Researchers in the United Kingdom have analyzed lithium-ion battery thermal runaway off-gas and have found that nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries generate larger specific off-gas volumes, while lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries are a greater flammability hazard and show greater toxicity, depending on relative state of charge (SOC).

Vantaa Energy plans to construct a 90 GWh thermal energy storage facility in underground caverns in Vantaa, near Helsinki. It says it will be the world’s largest seasonal energy storage site by all standards upon completion in 2028.

The government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Canton 10 has signed concession agreements for the construction of two utility-scale solar projects, which will rank among the biggest in the country upon completion.

While lithium ion battery prices are falling again, interest in sodium ion (Na-ion) energy storage has not waned. With a global ramp-up of cell manufacturing capacity under way, it remains unclear whether this promising technology can tip the scales on supply and demand.

Researchers in Japan have discovered a stable, highly conductive material that can be used as electrolyte for solid-state lithium-ion batteries. The material’s ionic conductivity is said to be higher than any previously reported oxide solid electrolytes, with a wide operating temperature range.

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) of South Africa has opened the third bid window for its Battery Energy Storage IPP Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP), which is procuring a total of 1,744 MW of four-hour battery storage systems. It has also announced the final winner from the first window.

The European Commission has approved €1 billion ($1.08 billion) of Greek measures under EU state-aid rules to support two utility-scale solar projects with lithium-ion batteries and molten-salt thermal storage. The funds will take the form of a contract for difference (CfD) over a period of 20 years.

Tesla’s electric vehicle (EV) sales are plummeting, but its energy storage business is surging, with more than 4 GWh deployed in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

Turkey’s total installed PV capacity reached 12.4 GW at the end of February. Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar says the country aims to add 3.5 GW of PV every year through to 2035.

Europe’s leading battery maker, Northvolt, has started building a battery cell factory in Heide, Germany. The facility will employ roughly 3,000 people with a maximum annual production capacity of 60 GWh. It will begin operations in 2026.