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Arnold Magnetic Technologies Corporation ("Arnold"), a subsidiary of Compass Diversified (NYSE: CODI) and leading global manufacturer of high-performance magnets and precision components, highlights a series of recent significant equipment overhauls and environmental upgrades at its new Precision Thin Metals (PTM) facility. These investments are designed to enhance product quality, improve lead times, and reinforce Arnold’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

Arnold’s PTM operation opened in their new facility in Woodstock, IL earlier this year, and has undergone comprehensive upgrades to multiple key pieces of equipment. These overhauls are already delivering measurable improvements in both product quality and delivery timelines, strengthening Arnold’s position as a trusted supplier to critical industries.

In addition to equipment enhancements, the new facility incorporates a range of advanced environmental technologies. PTM now utilizes air oxidizers that clean emissions from various equipment, ensuring that approximately 99% of the air released is clean. A closed-loop chiller system has been installed for process cooling water, eliminating the need for continuous fresh water consumption and drastically reducing daily water waste. High-efficiency LED lighting has been implemented throughout the facility, further reducing energy consumption and environmental impact.

PTM has installed a new bromide recycling still, which reduces the need to purchase new degreasing chemicals by approximately 70%. The company has also added a HydroFlo Tech automatic pH balancing filtration system to manage wastewater discharge from the annealing furnace’s wash and rinse tanks.

Arnold’s PTM facility is enhancing its operations through strategic investments in sustainable manufacturing. These upgrades, including advanced environmental controls and critical equipment enhancements, will improve product quality and efficiency while reducing environmental impact. This initiative demonstrates Arnold’s dedication to providing customers with reliable, high-performance materials and solutions that meet contemporary sustainability standards.

Arnold Magnetic Technologies | https://www.precisionthinmetals.com

The NC Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) released its Q2 2026 edition of the 50 States of Power Decarbonization. The quarterly series provides updates on state and utility actions pertaining to clean energy targets, emission reduction targets and carbon policies, generation planning and procurement rules, large load customer treatment, integrated resource plans, and electric generation capacity changes (RFPs, CPCN requests, power plant retirements, etc.).

The Q2 2026 report finds that all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico, took a total of 564 actions related to electric power decarbonization and resource planning during the quarter (see figure below), in addition to approximately 650 introduced bills considered during the quarter that had not yet passed a legislative chamber.

The most active states this quarter were California, Louisiana, Colorado, and Virginia, followed by South Carolina, Maryland, and Wisconsin. Among integrated resource plans recently filed or under review by regulators in Q2 2026, planned capacity additions totaled 77,810 for natural gas, 72,193 for solar, 43,017 for storage, 12,615 for nuclear, and 12,327 MW for wind, while planned coal retirements totaled 26,752 MW.

 Q2 2026 Action on Power Decarbonization and Resource Planning

The report discusses three trends in power decarbonization actions taken in Q2 2026: (1) state lawmakers and regulators pulling back on clean energy policies; (2) governors taking steps to address large load additions; and (3) states requiring large load customers to contribute to customer programs, including those supporting low-income customers and energy efficiency efforts.

“Data centers and other large load customers continue to be at the forefront of policymakers’ minds. This quarter saw heavy involvement from state governors, with five governors signing executive orders or taking other major actions relating to large load customers,” observed Emily Apadula, Senior Policy Analyst at NCCETC. “Topics ranged from creating studies, development frameworks, and creating advisory councils, with many governors calling out economic development and ratepayer protection as key factors in their executive orders.”

The report notes the top five policy developments of Q2 2026 were:

• New York legislators adjusting and delaying the state’s interim emissions target;
• Georgia regulators approving Georgia Power’s Bring Your Own New Clean Energy (BYONCE)
  program;
• Pennsylvania regulators adopting a statewide model large load tariff;
• New Jersey lawmakers lifting a de facto moratorium on nuclear energy; and
• Evergy updating its integrated resource plans in Kansas and Missouri and delaying coal retirements in response to large load customer demand projections.

“Policymakers in a growing number of states are also reconsidering their clean energy goals and emission reduction targets,” noted Brian Lips, Senior Project Manager at NCCETC. “The motivations vary from state to state, but include concerns over affordability, shifting federal policies and incentives, and rapidly increasing demand from large load customers.”

View the 50 States of Power Decarbonization Q2 2026 Quarterly Report Executive Summary

View and Purchase the 50 States of Grid Modernization Q2 2026 Quarterly Report

View other 50 States Reports – Solar, Grid Modernization,  Electric Vehicles and Power Decarbonization

NC Clean Energy Technology Center | https://nccleantech.ncsu.edu/

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and GenH2 Corp., a leader in hydrogen infrastructure solutions and a subsidiary of Path2 Hydrogen AG (XETR: PTHH), announced a collaboration to advance research in liquid hydrogen (LH₂) technologies for next-generation aviation. Under the agreement, GenH2 will provide the University with a laboratory-scale hydrogen liquefier, giving researchers dedicated, on-site capability to produce liquid hydrogen for aerospace testing.

Hydrogen is widely viewed as a leading path to decarbonizing aviation, offering higher energy density than conventional battery technology and enabling zero-emission propulsion systems. Advancing cryogenic fuel system technologies for aviation decarbonization is a central focus of the Center for Sustainable Aviation at the University of Illinois. Yet research progress has long been constrained by historically limited access to liquid hydrogen — many universities struggle to receive and maintain limited quantities of liquid hydrogen for laboratory research purposes. The liquefier changes that equation for University of Illinois researchers, enabling them to generate liquid hydrogen on-site, accelerate testing, validate new concepts, and support the development of future hydrogen-powered aircraft.

"Providing researchers with direct access to liquid hydrogen is an important step toward accelerating innovation," said Christopher Wallington, Senior Vice President at GenH2. "We are excited to support the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as it advances research that can help shape the future of sustainable aviation."

"Reliable, on-site access to liquid hydrogen will significantly expand our research capabilities and accelerate the evaluation of advanced fuel systems and cryogenic technologies for aviation," said Phillip J. Ansell, associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, in The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Ansell is an Ormsbee Faculty Scholar, and director of the Center for Sustainable Aviation. "This capability will help us generate the performance, safety, and operational data needed to advance the next generation of hydrogen-powered aircraft."

The collaboration pairs the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's aerospace research capabilities with GenH2's expertise in hydrogen liquefaction, cryogenic technologies, and liquid hydrogen infrastructure. 

The new on-site liquefaction capability will support research that seeks to close several critical gaps in the implementation of hydrogen systems on aircraft related to system operational resiliency, technological readiness, safety and regulatory preparedness, and overall energy efficiency. Future research will be conducted on liquid hydrogen fuel systems, including component and fuel system performance assessments, as well as storage, transfer, and refueling technologies. Researchers will also evaluate pumps, valves, seals, and other vital system components under real liquid hydrogen operating conditions.

The local liquid hydrogen production capability will further enable researchers to evaluate critical cryogenic performance factors that influence the development of future hydrogen-powered aircraft, including heat transfer, multiphase flow dynamics, and the long-term durability of materials and components exposed to liquid hydrogen conditions. This work will support the advancement of emerging aviation technologies such as vapor-shielded tanks, ultra-high-endurance UAVs, and fault-tolerant cryogenic insulation strategies, while generating the performance, reliability, safety, and risk mitigation data needed to accelerate future aircraft integration and deployment.

By providing researchers with reliable, on-site access to liquid hydrogen, the collaboration is expected to accelerate the development of technologies that support a cleaner, more sustainable aviation industry. Both organizations look forward to expanding research opportunities, training the next generation of engineers, and advancing the commercialization of liquid hydrogen technologies for aviation and other emerging applications.

GenH2 | genh2.com  

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | https://illinois.edu/

Hydrostor, a leading global long duration energy storage (LDES) developer and operator, is pleased to announce that the Willow Rock Energy Storage Center has signed a 60 megawatt (MW) offtake agreement with Clean Energy Alliance (CEA), a community choice aggregator based in San Diego County. Jordan Cole, Hydrostor’s Chief Commercial Officer, said, “This agreement marks a key milestone for Willow Rock as we begin significant activity on the project site. Hydrostor is thrilled to partner with CEA to ensure their customers have cost-effective and reliable storage as electricity demand continues to grow, and to assist in providing a resilient grid for California for decades to come.”

Greg Wade, Chief Executive Officer of CEA, said, “Partnering with Hydrostor on the Willow Rock project is another step forward in advancing CEA’s commitment to reliable, zero-emissions power. Long-duration energy storage allows us to capture excess solar energy during peak production and discharge it when regional demand is highest, displacing fossil fuel generation and strengthening grid stability. This innovative facility in Kern County will play a vital role in helping CEA meet both state reliability mandates and our customers' growing energy needs with clean, dependable capacity.”

On-site work has officially begun on the Willow Rock Energy Storage Center as of July 2026. The project, located in California’s Antelope Valley, received its California Energy Commission permit in December of 2025 and its franchise agreement from the Kern County Board of Supervisors earlier the same month, as well as a conditional letter of support from the Kern County Board of Supervisors in April of 2025.

The Willow Rock Energy Storage Center is Hydrostor’s first utility-scale project being built in the U.S., building on its operational project in Ontario, Canada. The company has a 7 GW project pipeline globally, with projects in the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the UK.

Hydrostor | https://www.hydrostor.ca/ 

Clean Energy Alliance | https://thecleanenergyalliance.org/

RWE U.S. Offshore has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of the Interior to resolve claims against the U.S. government and relinquish its offshore wind leases off the coasts of New York, California, and Louisiana. The settlement enables RWE to redeploy its capital to accelerate value-accretive opportunities that deliver reliable and affordable energy. RWE U.S. Offshore secured these leases from the U.S. government with a long-term commitment to develop offshore wind capacity in American waters and invested more than $1 billion toward the leases and the development of these projects.

These leases provided legal rights to develop offshore projects and represented years of planning, investment, and partnership with federal agencies.

After careful consideration, it was determined there is no path forward to permit these projects in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. The settlement resolves RWE U.S. Offshore's legal claims and provides $1.22 billion in settlement funds. The company determined that this resolution best serves the interests of its stakeholders and allows it to direct resources toward energy projects that can be advanced with certainty.

RWE Americas and its affiliates will continue to deploy capital across the U.S. to meet rapidly growing energy demand, including:

• LNG infrastructure: a financial investment of $900 million to acquire an indirect 16% stake in the Louisiana LNG Project. RWE proceeds will be used to fund the construction of the terminal.
   
• Natural gas turbine reservations: To support the expansion of its growing flexible power generation work in the U.S., RWE Americas has signed a $300 million turbine reservation agreement securing future generating capacity to meet growing U.S. electricity demand. The company is developing a pipeline of 15 natural gas peaking projects across target markets in the U.S.

These investments will help deliver affordable, reliable energy solutions while supporting American jobs, enhancing grid reliability, and strengthening energy security.

In addition, RWE Americas has announced plans to invest approximately €17 billion in the U.S. over the next six years to grow its generation capacity from approximately 13 GW across 27 states today to 22 GW by 2031. In 2025 alone, RWE Americas commissioned 2 GW of new power generation capacity in the United States.

RWE remains focused on growing its offshore activities globally. RWE is one of the world's leading offshore wind developers with 18 offshore wind farms currently in operation, four under construction, and additional projects in development – including 6.9 GW of capacity secured in the UK's most recent offshore wind auction.

Contractor Hent faced the challenge of constructing a three-story restaurant on Fløya, a mountainous tourist destination overlooking the city of Tromsø in northern Norway. The new restaurant will sit at the summit station of the Fjellheisen cable car, 421 m above sea level, so Hent was seeking a versatile and reliable crane which could be installed quickly and operate efficiently in the remote and exposed environment.

Norwegian Potain dealer Kranor suggested the Potain HDM 40, which has the right combination of performance and ease of installation, but once the crane choice was agreed, the trickier task of planning how to get it there began.

“The only solution was to put the crane on two large skis and pull it up Fløya mountain with the support of two powerful snow groomers. Custom-built twin-tip skis were fitted to the crane’s chassis, allowing it to be pulled into position. Once in place, the crane was secured to the jobsite’s concrete foundation to ensure working stability in an area of strong winds. Getting the crane to the mountaintop is a truly unique logistics achievement,” explained Andreas Jensen, regional manager at Kranor.

Designed to be three times the size of the previous structure, the new restaurant will feature an outdoor skywalk offering stunning views of the fjords and the Arctic landscape. It will also be a prime destination to observe the Northern Lights. Construction began last year and will finish in 2027.

Proven performance and long service life

Weighing 14 t, the Potain HDM 40 offers a maximum capacity of 4 t and can lift 1 t at the end of its 35 m jib. It is ideally suited for work on the mountain project, lifting timber sections and concrete slabs, all of which are delivered to the site by helicopter.

First manufactured in 2005, the HDM 40 continues to deliver reliable performance to hundreds of customers worldwide thanks to the excellent customer support of Potain and its global network of dealers. Based in Tromsø, Norway, Kranor owns a large fleet of over 150 Potain cranes, including both self-erecting and top-slewing models. Kranor is still operating a number of cranes over 20 years old, reflecting the long service life and value of Potain equipment.

Manitowoc | www.manitowoc.com

Vontier Corporation (NYSE: VNT), a leading global provider of critical technologies and solutions to connect, manage and scale the mobility ecosystem, announced its acquisition of EKOS, a leading provider of cloud-connected fleet, fuel and electric vehicle (EV) management software. The acquisition will deepen the company’s leading fleet platform, providing a connected, end-to-end solution for operators.

EKOS provides fleet operators with centralized visibility across fuel procurement, site monitoring, fleet asset management, fuel card controls and EV charging infrastructure – all from a single connected interface. Trusted by thousands of businesses, EKOS currently supports more than 1.2 million vehicles across the U.S., helping operators reduce costs, create efficiency and scale operations without added complexity.

Vontier currently offers EKOS as a preferred fuel management software solution for its fleet customers, integrating the provider’s cloud-connected platform with the company’s industry leading equipment and turnkey solutions across fueling sites. The acquisition deepens this partnership, establishing a scalable operating layer that seamlessly integrates hardware and software solutions for Vontier commercial fleet customers.

“Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone in our relationship with EKOS, accelerating connectivity across our product portfolio and advancing our comprehensive vision for fleets,” said Mark Morelli, President and CEO of Vontier. “The acquisition enhances our ability to help fleet operators optimize performance, streamline operations and navigate an increasingly complex energy landscape. By strengthening our fleet technology ecosystem, we are creating greater value for customers today while positioning Vontier for long-term growth.”

"We built the EKOSystem to solve a genuine problem: operators shouldn't need fragmented tools to manage their operations,” said Phil Dorroll, President of EKOS. “A true fleet operating system requires full-stack integration across eight critical layers—hardware, communications, alarms, integrations, service, support, software and centralized reporting. By joining Vontier, we now have unparalleled coverage across every layer, positioning EKOS as the leading fully integrated operating system in the market. Together, we'll deliver integrated solutions that set a new standard for fleet operations."

EKOS’s modular platform addresses growing demand from commercial operators managing increasingly complex, multi-energy fleets, positioning Vontier at the intersection of traditional fuel and next-generation mobility infrastructure.

Vontier | www.vontier.com

EKOS | info.myekos.com