Fire risk tops the headlines, but short circuit events may be the more immediate threat on your next project. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are having a moment. After years of promise, the technology has reached an inflection point thanks to plummeting costs, utility-scale deployments, and continuing federal support. BESS has earned its reputation as the sector to watch by solving difficult grid problems. But momentum has a way of o....
In the North American power market, Demand Response (DR) is no longer confined to large industrial facilities turning off heavy machinery during peak hours. Driven by FERC Order 2222 and the rapid deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs), behind-the-meter C&I solar and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are increasingly relied upon to provide active grid support. Modern utility programs and Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) require C....
While not the world oldest profession, the reuse of products is a close second, dating back to when a caveman picked up a spear after his partner was eaten by a lion. Today, it is estimated that 45 percent of industries depend on it. Some examples are the auto industry relying on scrapyards for parts, heavy construction equipment, HVAC systems in buildings, utilities, plumbing, marine, military, aviation, and telecommunications — all rely on....
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the most significant drivers of energy demand growth in modern history. As hyperscale data centers expand across North America to support AI processing, cloud infrastructure, and high-density computing, utilities and developers are accelerating investments in renewable energy projects at unprecedented speed. Much of the public conversation surrounding this transition has focused on solar photovol....
Energy Storage
Schaltbau North America
Energy Storage
Gary Lam
Energy Storage
Sequoya Cross
Aternium, Inc. announced that it has selected Dover, Delaware, as the location for its first commercial heavy water and electrolytic hydrogen production facility. The company has finalized a definitive agreement of sale for a site at Garrison Oak Technical Park and expects to close in mid-fourth quarter 2026.
The facility will serve as Aternium’s flagship U.S. deployment and represents a major step toward establishing a secure domestic supply of heavy water—also known as deuterium oxide—and high purity hydrogen for strategic U.S. industries. The project is expected to bring at least $226 million in capital investment to Dover, create dozens of direct and support jobs, and generate hundreds of additional construction jobs.
"Delaware has long been home to some of the most innovative companies in American history, and Aternium is building on that legacy by choosing Dover for its first hydrogen facility," said Governor Matt Meyer. "This investment puts Delaware at the forefront of the next generation of energy and advanced manufacturing. By producing deuterium, one of the world's most critical materials for semiconductors, nuclear reactors, fusion energy, and pharmaceuticals, Aternium will become one of, if not the only, domestic producer of this essential resource. We're proud of the work Andrew Cottone and the Aternium team are doing, and even prouder that they're building the future right here in Delaware."
“Delaware is a place where innovation and ideas become steel in the ground and jobs that you can build a good life with,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons. “Aternium is continuing that legacy, bringing their cutting-edge technology to Dover that will grow our economy and create good-paying jobs. I’m grateful for their partnership and the leadership of the City of Dover in bringing this exciting project to life.”
"Delaware has long been a place where innovation and manufacturing go hand in hand, and Aternium's decision to invest in Dover is a testament to our state’s leadership in both," said U.S. Representative Sarah McBride. "This project will help create good-paying jobs in our state, strengthen critical domestic supply chains, and help continue Delaware's leadership in the industries driving America's future. I'm excited to welcome Aternium to the First State."
The project is designed to strengthen U.S. supply-chain resilience for deuterium, a strategic material used in semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, advanced electronics, nuclear energy, defense and emerging fusion technologies. Today, the United States lacks commercial-scale domestic heavy water production, leaving key sectors dependent on adversarial foreign sources for a material increasingly relevant to energy security, advanced manufacturing, and national competitiveness.
"Aternium's decision to establish its first U.S. production facility in Dover is a defining moment for our city," said Dover Mayor Robin R. Christiansen. "This project reflects the confidence innovative companies have in Dover and reinforces our city's growing role in advanced manufacturing. We are proud to welcome Aternium and look forward to the positive impact this project will have on our community for years to come."
“Dover is the right location to launch Aternium’s vision for rebuilding a critical American supply chain,” said Dr. Andrew Cottone, Founder and CEO of Aternium. “This facility will help secure domestic access to an essential strategic material, create high-quality careers, support advanced manufacturing, and reinforce America’s leadership in energy, technology, and national security.”
The Dover facility is expected to be the first in a planned network of production sites across the Mid-Atlantic region, enabling a reliable, resilient, and scalable supply platform for customers as demand grows. Aternium’s broader development strategy includes additional facilities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
"Aternium's decision to locate its first production facility in Dover is a major win for Central Delaware," said Linda Parkowski, Executive Director of Kent Economic Partnership. "This project is a testament to what can be accomplished through strong collaboration between the private sector and our local and state partners. We are proud to have supported Aternium throughout this process and look forward to the creation of high-quality, well-paying jobs and the positive economic impact this investment will bring to our community."
Aternium is advancing engineering, permitting, and stakeholder engagement activities as the project moves toward execution. The company’s development program aligns with national priorities around energy security, domestic manufacturing capacity, critical materials independence, and the growth of next-generation industrial infrastructure.
Aternium | https://aternium.com/
Kent Economic Partnership | https://www.choosecentraldelaware.com/
Sky Climber Renewables (SCR), a leading provider of wind energy services and workforce solutions, announced that the Tech One Program (TOP), its wind technician training and placement initiative developed in partnership with Vestas, recently surpassed 1,000 placements and transfers. The milestone was reached in July 2026 and represents a significant achievement in structured workforce development for the wind energy industry. It also reflects sustained demand for field-ready wind technicians across North America.
Since its launch in late 2019, the Tech One Program has processed more than 53,580 applicants, delivered an estimated 220,200 hours of hands-on technical training across 224 program cohorts, and placed graduates across 30 U.S. states. Among program graduates, 217 are U.S. military veterans who have transitioned into long-term wind energy careers through the TOP pathway.
1,000 placements and transfers. 30 states. More than 220,000 hours of technical training.
A Partnership Built on Operational Necessity
The Tech One Program was founded as a joint initiative between Sky Climber Renewables and Vestas to address a growing challenge facing the wind energy industry: workforce development was not keeping pace with capacity growth.
Designed from the ground up to streamline the recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, and deployment of wind technicians, the program was built on a grassroots hiring model that prioritized local talent development and field-ready outcomes.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, wind turbine service technician is among the fastest-growing occupations in the country, with employment projected to grow 60 percent through 2033. Programs like TOP provide the structured, industry-aligned workforce infrastructure needed to help meet that demand at scale.
What the Program Has Delivered
The Tech One Program operates as an end-to-end workforce pipeline, moving candidates from initial application through training, certification, and field deployment using a structured and repeatable model.
The program’s OEM-aligned training standards, developed in coordination with Vestas, help ensure that graduates enter the field with the technical foundation required to perform safely and effectively from day one.
Graduates have been deployed across utility-scale wind operations in 30 states, contributing to the maintenance, performance, and reliability of wind energy assets across the country.
Looking Ahead
Sky Climber Renewables and Vestas will continue to grow the Tech One Program pipeline in the years ahead. SCR will also begin publishing individual graduate stories, highlighting career trajectories and providing a firsthand look at what the TOP pathway has meant to the professionals who have completed the program.
The program continues to recruit and train new technician cohorts in support of Vestas field operations across North America.
Sky Climber Renewables | https://skyclimber-re.com/
Vestas | https://www.vestas.com/en
FranklinWH Energy Storage Inc., manufacturer of the FranklinWH System, announced the appointment of Ke Bi as global chief executive officer.
Bi will lead worldwide operations and strategic growth, scaling the company’s U.S. market position into Europe and other international markets. Since joining the company in 2021, Bi has been instrumental in expanding the company’s growth across the United States and Australia, establishing FranklinWH as a recognized leader in whole-home energy management systems.
With more than 30 years of executive leadership experience spanning energy storage, renewable energy, telecommunications and advanced manufacturing, Bi brings deep expertise in building global technology businesses. Before joining FranklinWH, Bi served as chief executive officer of Boden Inc. and held senior leadership roles at Nokia and other technology companies, where he directed large-scale operations and strategic growth initiatives throughout North America.
"Homeowners trust FranklinWH to keep their homes powered, help manage their energy use and provide reliable backup when they need it most. That's how we've grown across the United States and Australia,” Bi said. “As we expand into Europe, we'll stay focused on delivering reliable home energy solutions and earning the trust of every homeowner, installer and utility partner we serve."
“Ke Bi has a clear vision for where FranklinWH is headed because he's helped shape that vision from the beginning," said Vincent Ambrose, chief commercial officer of FranklinWH. "He brings together innovation, operational discipline and a genuine commitment to our customers and partners. I'm excited to see him lead FranklinWH as we continue providing energy independence to homeowners around the world."
FranklinWH participates in more than 28 utility-led virtual power plant (VPP) programs across the United States, including partnerships with Duke Energy, National Grid and Austin Energy. The company was selected as the residential energy storage system provider for municipal programs in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and New Orleans, Louisiana following competitive evaluations. The company's aPower battery won the Connecticut Green Bank's Outstanding Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Award in 2024 and 2025. In 2026 FranklinWH introduced an enhanced version of its 15 kWh aPower battery in Australia and New Zealand. FranklinWH manufactures its systems in Santa Clara, California, where it is on pace to quadruple production output in 2026.
FranklinWH Energy Storage I https://www.franklinwh.com/
Peak Energy, a U.S. leader in low-cost giga-scale energy storage, announced it has appointed Paul D. Menson as the company's first Vice President of Sales. Menson's appointment will strengthen Peak's commercial team as demand for the company's passively cooled sodium-ion battery systems continues to rise with data centers and utilities increasingly seeking safer, more reliable energy storage solutions.
Menson joins Peak Energy from General Motors, where he helped develop and lead the company's grid-scale stationary energy storage strategy. His appointment is a continuation of the strategic partnership announced in June 2026 by GM and Peak to develop and deploy next-generation sodium-ion battery cells purpose-built for grid-scale storage, combining Peak's passively cooled energy storage platform with GM's battery cell development expertise. In his new role, Menson will lead and scale Peak's global sales organization.
"This appointment reflects the next stage of Peak Energy's growth," said Cameron Dales, cofounder and Chief Commercial Officer at Peak Energy. "As customer demand continues to grow, our focus now is on building a commercial organization capable of competing on a global scale. Paul is one of the most respected commercial leaders in energy storage today, and his appointment further strengthens our partnership with GM."
Menson brings 15 years of experience in the global energy industry, including at Tesla where he was a U.S. grid-scale energy storage sales leader before joining GM to lead its stationary battery storage strategy – now being advanced in partnership with Peak Energy. Menson began his career in direct sales for Siemens and Siemens Energy working with customers in Africa, Europe, and North America.
"The market is navigating a generational, if not historic, challenge. The world needs energy storage that's durable, cost-effective, and safe at scale – and that's exactly what Peak is building," said Menson. "I'm excited to join Peak during this pivotal phase of growth following its partnership with GM and domestic giga-scale factory announcement. I look forward to working with the team at Peak to help scale the company's global reach, and to work with customers and partners to meet the extraordinary needs of the moment."
Peak Energy | www.peakenergy.com
UL Research Institutes' Fire Safety Research Institute released a new report, "Full-Scale Electric Vehicle Fire Experiments and Recommendations for Fire Incident Response," helping close the knowledge gaps around EV fires and suppression tactics.
ULRI conducted full-scale burns of 18 vehicles to examine the differences and similarities between gas vehicles and EVs. This included nine free burns, or experiments conducted without fire suppression. Following the free-burn experiments, the research team burned nine additional EVs to evaluate common suppression tactics, including water only, EV fire blankets, and water with an added suppression agent. Researchers fully charged all EVs, initiated the battery fires with a propane burner, and then allowed the fires to grow for six minutes before beginning suppression. The six-minute delay replicates standard fire response time in North America.
"Lithium-ion battery-powered devices and EVs are already changing how we move, communicate, and enjoy our leisure time," said Adam Barowy, principal research engineer for the Fire Safety Research Institute. "This research moves us closer to understanding how batteries change the fire environment and helps equip first responders to adequately address fires involving this new source of fuel. Our findings demonstrate that when it comes to EVs, first responders can effectively manage the hazard with familiar tools and tactics."
Key findings from the report include:
Data from free-burn experiments concluded that EV and ICEV fires are similar in fire growth rate, peak fire size, and fire duration. On average, EVs released more total energy, attributed to greater vehicle mass.
For most EV fire incidents, water can be used to suppress the cabin fire, limit exposures, and control flaming from thermal runaway while the battery burns itself out. None of the tested suppression techniques halted thermal runaway once it started, and an added suppression agent was no more effective than water. Direct battery extinguishment or cooling are precluded by vehicle construction and are not recommended.
While effective for controlling vehicle flaming, researchers observed that an explosion hazard can occur when flammable gases accumulate underneath a deployed EV fire blanket or those gases accumulate in a confined operating environment. If used, blankets should not be repositioned, and it is recommended that fire blankets not be used indoors or in confined spaces due to deflagration risk. They should not be considered a replacement for water-based suppression.
Full personal protective equipment and self-contained breathing apparatus are required throughout the incident, including overhaul, due to persistent toxic exposures and the risk of reignition. Much of the exposure hazard is driven by the passenger compartment fire, but elevated concentrations of metals and particulate fluoride associated with the battery fires were found in smoke, suppression runoff water, and were found to contaminate firefighting turnout gear.
The full report provides detailed considerations for firefighters including size-up, exposure hazards, suppression, and overhaul. The team also developed an EV Fire Tactical Decision Aid, a step-by-step tool designed to analyze, develop, and improve fireground decision-making. The findings and tactical considerations will inform the development of an EV firefighting course in the Fire Safety Academy, scheduled for release later this year. Full air, surface, water, and PPE decontamination results are undergoing peer review or final analysis and will be published over the next year.
ULRI is focused on understanding how lithium-ion batteries — whether in e-mobility devices or electric vehicles — change the fire environment so that first and second responders can respond safely and mitigate the hazard, and the public can minimize hazards arising from personal use.
Fire Safety Research Institute | fsri.org
UL Research Institutes | https://ul.org/
Leading renewable energy consultancy and service provider Natural Power is set to deliver comprehensive ground investigation (GI) services for Vattenfall at the proposed 100MW Ourack and 90MW Quantans Hill Wind Farm developments in Scotland. The appointments further strengthen the long-standing relationship between the two organisations, which has seen Natural Power support Vattenfall on UK renewable energy projects for more than 15 years.
Under the contracts, Natural Power will undertake a comprehensive programme of ground investigation works to inform the design and development of both proposed wind farms. The scope of works includes:
The investigations will provide the critical geotechnical, geological and environmental data required to support detailed project design while helping to reduce construction risk and inform engineering decisions as the developments progress.
Natural Power's multidisciplinary construction and geotechnical teams will deliver the works using a combination of specialist site investigation techniques and advanced survey technologies, providing Vattenfall with high-quality data to support the next stages of project development.
Ralph Spernagel, Construction Director at Natural Power, said: "We're delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with Vattenfall by supporting these proposed wind farm developments. We've worked together on projects throughout many years that have helped grow the UK's renewable energy capacity, and these latest contracts are another important milestone in that partnership.
"Ground investigations are fundamental to the successful development of wind farms, providing the detailed information needed to optimise designs, reduce project risk and support efficient construction. By combining our expertise in geotechnical investigations, geophysical surveys, peatland assessments and drone-based technologies, we're able to deliver a fully integrated service that provides clients with the high-quality data they need to move projects forward with confidence."
Natural Power has established a strong reputation for delivering ground investigation and construction support services across the renewable energy sector, helping developers de-risk projects through high-quality site investigations and technical expertise.
The award of these latest contracts reinforces the company's position as a trusted partner for renewable energy developers and reflects its continued commitment to supporting the delivery of new onshore wind projects that will contribute to the UK's transition to a low-carbon energy system.
Natural Power | www.naturalpower.com
ContourGlobal announced the start of construction of Los Maitenes, a new hybrid solar-plus-storage investment in Chile for a facility combining 131 MWp of solar PV capacity with 90 MW/360 MWh of battery storage. When completed, the facility will push ContourGlobal’s Chilean renewables and storage portfolio to approximately 583 MWp of solar PV with 490 MW / 2.9 GWh of BESS capacity, representing more than 1 GW of clean power generation and storage assets in the country.
Alongside its operating plants in the Tarapacá (Víctor Jara) and Antofagasta (Quillagua I and II) regions, Los Maitenes will expand the company’s presence into the O'Higgins Region, closer to one of Chile’s main electricity demand centers. As Chile's power system faces periods of excess solar generation that cannot always be absorbed or transmitted by the grid, facilities such as Los Maitenes help mitigate curtailment risk. In addition to providing daytime solar generation, the plant’s battery storage system enables it to deliver firm energy during peak demand in non-solar hours. Its strategic location close to major electricity consumption centers also significantly reduces its exposure to transmission constraints.
The new facility is expected to generate around 220 GWh of clean electricity per year, and to be fully built by end of 2027. Its output is highly contracted through a single long-term PPA covering daytime and nighttime blocks, leveraging the flexibility provided by its four-hour battery storage system, while the remaining production will capture merchant market opportunities.
Antonio Cammisecra, ContourGlobal’s CEO, commented, “Our growth in Chile goes hand in hand with the transformation of the country’s power system, which is leading the way in combining renewable generation and energy storage to deliver reliable, dispatchable clean energy at scale. Los Maitenes is another milestone in ContourGlobal’s strategy to develop large-scale hybrid renewable platforms, and builds on our pioneering ‘Sun at Night’ business model, which enables solar energy generated during the day to be delivered during non-solar peak demand hours.”
“Los Maitenes marks an important milestone in ContourGlobal’s continued expansion in Chile. This project demonstrates our ability to understand the evolving needs of our customers and the market, and to translate them into world-class, bankable energy solutions. It also reflects our strong local presence and experience in the Chilean energy market”, added James Lee Stancampiano, General Manager LATAM at ContourGlobal.
The project is expected to employ a peak construction workforce of up to 400 people simultaneously on site during the delivery of the solar plant, the BESS facility, the electrical substation and associated works. Over the approximately 15-month construction period, as civil, mechanical, electrical and commissioning activities progress, an estimated 900 direct workers will contribute to the project. Including indirect jobs associated with transportation, local services, suppliers and subcontractors, the project's total employment impact is expected to exceed 1,300 people, according to preliminary estimates.
In parallel, ContourGlobal is carrying out a thorough community engagement process with key local stakeholders, providing timely updates on the start of specific works, coordinating activities that may generate impacts, and maintaining close communication throughout construction, while working closely with institutional stakeholders as well.
ContourGlobal | https://www.contourglobal.com/
Alternative Energies Jul 23, 2026
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