The European Union’s much-needed emergency measures to tackle the ongoing energy crisis may have unintended consequences for the region’s renewable energy ambitions, warn analysts, but the impact on power purchase agreements will likely vary, depending on the contracts.

Researchers in Egypt have developed a synthesis method that uses the high microwave absorbance of silicon carbide content in rice straw ash and takes just 60 seconds to produce sodium iron phosphates-carbon nanocomposites (NaFePO4-C), which can be used as sodium ion battery cathodes and as symmetric supercapacitors.

Saft, a unit of TotalEnergies, has launched a new LFP battery storage system that is optimized for time-shifting applications.

US researchers say they have developed a way to make cobalt-free lithium-ion battery cathodes, while Ford says it has broken ground on a new $5.6 billion production complex for electric vehicles and batteries.

An international group of researchers has demonstrated an aqueous zinc battery with excellent performance in terms of capacity, rate capability, specific energy, and output voltage. The supercapacitor-battery hybrid device has also shown unprecedented cycling stability 99.2% capacity retention after 17,000 cycles at 100% depth of discharge.

In other news, Our Next Energy reveals 240-Ah anode-free cell with high energy density, ABB E-mobility expands its manufacturing footprint in the US, and Volvo’s parent company Geely unveils 600 kW supercharging technology.

Shell has revealed it will use Driivz’s EV charging platform in Europe, and Nissan said it will offer bidirectional charging in the US market. Schneider Electric, meanwhile, has unveiled a new EV charger.

DNV recently evaluated 19 battery cells through its testing program and found that lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells from Chinese battery makers CATL and Narada offer the best performance in stationary energy storage applications.

US researchers have developed a new solid-state lithium-metal battery, and China’s SVOLT has started producing prototype solid-state cells. Toyota, meanwhile, has revealed plans to invest billions of dollars in battery production.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has commissioned a first-of-its-kind pilot plant pumped heat energy storage demonstration facility with tech from US startup Malta. Its 10-150+ hour energy storage technology is said to be applicable in a range of grid-scale applications.