The Ultium Cells LLC $𝟮.𝟲 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 in Tennessee just transitioned from EVs to data centers. Not because the plant failed. Because grid-scale energy storage is… | Julia Polk

The Ultium Cells LLC $𝟮.𝟲 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 in Tennessee just transitioned from EVs to data centers. Not because the plant failed. Because grid-scale energy storage is now the bigger market. GM and LG are spending $70 million to retool Spring Hill, Tennessee — 30 miles from Nashville — for a completely different product.   The Ultium Cells plant — a GM and LG Energy Solution joint venture — is converting from EV battery production to 𝗟𝗙𝗣 energy storage cells. Production starts Q2 2026.   LFP chemistry is the shift worth watching. 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 cells are 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗹. They’re the chemistry of choice for grid-scale storage because the economics favor long-duration cycling over energy density.   𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: utility-scale storage projects and data center backup power across North America. LG Energy Solution’s US storage division, Vertech, will assemble the cells into battery enclosures.   This isn’t one factory making a bet. LG’s Michigan plants in Holland and Lansing are making the same pivot to LFP storage cells by end of 2026. LG is targeting 𝟲𝟬+ 𝗚𝗪𝗵 of global energy storage production capacity this year, with more than 𝟴𝟬% 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮.   The demand driver is straightforward. US electricity demand is projected to rise 12% by 2030. Data centers account for a third of that increase. Somebody has to manufacture the storage that keeps the grid stable while absorbing that load.   Spring Hill is 30 miles from Nashville. 𝟳𝟬𝟬 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. A $2.6 billion asset repurposed. 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲, 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆.   The capital isn’t leaving clean energy. It’s following the demand signal.   This is ClimateWiser 2.0. Following the infrastructure money. Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development LaunchTN LG Energy Solution Vertech, Inc.

China Starts Sea Trials for Largest Electric-Powered Containership

China’s first 10,000-ton electric containership is beginning sea trials. The shipyard is billing the ship as the largest of its kind and a further bre...

Google's 1.7 GW surplus in Michigan, a new industry standard | Alex Lanin posted on the topic | LinkedIn

Google's Michigan data center needs 1 GW. Google is buying 2.7 GW. That 1.7 GW surplus tells you more than the headline. Three weeks ago, Google signed 1.9 GW with Xcel in Minnesota. Today, 2.7 GW with DTE Energy in suburban Detroit. Same tariff structure, new name — Clean Capacity Acceleration Agreement. Third state in a month. This is no longer a deal. It's a platform. And it adapts. Minnesota's grid is 70% carbon-free, so the stack leaned into 1,400 MW wind and 300 MW of Form Energy's 100-hour iron-air storage. Michigan's grid is coal-heavy and transitioning, so the stack shifted to 1,600 MW solar, 400 MW of 4-hour storage, and 300 MW of flexible clean capacity from local partners. Different grid, different medicine. Google also read the room on regulation. Michigan AG Nessel called DTE's Saline Township contracts "rushed, back-room deals." Google agreed to a contested MPSC case before anyone demanded it. They learned from Saline that getting ahead of the process costs less than cleaning up after it. The overbuild is the smartest part. DTE says the 1.7 GW surplus keeps lights on for existing customers. DTE residential rates are up 51% over the last decade, and the utility just filed for another 11% hike. Showing up with grid headroom and no cost shift to ratepayers — that's how you get a utility and a regulator to say yes. Three states, three utilities, three resource stacks — and a tariff structure that's becoming an industry standard. NV Energy. Xcel. DTE. Google is building the playbook. The question is how fast other utilities adopt it. #DataCenters #EnergyInfrastructure #AIInfrastructure #Google #DTE #MPSC #CleanEnergy #GridReliability | 11 comments on LinkedIn

Scientists demonstrate quantum battery prototype with rapid charging

Scientists from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), RMIT University and the University of Melbourne have developed a quantum battery prototype that demonstrates rapid, scalable energy storage using collective quantum effects.

Egypt signs 5.6GW renewable energy and storage deals to accelerate clean energy shift | Newsbase

Alabama Is Threatening to Ban Utility-Scale Solar

It started as a brawl between Meta and a small Alabama town over a solar farm. Now it’s become a push to ban utility-scale solar across much of the state. Stockton, Alabama, is a teeny, unincorporated town of fewer than 1,000 people. It’s a conservative community in Baldwin County, south of the stat...

Startup Aims To Help US Farmers With Green H2 & Wind Power

A US startup aims to provide farmers with ammonia fertilizer produced from green hydrogen at local facilities.