In an era marked by increasingly severe weather from Mother Nature, utilities face mounting pressure to enhance the resiliency and reliability of their power delivery systems. While icing of the wind turbine blades has been discussed extensively, the physical means of distributing that energy has been addressed far less. Just as wind farms components are adopting the latest technologies to modernize their fleets and extend life expectan....
Ensuring the reliability and efficiency of wind turbines requires a deep understanding of the fluids that keep them running smoothly. To that end, compatibility testing plays a critical role in preventing costly issues that arise from mixing incompatible lubricants. This article explores the significance of fluid compatibility testing in industries such as power generation, highlighting its ability to enhance equipment reliability, reduce mainten....
The wind industry takes pride in advancing a clean energy future while protecting species across the globe from the impacts of climate change. However, no energy solution is without challenges. Wind turbines, for instance, have been shown to cause direct mortality to bats. With bat populations already declining due to habitat loss, diminishing food sources, and disease, the wind industry has diligently sought solutions to mitigate this impact.&nb....
Natural disasters including hurricanes, severe storms, winter storms, wildfires and heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe, causing widespread power outages across the United States. Between 2000 and 2023, 80 percent of U.S. power outages were caused by weather events. Power outages caused by extreme weather can impact critical services like emergency response, hospitals, and communications networks. Energy storage on a utility level se....
Energy Storage
Craig Tropea
Solar
Jonathan Lwowski
Solar
Steve Macshane, CESSWI
Ecobat, a global leader in battery recycling, announced the successful completion of the sale of its European battery distribution business to Endless LLP, a UK-based private equity firm.
The battery distribution division has been a meaningful part of Ecobat’s European portfolio, supplying a comprehensive range of batteries for various applications, including automotive, commercial vehicles, marine, leisure, and industrial uses. The distribution business has been instrumental in delivering high-quality energy storage solutions across Europe, featuring renowned brands such as Lucas, Exide, Varta, and Rolls.
“We are pleased to announce the completion of the European battery distribution sale to Endless,” said Tom Slabe, Ecobat President & CEO. “This transaction marks another step in our strategy to divest non-core assets and sharpen our focus on our core mission of sustainable battery recycling. Ecobat will continue to explore additional opportunities to maximize value for shareholders beyond the sale of the battery distribution division.” Mr. Slabe added, “We are confident that Endless’s experience and strategic approach will support the ongoing success of the battery distribution business for our employees, customers, and suppliers.”
Rothschild & Co acted as financial advisor and White & Case acted as legal advisor to Ecobat on the transaction.
Ecobat | https://ecobat.com/
Endless LLP | https://endlessllp.com/
Gray, an integrated design-builder, specializing in end-to-end solutions in Construction, Professional Services, Specialty Equipment, and Real Estate segments, joined HiTHIUM to celebrate a first look inside the company's new U.S. manufacturing facility.
HiTHIUM, a global leader in stationary energy storage systems, welcomed customers and prospective partners to tour its nearly 500,000 s.f. operation just outside Dallas, marking a significant step in the company's U.S. expansion.
HiTHIUM selected Gray to design and build its first U.S. manufacturing facility. The project reflects HiTHIUM's commitment to providing high-quality energy storage products for utility, commercial, and industrial customers across North America.
"Helping innovative companies like HiTHIUM grow in the U.S. market is exactly what we're built for," said Brian Jones, president & CEO of Gray Construction. "We're proud to play a role in bringing clean energy technology to life through world-class manufacturing facilities like this one."
The retrofit project transforms an existing industrial facility into a cutting-edge production site for battery energy storage systems (BESS). The facility will support HiTHIUM's mission to deliver safer, more efficient, and more reliable energy solutions to customers across North America.
Gray | gray.com
HiTHIUM | https://www.hithium.com/
MERSEN CANADA TORONTO INC. is pleased to announce effective June 2nd, 2025, Andrey Goreev has joined Mersen Electrical Power as Regional Sales Manager for the Western Canada Region. He will report to Tom Arbanas, Vice President of Distribution Sales and Customer Care, Canada.
Andrey has over 18 years of experience in industrial automation, control systems, and strategic sales leadership across global markets. Most recently, he held the role of Business Development Manager at Weidmüller Canada, where he led automation sales initiatives across Western Canada driving revenue growth, reducing sales cycle times, and expanding into emerging sectors like renewable energy. Prior to that, he served in progressively senior roles within Weidmüller, including Major Projects & Key Accounts Manager and Industry Manager for Power & Utilities in Russia. Andrey’s career began at Endress+Hauser, where he advanced from Field Sales Engineer to Regional Sales Manager, playing a key role in market expansion and managing high-value industrial clients.
His track record of ascending into progressively senior roles—including managing major projects and key accounts—demonstrates strong leadership, strategic thinking, and client relationship management, making him ideal for this role within Mersen. Andrey holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Royal Roads University from Victoria, BC and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Power Systems from South-Ural State University in Russia.
Andrey will be taking over this role from Mark Lipton, who is retiring after 24 years of service, end of June 2025.
Mersen | www.mersen.com
Comstock, the only complete end-to-end solar panel processor in the US, earns the R2V3 to Appendix G and RIOS Certification. They pioneer panel processing with proprietary delamination methods, producing 100% commodity-ready products. All parts of the panel, including glass, aluminum, and fines, are fully recycled.
"Our company is dedicated to environmental sustainability and has achieved high standard certifications. We have developed a closed-loop model where even floor sweepings and employee PPE are processed into market-ready products. I am very proud of what we have achieved, "commented Fortunato Villamagna President at Comstock Metals LLC.
Appendix G was added in January 2024, and it is only until recently that our accredited auditors were able to be certified to the added standard. It is quite an accomplishment for Comstock Metals to be the first certified Solar Panel Processor globally.
"Solar panel recycling is a win-win-win – good for consumers, the economy, and our planet," said Evelyn Butler, Vice President of Technical Services at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). We congratulate Comstock Metals on this achievement – one of our Preferred Recycling Partners – and we look forward to continuing this partnership for the benefit of the entire solar energy industry."
Comstock Metals | https://comstockmetals.com/
Nauticus Robotics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KITT), a leading innovator in autonomous subsea robotics and software solutions, announced a strategic collaboration with Open Ocean Robotics, a pioneer in uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) that enable safe, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable ocean monitoring. Together, the companies aim to deliver cutting-edge technologies that will redefine how the energy sector approaches subsea asset management.
The collaboration brings together Nauticus' expertise in subsea robotics, including autonomous systems like the Aquanaut®, and Open Ocean Robotics' solar-powered USV, the DataXplorer™. The collaboration is designed to significantly reduce the high operational costs typically associated with subsea inspections, maintenance, and monitoring—while simultaneously delivering a compelling environmental advantage. The joint solution pairs autonomous subsea vehicles with surface-based USVs to offer persistent, real-time monitoring and data collection while minimizing the need for costly crewed vessels. This collaboration will enable energy operators to conduct autonomous inspections and monitoring of critical infrastructure—such as pipelines, risers, and subsea manifolds—more frequently, efficiently, and with significantly lower environmental impact.
"Collaborating with Open Ocean Robotics aligns perfectly with our mission to drive cost efficiency, safety, and sustainability in ocean industries," said John Gibson, President and CEO of Nauticus Robotics. "By integrating our autonomous subsea vehicle with their autonomous surface vehicle, we are unlocking new operational paradigms that offer substantial value to our customers in offshore energy and beyond."
Open Ocean Robotics' USVs operate autonomously for extended periods using solar energy, providing a clean-tech solution that offers a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional crewed vessels.
"Our collaboration with Nauticus Robotics represents a bold step forward in revolutionizing how we manage and monitor our oceans," said Julie Angus, CEO of Open Ocean Robotics. "Together, we can provide unparalleled solutions that meet the growing demands for efficiency and sustainability in the marine sector."
As the energy industry continues to pursue digital transformation and decarbonization, the combined capabilities of Nauticus Robotics and Open Ocean Robotics offer a forward-looking answer to the sector's most pressing operational challenges.
Nauticus Robotics | https://nauticusrobotics.com/
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) issued the following statement from ACORE President and CEO Ray Longahead of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC’s) Commissioner-led Technical Conference Regarding the Challenge of Resource Adequacy in RTO and ISO Regions:
“ACORE is encouraged by FERC’s efforts in convening this week’s technical conference on resource adequacy, an incredibly important topic given worsening weather events and explosive demand growth. We need a grid that’s resilient to the weather. And we need a grid that can enable the U.S. to win the AI race against China.
We urge the Commission and participating panelists to take a holistic view of meeting reliability needs, which requires fully valuing each generation type and acknowledging the important role of transmission and cost-effective technologies that maximize the existing system. Grid-enhancing technologies and high-performance conductors offer near-term capacity expansion options to help ensure resource adequacy, while new regional and interregional powerlines are planned and built to ensure reliable, affordable power for decades to come.”
Check out ACORE’s comments filed with FERC here.
American Council on Renewable Energy | http://www.acore.org
Solaris Energy Inc. announces the hiring of Justin Bzdek as Chief Investment Officer (CIO). Bzdek will support the company’s expansion and evolving role as financer, owner, operator, manager, and direct investor in its impactful pipeline toward full capability as an Independent Power Producer (IPP).
“A strong foundation and the integrated, values-driven approach Solaris brings to the market are big reasons I took this position. I believe we are well situated for this exciting next step,” Bzdek said.
Bzdek co-founded Solaris in 2008 and previously served as its COO. As CIO, he will drive company growth while drawing on his expertise in strategic capital raising and financing for renewable energy and cleantech across solar, biofuels, RNG, waste-to-energy, and wastewater reuse. Amid growing U.S. demand for electricity and clean energy sources, Bzdek will develop and execute investment strategies to grow the Solaris portfolio while deepening and expanding relationships with funding and investment partners.
“I’m excited to leverage my expertise and the strategic position we are in to help lead the evolution of Solaris Energy’s capital strategy via opportunities that align with the Solaris mission and growing project pipeline, while continuing to build our trusted network of partners,” added Bzdek.
Read our extended Q&A with Solaris Energy’s New Chief Investment Officer, Justin Bzdek.
Solaris Energy’s rapidly growing pipeline led CEO Nick Perugini and CFO Jessica Rawley to seek crucial support for the company’s mission-aligned efforts to accelerate the deployment of distributed solar energy and battery storage systems by offering a more streamlined approach to financing projects for customers and partners alike. Familiar with Solaris Energy and capital finance, Bzdek is well-positioned to collaborate with investors and financial institutions on solar project deployment and expansion for the organization.
“Not only is Justin familiar with Solaris, but in his new role, he will now help us further explore the various funding partners our project portfolio can attract and lead us to a stronger position as an IPP,” Perugini said. “As market demand for electricity continues to climb, we see this as an opportunity to control rising costs and ensure development and maintenance are done with quality and experienced teams. With Justin’s help, we can scale while better serving our clients, community, and network.”
Solaris Energy | solarisenergy.com
Energy Storage May 15, 2025
Natural disasters including hurricanes, severe storms, winter storms, wildfires and heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe, causing widespread power outages across the United States. Between 2000 and 2023, 80 percent of U.S. power outages w....
Building codes and minimum building standards such as ASCE 7, Eurocode, and the National Building Code of Canada, are used to calculate the maximum forces a building may encounter. These forces result from wind, snow and seismic activity. For wind up....
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that in 2024 alone, the United States experienced 27 weather- and climate-related billion-dollar disaster events, with losses totaling $182.7 billion. Severe convective storms — a....
As the world transitions to clean energy, one of the biggest challenges facing the solar industry isn’t technology or financing — It’s labor. The demand for skilled workers to install and maintain solar infrastructure far exceeds supply, threat....
Renewable energy sources such as wind an....
Natural disasters including hurricanes, severe storms, winter storms, wildfires and heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe, causing widespread power outages across the United States. Between 2000 and 2023, 80 percent of U.S. power outages w....
The geospatial sector has long worked behind the scenes, enabling technological advancements. However, with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins, it is now playing a vital role in the modernization of energy grids. These innovat....
Businesses and communities have long relied on centralized power grids, but as energy demand increases and reliability becomes less certain, many are looking for alternatives. More companies are adopting microgrids and virtual power plants (VPPs), cr....
How can one know the climate impact of a purchase or investment? Clean energy production is about climate mitigation, but how can one know the climate impact of a purchase or investment? Many investors and buyers want to understand how t....
There is no question that weather events place enormous stress on the country’s power grids. Nowhere is this more clearly on display than in the renewable energy market, including the turbulent conditions of the offshore wind industry. As....
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is well known as a household disinfectant, but in its concentrated forms, it has a powerful second life as a clean and efficient propellant used in space applications. When decomposed, H2O2 breaks down into oxygen and wa....
