Wednesday, 14 October 2026

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said it plans to support the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in funding 84 transmission and distribution projects across eight states.

The projects are expected to add approximately 2.5 GW of grid capacity, according to the DOE.

The TVA award totals approximately USD 581 million, the DOE said, including USD 250 million in federal funding and about USD 331 million in applicant cost-share funding.

The project is estimated to support about 800 jobs.

Fraunhofer IPA and the University of Stuttgart have built a cell and electrode design for aluminium anodes, electrive reported.

Aluminium swells and shrinks as a cell charges and discharges, a swing electrive described as previously problematic for the material. The design handles that volume change to make aluminium usable as an anode in practical batteries.

The method holds the materials steady while the cell runs and keeps electrical contact inside the electrode across many charge and discharge cycles, the researchers said.

Its starting point is a commercially available alloyed aluminium foil that works as both the active material and the current collector. That removes the copper foil standard anodes rely on, electrive reported.

Cuba has recorded at least eight total nationwide blackouts in 2026, with daily outages exceeding 20 hours in parts of Havana, according to Latin Times, which described it as the island's worst energy crisis since the revolution.

On October 8, Havana's Electric Company reported 91 circuits out of service and a 235 MW generation deficit caused by insufficient generation, as documented by CiberCuba.

A project pairing Silicon Quantum Computing with Schneider Electric has cleared Stage 2 of Australia's Critical Technologies Challenge Program and drawn AUD 3.6 million in government funding, itbrief.com.au reported.

The partners are collaborating with UNSW Sydney on energy forecasting for distributed household energy systems. The work runs SQC's Watermelon system inside Schneider Electric's modelling tools.

During Stage 1, forecasting accuracy improved by an average of 20% against a classical benchmark, and reached 41% in some cases, according to itbrief.com.au.

Stage 2 extends the modelling to hundreds of homes across Australia, with integration into Schneider Electric's artificial intelligence workflows.

The Linux Foundation has launched OpenGrid, an open source initiative to support electricity infrastructure planning worldwide, according to datacenternews.

The project is built as a shared data and interoperability layer rather than a replacement for existing grid-planning software.

According to datacenternews, OpenGrid's initial building blocks include open standards and schemas, programmatic APIs and a central data hub holding validated datasets ready for modelling.

The initiative's first application, OpenGrid Translator, is being developed to move data and models between widely used commercial platforms and open source tools.

Eskom Holdings has launched a search for a strategic partner to help deliver the planned 1.5 GW Tubatse Pumped Storage Scheme in Limpopo, set to become South Africa's largest pumped storage scheme, according to myza.co.za.

The utility is running a Request for Qualification process to invite experienced and financially capable organisations to participate in developing, financing and delivering the project.

Sited near Roossenekal in Limpopo Province, the proposed 1.5 GW facility would provide approximately 21 GWh of energy storage through four reversible pump-turbine units, according to myza.co.za. The scheme would be able to generate at full output for up to 14 hours.

Wärtsilä signed an agreement with WEB Aruba to supply a battery energy storage system rated at 35 MW output and 70 MWh of storage capacity, according to a press release reported by MarketScreener.

The deal covers engineering, installation and commissioning, alongside a service agreement for energy management and maintenance.

The system will be integrated with Aruba's existing power generation capacity to improve grid stability, increase the share of renewable energy and reduce energy costs.

The project ranks as Wärtsilä's largest energy storage project to date in the Caribbean.

Food technology platform Wonder said it saved about USD 20,000 in energy costs at its physical locations after installing stationary plug-in batteries at some of its sites six months earlier, according to the company.

Wonder installed the batteries at 21 of its New York City sites and plans to expand the program to more locations.

Separately, rising costs are squeezing Puerto Rico's small businesses, Raúl Burgos argues. Effective October 1, Puerto Rico's residential electricity rate increased to approximately 33.86 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The South African Energy Storage Association (SAESA) welcomed the prioritisation of 4,600 MW of battery energy storage under the first Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2025 Section 34 determination, according to ESI Africa.

In a separate development, planning permission has been sought to develop a battery energy storage facility in South Donegal, according to Donegal Daily.

NamPower said its heavy reliance on electricity imports exposes it to regional supply risks and price volatility, strengthening the case for expanding reliable domestic generation.

Imports currently meet about 60% of Namibia's electricity demand, and the utility said reducing that dependency remains a national priority.

The utility's import share rose from 59% in 2020 to 71% in 2022, before declining to 58% in 2023 and 46% in 2024, according to The Villager. The 2022 peak reflected variable Ruacana output and regional market conditions.

NamPower said the high reliance on imports reinforces the urgency of building out reliable domestic generation.

Greater Bay Technology (GBT), a Chinese battery developer supported by GAC Group, has started series production of solid-state battery cells in Guangzhou, according to electrive.

GBT began series production of all-solid-state cells at its Nansha plant near Guangzhou on October 13, electrive reported.

Rather than building a dedicated facility, the company repurposed an existing lithium-ion production line, according to electrive.

The plant currently has 1 GWh of capacity for solid-state cells, per electrive.

Samsung C&T Renewable Energy Australia has lodged plans for a 200 MW/800 MWh battery energy storage system near Warragul in Victoria's West Gippsland region, according to ESS News.

The Australian renewable energy arm of Samsung is seeking approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act to build the grid-scale battery in Australia, ESS News reported.

Samsung is targeting a construction start in 2027, with the build expected to take up to 18 months to complete, according to ESS News.

Engie Chile has brought online a 142 MW/802 MWh battery storage system at its Mejillones Energy Complex, with USD 174 million behind the build and existing site infrastructure put back into use, according to ESS News.

The battery, called BESS Lile, is now running commercially at the Mejillones complex in Chile's Antofagasta region, ESS News reported.

The site holds 160 battery containers alongside 40 electrical support units, according to ESS News.

BESS Lile ties straight into Chile's National Electricity System, storing power and releasing it to the grid as the system calls for it, ESS News reported.

A new synchronous condenser can take as much as five years from the date of order to delivery, Trueman told RenewEconomy in an interview, with additional time needed to install balance-of-plant.

New gas turbines face a longer wait, with delivery running up to eight years, according to RenewEconomy.

Power Grid Corporation of India Limited now holds full ownership of Lakadia II Power Transmission Limited, a line built to carry renewable power in Gujarat, according to solarquarter. The 100% stake was won under tariff-based competitive bidding.

The handover closed on October 12, 2026, with Power Grid taking the project special purpose vehicle from REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited, which coordinated the bid process, solarquarter reported.

The line is meant to reinforce inter-state transmission for power leaving the Lakadia Renewable Energy Zone Phase II, a Gujarat zone planned at 7,500 MW, solarquarter said.

Battery storage and the grid's direction drove the third 2026 Consumer Liaison Group (CLG) meeting in the United States, where panelists examined storage's role in supporting reliability and serving New England's shifting energy needs, according to ISO New England Newswire.

The meeting convened Sept. 24 in Portland, Maine.

A panel on energy storage in New England pointed to state initiatives, battery participation in ISO-NE markets, and the reliability and operational gains storage can deliver, ISO New England Newswire reported.

Panelists said scaling storage will require closing the gap between wholesale markets and retail programs, steadier revenue streams, and fewer obstacles to deploying batteries.

Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) and engineering firm Richardson Electronics have partnered on a battery energy storage project in Illinois, according to Solar Builder.

Officials announced on October 12 that the two companies plan to install what they described as the largest commercial battery energy storage system (BESS) in the state, Solar Builder reported.

Richardson Electronics is also installing a 5 MWh research and development demonstration project, which will go through ComEd's interconnection process, according to Solar Builder.

A buyer-led non-profit in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Energy Storage Contract Alliance (ESCA), has released what it describes as the first open contract standard covering procurement of utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, ESS News reported.

Twenty-two members signed on at the Oct. 13 launch, spanning utilities, independent power producers, developers and asset owners, per ESS News. Together they hold a BESS portfolio topping 40 GWh.

Drafted from the purchaser's perspective, the ESCA Model BESS Supply and Purchase Agreement reached version 1.2 and leaves pricing out of its terms.

Anyone can read and download the agreement's core clauses at no cost and without signing up, ESS News reported. Full access to the contract plus more than 15 technical appendices, among them testing and warranty schedules, is reserved for members.

In Europe, Sungrow is taking on more than battery hardware supply, adding pre-connection grid simulation, compliance testing and manufacturing closer to the market, according to ESS News.

The company's battery plant in Poland remains under construction and is due to open next year, representatives told ESS News. They put the investment at roughly EUR 250 million, and said building locally is meant to cut European supply chain risk and shorten delivery times.

Representatives estimated Sungrow holds around 30% to 40% of Germany's utility-scale PV market, and said they are targeting a comparable share in storage eventually.

To prepare equipment before it ships, Sungrow runs a 30 MW in-house grid simulation facility in China, testing hardware and controls against simulated grid conditions such as faults and low grid impedance.

UTEX New Energy, a Pagariya Group company, has signed an agreement to establish a 20 GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) assembly plant in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

The project will run in two phases, according to Saur Energy. It begins with 5.5 GWh in Phase I and is planned to scale to the full 20 GWh within one to two years.

Separately, pv magazine reported on a utility-scale storage factory operated by Maxxen Energy in Aydın, Türkiye. The 20,000-square-meter containerized battery manufacturing facility began operations in 2026.

The Maxxen plant has a nameplate capacity of 5 GWh per year, with current utilization at 1.5 GWh per year as the factory ramps, according to pv magazine.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will help the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) finance 84 transmission and distribution projects spread across eight states, including Tennessee, as part of an effort to strengthen grid reliability and cut electricity costs.

The planned award comes to roughly USD 581 million, the DOE said. Federal dollars cover USD 250 million of that total, with applicants contributing around USD 331 million in cost-share funding.

Officials said the work should bring about 2.5 GW of additional grid capacity, reducing outages and adding resilience.

The DOE noted that the final federal amount, project scope, schedules and remaining award terms still depend on executed agreements and applicable reviews.