Panel The Planet

ESS is an Oregon-based company that manufactures flow batteries that rely on simple, abundant, and inexpensive materials — iron, salt, and water. The secret sauce is the membrane that separates the positively charged liquid from the negatively charged liquid. Last year, ESS entered into an agreement to supply SB Energy, a division of SoftBank, with 2 GWh of flow batteries by 2026. That was a big deal for the fledgling company, but because SoftBank is also an investor in the company, it wasn’t really a sign of full-fledged acceptance from the utility industry.

Last week, that changed when ESS and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District announced that ESS would supply SMUD with flow batteries with a total capacity of 200 MW/2 GWh beginning next year. The utility plans to be a zero emissions energy supplier by 2030 — one of the most aggressive carbon reduction plans in the industry and 15 years ahead of the target set by the state of California.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Clean Technica

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway BRK.B +1.5% Energy purchased 2,000 acres in West Virginia, where the company will provide solar energy to an aerospace enterprise, creating as many as 1,000 jobs. The $500 million project is a potential magnet for similar businesses and helps to diversify the state’s economy and energy base.

Despite the optimism, economic expansion remains an uphill battle. West Virginia’s Public Service Commission is under the thumb of coal companies that still have political muscle. Examples abound, underscoring that point. The state’s citizens are paying more for electricity as a result, while their communities may forego growth.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Forbes

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.