Much of Alaska is empty—of humans, at least. Vast tundra and forest separate cities and villages, dividing the state into more than 150 isolated power grids. The largest of these grids, known as the Railbelt, carries 70% of the state’s electrical energy to about three-quarters of its population. Today, that grid runs mostly on natural […]
Light, flexible, efficient: Perovskite-based tandem solar cells
Roof tiles are becoming a thing of the past: Today, more and more Swiss roofs boast large black and blue rectangles that convert sunlight into electricity. The blueish color comes from silicon crystals, as the majority of solar cells available today are based on this semiconductor material. But silicon is not the only way to […]
Lithium giant Albemarle’s plans to reopen a rich mine in North Carolina will take years to complete
Albemarle’s plans to reopen a resource-rich lithium mine in North Carolina will take longer than originally expected as a collapse in lithium prices weighs on the company. Albemarle, a top lithium producer, had originally planned to reopen the Kings Mountain mine as early as late 2026 to increase domestic lithium production and support a U.S. […]
Boliden to restart Europe’s largest zinc mine
Swedish miner Boliden (STO: BOL) will resume production at its Tara zinc mine in Ireland after reaching an agreement with unions to lower costs, which will result a reduction of a third of the operation’s workforce. Boliden halted Tara, Europe’s largest zinc mine, last year after prices of the metal hit a three-year low and […]
EDP reinforces investment in Australia through 1.3 GW wind offshore capacity awarded to Ocean Winds
The Australian Government awarded Ocean Winds, EDP Renewables and Engie’s joint venture dedicated to offshore wind energy, a license to potentially develop up to 1.3 GW off the coast of Gippsland. This investment in the southeastern coast of Australia reinforces EDP’s commitment to the country. Ocean Winds, an international company dedicated to offshore wind energy […]
There’s a new trend making electric bike batteries safer
A new type of electric bicycle battery is gaining traction in the industry, potentially ushering in unprecedented levels of safety and security for riders. Get ready, because we’re quickly approaching the age of the potted e-bike battery. There’s no doubt that fire safety is an important subject when it comes to e-bike batteries. Despite the […]
Albemarle plans more lithium auctions in bid to demystify prices
Albemarle is planning to do more lithium auctions — including some outside China — as the world’s largest producer of the battery metal aims to shed more light on pricing in the opaque market. Albemarle held four auctions for spodumene concentrate and lithium carbonate in China in March and April because of a build-up in […]
Three takeaways about the current state of batteries
Batteries are on my mind this week. (Aren’t they always?) But I’ve got two extra reasons to be thinking about them today. First, there’s a new special report from the International Energy Agency all about how crucial batteries are for our future energy systems. The report calls batteries a “master key,” meaning they can unlock the potential […]
California crosses 10 GW battery storage threshold
At 10,379 MW, California has increased its battery capacity by 1,250% over the last five years – up from 770 MW in 2019. The state is projected to need 52 GW of energy storage to meet its ambitious goal of 100% clean electricity by 2045. Developers plan to add 6,813 MW of battery power storage […]
Hair-thin battery that charges in a minute unveiled by ETH Zurich spin-offs
Recyclable and sustainable batteries are a prerequisite for a green energy revolution, as the rapidly increasing demand for batteries is driving up the consumption of rare raw materials like lithium. Two spin-off ventures, stemming from various ETH Zurich research, are working to solve this problem by applying innovative production and manufacturing techniques in the battery […]