Navigating the Complex Landscape of Energy Storage Permitting

It’s a milestone for lithium-free battery technology: for the first time ever, a complete battery system demonstrator based on aluminum-graphite-dual-ion batteries (AGDIB) has been realized. This proves the stability of the new battery cell chemistry not only in a laboratory environment, but also in a more realistic scenario. The rechargeable AGDIB battery cells are a safe low-cost energy storage technology and follow the design-for-recycling approach, making them a future-proof lithium alternative for high power applications like dynamic grid stabilization.

From cell to recycling: integrated value chain for an innovative battery system

The rising demand for electrical energy – driven, for example, by the need to store and balance renewable energy – calls for suitable storage solutions. The rechargeable aluminum-graphite-ion battery (AGDIB) meets this need with its low-cost and easily available active materials aluminum and graphite. As a high-power storage device, the AGDIB can be charged and discharged in a very short time at high rates. This makes the AGDIB ideal for applications such as dynamic grid stabilization, where batteries are used to balance frequency fluctuations with many low-energy micro cycles that favor high power performance over high energy density.

While many new Li-free battery technologies are examined on lab-size cell level, battery system demonstrators employing new cell chemistries remain rare. However, such a battery system demonstrator based on AGDIB has now been set up within the INNOBATT project after scaling the technology to small-size pouch cells in previous research projects first. The development of this innovative battery system focuses on the whole value chain, from a sustainable Li-free cell chemistry over integration of wireless battery management system (BMS) and bidirectional quantum-based current sensor technologies to recyclability considerations.

Demonstrator validates stability of new Al-ion battery cells

In a realistic test case, the INNOBATT demonstrator proves the stability of the new type battery cells. Integrating eight AGDIB pouch cells with a wireless BMS based on the open source BMS platform foxBMS® from Fraunhofer IISB with secure radio frequency based (RF) communication, the prototype also features a novel diamond-based quantum sensor for high-resolution current measurement.

AGDIB active materials and cell design were improved to increase stability and reliability of the cells and ensure reproducible performance metrics. This allowed for a proper cell matching despite the manual manufacturing technology. The battery module was assembled in 4s2p configuration, employing a BMS-Slave with a safe wireless RF communication to the BMS-Master. The quantum sensor is based on NV-centers in diamond. In comparison to conventional current sensors, the measuring range covers five orders of magnitudes. Consequently, both small and large dynamical currents can be measured with a very high resolution.

This battery system successfully validates the Al-ion based cell chemistry and its high-power capabilities for grid stabilization applications. Previously obtained results on cell level could be verified within the whole battery module by emulating instantaneous reserve applications based on real frequency data. The system proves stable performance with dynamic high current loads at 10C over long time periods and therefore demonstrates AGDIB’s ability for upscaling via successful cell manufacturing, cell interconnection and system integration. A major advantage of AGDIB is that it allows for very high discharge rates and, unlike many established battery systems, also high charging rates, as required for grid applications (e.g. providing virtual inertia).

The recyclability of the cells and modules was carefully considered during development. Cell recyclability was assessed through a physical separation process that eliminates the use of toxic chemicals, thereby facilitating the establishment of closed material cycles. The module design followed a design-for-recycling strategy, surpassing current EU regulatory requirements for battery recycling efficiencies and leading to the advancement and demonstration of this sustainable energy storage system.

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB | https://www.iisb.fraunhofer.de/

The Maryland Energy Administration announced the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) start of the application period for its Open Energy Innovation Program. Now in its sixth year, the program funds impactful capital projects that fall outside the range of the agency’s suite of programs. This year, the agency anticipates the availability of $7 million in grants from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund. 

“The Open Energy Innovation grants accelerate unique, creative solutions that address the urgent need for clean and affordable energy,” said Maryland Energy Administration Acting Director Ian Ullman. “These grants can turn forward-leaning concepts into reality all over the state, potentially saving Marylanders money and trimming emissions through renewable energy projects.”   

The Maryland Energy Administration is dedicated to supporting projects that deliver measurable benefits to Maryland, aligning with the agency’s mission of promoting clean, affordable, and reliable energy while reducing emissions in a fair and equitable way. 

Businesses, non-profit organizations, local governments, educational institutions and other entities are eligible to apply. Projects must be located in Maryland, and all subcontractors must be licensed to do business in the state. Typically, grants will be up to $200,000.00), but larger grants are possible for exceptional proposals. 

Proposals for a technology, service, application, or other initiative similar to those covered by one of the agency’s other FY26 programs are ineligible. Proposals for bill assistance and those focused solely on workforce development are also ineligible.  

The application deadline for this competitive program is February 27, 2026. 

Full details on the program are included in the FY26 Funding Opportunity Announcement.

Maryland Energy Administration | https://energy.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Global Wind Service (GWS) has successfully completed the pre-assembly of 66 turbines for the Greater Changhua 2 offshore wind farm. This major milestone contributes to the project's total capacity of 924 MW and was achieved through a close partnership with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE), Ørsted, and crane provider BMS.

The GWS team successfully delivered all milestones according to both the initial and updated schedule. The project's execution involved more than 140 GWS technicians.

The project also served as a significant platform for workforce development more than 20 GWS technicians advanced their careers by skills development and progressing into new roles during the project, highlighting GWS's commitment to employee development.

“We are extremely proud of the team and the collaboration behind Greater Changhua 2. Delivering to schedule on a new turbine platform is a significant achievement and a proof of the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved,” says Rasmus Ravn, COO, Global Wind Service.

The successful completion of this pre-assembly scope reinforces GWS’s growing position in the Asia-Pacific offshore wind market. It underlines the company’s commitment to delivering exceptional quality and safety standards on complex global projects, further advancing the transition to renewable energy.

Global Wind Service | https://globalwindservice.com/

SunPower Inc. (herein “SunPower,” the “Company,” or Nasdaq: “SPWR”) a solar technology, services, and installation company, announced that it has closed its $37.5 million strategic acquisition of Ambia Solar (“Ambia”) to create the No. 5 U.S. residential solar company, based on Ohm Analytics rankings. 

SunPower CEO T.J. Rodgers said, “Due to our quick closing of the acquisition, we are raising our Q4’25 quarterly revenue estimate to $88 million. We still expect record operating income in Q4’25 and at least $2.0 million in operating income in Q1’26, the winter solar “down” quarter. In addition, and equally important, the acquisition brings to us Ambia’s operations management team with its best-in-class performance to reinforce our SunPower Direct Business Unit (aka Blue Raven). We expect that the Ambia acquisition will transform SunPower’s operational capability as effectively as the Sunder acquisition has already transformed our sales performance. We also expect to onboard Ambia’s 203-rep salesforce, raising SunPower’s total salesforce to 2,027 reps.” 

Ambia CEO, Conner Ruggio, said, “When I spoke to the combined company for the first time after our closing last Friday, I told them that what we’re building is a platform with the leadership, history and talent to become the No. 1 residential solar company in the U.S. I’m also proud to see that employees on both sides have assumed responsibility on Day One.” 

Rodgers continued, “This acquisition came together quickly because of the complementary nature of the two teams. They had a star player where we did not and vice versa. Conner and I held a five-hour meeting on October 23 in which we defined the first two levels of the new organization and then made a commitment to complete the acquisition with minimum legal delay and cost. The Letter of Intent was done just two weeks later. Ambia is very well run, so the usual next step in the acquisition process of writing the definitive agreement took just two more weeks and only about $145,000 in legal expenses. The SunPower team has now gone through our acquisition process twice, which will serve us well in the future. 

Rodgers continued, “With the addition of the operations executives from Ambia and the sales executives from Sunder, I was actually able to get to my home in Oshkosh guilt-free last weekend for a game at Lambeau Field – while our VP of Quality and Customer Success, Surinder Bedi, ran our playbook to create a formal plan for the Ambia integration. In our language, Ambia is now at Integration Review Zero (IR0, plan done) with our milestone checklist count at 20 defined and 443 planned. The Sunder acquisition is already at the IR3 milestone (peak activity) with 206 milestones done out of 314 planned. We plan to finish the Sunder integration in the first quarter giving us the bandwidth to work with a new company from our acquisition list. 

Rodgers concluded, “We would like to thank our Salt Lake-based Board Member, Chris Lundell, for finding and sponsoring Ambia, which was just 1.7 miles from us in Salt Lake’s ‘Solar Valley.’ We would also like to thank our Silicon Valley-based Board Member, Dan McCranie, a veteran of 10 public technology company boards, for his full-time help in funding and closing our two acquisitions. In general, I truly appreciate the support of our Board of Directors, whose members frequently contribute directly to our efforts.” 

SunPower | www.us.sunpower.com

Ambia Solar | www.ambiaservices.com

Reliant, an NRG company, and GoodLeap announced a new collaboration to make the benefits of residential home battery power more accessible for Texans. Reliant leads Texas in home energy innovation and GoodLeap is one of America’s leading tech companies delivering best-in-class financing and software products for sustainable solutions, including solar panels and batteries.

This partnership delivers a compelling $40 per month offer to Reliant electricity customers who use GoodLeap batteries in their homes while advancing efforts to scale residential battery participation and accelerating the growth of NRG’s virtual power plant (VPP) solutions in Texas.

Through the program, homeowners can either lease a battery or enter into a power purchase agreement with GoodLeap through its GoodGrid program. GoodLeap also connects homeowners with qualified installers for a seamless installation experience. Once installed, GoodLeap will enroll eligible customers in the Reliant GoodLeap VPP Battery Program and customers will start earning $40 per month in rewards from GoodLeap for participating. To qualify, customers must be on an eligible Reliant electricity plan.

“We started building our VPP with smart thermostats across Texas, and now this partnership with GoodLeap brings home battery storage into our platform,” said Mark Parsons, senior vice president and head of Texas Energy, NRG. “Each time we add new devices, we’re enabling Texans to unlock new value from their homes, earn rewards and help build a more resilient grid for everyone. This is about giving customers the opportunity to actively participate in the energy transition and receive tangible benefits for themselves and their communities.”

“These incentives highlight our commitment to making homeowner battery adoption more accessible, effectively offsetting the cost of the battery and making the upgrade a no-cost addition to their homes,” said Dan Lotano, Chief Operating Officer at GoodLeap. “We’re proud to work with NRG to unlock the next frontier in distributed energy in Texas. This marks an important step in GoodLeap reaching our nationwide goal of 1.5 GW of managed distributed energy over the next five years.”

Program highlights include:

• Reliant customers unlock $40 per month in cash rewards from GoodLeap by participating.
• Reliant and GoodLeap will work together to intelligently manage the home’s battery with no action required from the homeowner.
• In the event of a power outage, the battery is reserved exclusively to provide backup power for the home.

This collaboration is the latest example of NRG’s commitment to scaling its unique VPP program by integrating home battery storage into its VPP platform, along with its ongoing efforts around smart thermostats.

To learn more about GoodGrid in Texas, visit https://www.goodleap.com/goodgrid/tx.

Reliant | reliant.com 

GoodLeap | goodleap.com

In recognition of ComEd’s commitment to community-driven workforce programming and bringing strong outcomes for local job seekers, the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) has honored ComEd with the 2025 Community Partner Award. The award is reserved for companies and organizations in the energy power sector delivering innovative programs, anchored in community partnership, and which seek to ensure the workforce is reflective of the communities served.

The Community Partner award specifically recognizes ComEd for catalyzing a coalition of employers and nonprofits to launch Power Up Academy, to address a shortage of technical talent needed to support the future energy needs in Illinois. ComEd is committed to partnering with our community to invest in career training programs that prepare our residents to build meaningful careers that power our communities and needs of the industry in the years ahead and the clean energy goals of the state, as outlined in ComEd’s new Long-Range Strategy.

“Power Up Academy is more than a training program, it’s an investment in people and our communities,” said Melissa Y. Washington, SVP of Governmental, Regulatory and External Affairs at ComEd. “With the needs of the energy grid poised for major growth in the years ahead, our collaboration with a network of local employers, education leaders, and community based agencies will remain key to our work as we aim to build a workforce that reflects our communities and drives the clean energy transition forward.”

Launched in 2023, Power Up Academy was designed to address a critical gap in energy workforce development—preparing adult learners for entry-level technical roles such as design technicians and project coordinators without requiring a college degree. The 14-week program combines hands-on training in AutoCAD, electrical concepts, and project management with real-world scenarios and employer-led instruction. It is operated in partnership with Revolution Workshop, a Chicago-based nonprofit providing critical workforce training in the Trades.

“In collaboration with ComEd, local engineering firms and the Revolution Workshop, we are proud to have supported the launch of Power Up Academy, the only program of its kind in Chicago to provide a pathway for individuals into entry level design and construction management positions within the utility sector without a college degree,” said Manny Rodriguez, Executive Director of Revolution Workshop. “Our mission to assist underserved people obtain true economic mobility is not possible without employer partners like ComEd, and we look forward to our continued collaboration to develop career thriving pathways for the community.”

Since launching, Power Up Academy has expanded with additional employer sponsors, including 10 local engineering firms, and with new pathways through local educational institutions. ComEd worked with City College of Chicago to expand the program with accreditation, ensuring that participants of the program will have the opportunity to qualify for up to 13 credit hours as part of their 14-week training program.

“Our partnership with ComEd is impacting lives by creating a clear career path that leads to a family sustaining wage,” said Dr. Webb Walker, president of Kennedy-King College, a City College of Chicago. “In-line with our equity goals, The Power Up Academy and Professional Pathways initiative is giving our talented students the access and the ability to earn a degree in a high demand field, one that leads to success in work and in life, a mission we all share.”

Power Up Academy is just one example of a menu of workforce and skills training programs delivered by ComEd and in partnership with local workforce, educational, trades labor and other community centered agencies in the region. ComEd provides training for a myriad of roles – from construction and trades to energy efficiency and solar with youth and adult programs collectively reaching 1,000 local job seekers each year.

ComEd |www.comed.com/workforce

Nostromo Energy, a leader in behind-the-meter thermal energy storage, announced the launch of IceBrick360, a patented cold-thermal energy storage (CTES) system engineered specifically for high demand data centers. IceBrick360 is designed to provide load flexibility to help expedite grid connection or increase computing capacity of existing locations.

The explosive growth of AI and computing demands is driving unprecedented growth in data center electricity demand, causing yearslong delays in grid connection in all major development hubs. Utilities and grid operators are now prioritizing connections to "flexible large load" facilities that can reliably commit to curtailment at times of peak demand. The IceBrick technology and product family directly address this need by shifting the substantial cooling energy demand, often 10 to 30% of a data center's peak electrical load to off-peak hours.

The new IceBrick360 features a large, 360TRh capacity per unit to meet data centers' large cooling loads, while maintaining the market leading performance of the compact Gen 2 IceBrick version. In addition, the IceBrick360's large-scale configuration enables expedited construction through faster placement and integration. Like other IceBrick products, when demand is high, the IceBrick360 discharges stored cold thermal energy to supply the data center's cooling load, thereby curtailing its load on the grid, with zero impact on critical computing performance.

"The IceBrick360 is a game-changer for an industry held-back by power constraints," said Yoram Ashery, CEO of Nostromo Energy. "It offers a fast and reliable pathway to increased grid connection and IT capacity. As a non-flammable solution it does not need complex permitting like lithium-ion batteries, reducing deployment time and risk. Backed by a 10-year warranty and engineered for more than 20 years of daily use with virtually zero degradation, IceBrick360 provides unparalleled peace of mind and long-term value."

Accelerating Deployment and Maximizing Value

Beyond speed to power, the IceBrick360 delivers high operational and financial value with up to nine times the energy density per square foot, four hour discharge for peak-demand alignment, and automated integration with utility signals for participation in demand-response and wholesale energy markets. Approved by the CPUC and CAISO as a standalone demand-response resource and manufactured entirely in the U.S., it reduces supply chain risk and qualifies projects for the 10% domestic content Investment Tax Credit (ITC) adder, increasing potential federal tax credits for thermal storage to up to 40%.

Nostromo Energy | www.nostromo.energy