

Related to NVEnergy's Demand Pricing? From June:"The Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection says NV Energy requires less than half of the $224 million rate hike it’s asking the Public Utilities Commission to approve." Perhaps they found a loophole. 🔌💡

nevadacurrent.com/2025/06/12/n...

NV Energy asking to raise rates by more than twice as much as needed, say experts • Nevada Current

The Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection says NV Energy requires less than half of the $224 million rate hike it’s asking the Public Utilities Commission to approve for Southern Nevada cus...

nevadacurrent.com

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 17d

🤔 Hmmmm....

NV Energy’s bill pricing switch, Greenlink construction costs OK'd by regulators - The Nevada Independent

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 17d

Demand charges? How is this even legal? "...this is
the first time an investor-owned utility in the U.S. will apply this kind of mandatory billing structure to all residential customers."
Time to update the solar ROI calculator. 🔌💡

thenevadaindependent.com/article/nv-e...

NV Energy’s bill pricing switch, Greenlink construction costs OK'd by regulators. Read more from The Nevada Independent.

thenevadaindependent.com

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Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 20d

From @lizagross.bsky.social pretty self explanatory from the headline. I can totally relate. Welcome to the fight Mira Shah and Karbon Economics. www.karboneconomics.com. Next we need to get you on @bsky.app 🔌💡

insideclimatenews.org/news/1509202...

California Teen Starts an Online Journal on the Power of Economics to Confront Climate Change - Inside Climate News

Frustrated with the lack of climate action, a high-school student launched Karbon Economics to explore systems that can shape solutions to the climate crisis.

insideclimatenews.org

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Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 22d

And 3/3 today. An antimony rush in Alaska? Used in solar panels, wind turbines and batteries, antimony is back in demand.

"The price of the mineral has quadrupled in the past year"
"A 25-ton truck could carry some $600,000 worth of minerals."

alaskabeacon.com/2025/06/06/f... 🔌💡

Fueled by trade tensions and foreign wars, a rush for an obscure mineral heats up in Alaska | Alaska Beacon

Alaska hasn’t produced antimony — a shiny mineral used in weapons, flame retardants and solar panels — in almost 40 years. That could change this summer, according to the executives of a Texas company...

alaskabeacon.com

California’s dysfunction could squander Lithium Valley’s half-trillion-dollar potential | Opinion

Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 22d

Likewise Salton Sea aka "Lithium Valley" has some reckoning/planning to do balancing; environmental, economic and community needs. A half-trillion-dollars is a lot of money by any measure. @calmatters.org 🔌💡

calmatters.org/commentary/2...

Infighting, hyper-regulation and litigation run as deep as the 18 million metric tons of lithium sitting beneath the Salton Sea area, blocking progress.

calmatters.org

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Jorgy @jjorgensonmcr.bsky.social · 22d

Sorry if this is old news but I had this flagged when we at @mcresearch.bsky.social started talking about "Markets and investments". What will the folks in Arkansas do? 🔌💡

www.utilitydive.com/news/lithium...

Arkansas could be a lithium treasure trove

The state’s Smackover Formation region may contain up to 19 million tons of the critical mineral, more than enough to meet projected global demand in 2030.

www.utilitydive.com