https://currentcells.com/ 2026-06-10T00:08:19.186Z Infrastructure journalism covering the battery industry and the infrastructure of electrification CurrentCells currentcells-article-battery-materials-price-index 2026-06-08T14:02:39.000Z 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000Z

Weekly battery materials spot prices, updated every Monday. Covers lithium carbonate (CNY + USD), cobalt, nickel, manganese sulfate, and natural graphite with week-over-week changes, full price history, and a chemistry cost sensitivity calculator for $/kWh scenario modeling.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-gm-peak-energy-sodium-ion-grid-storage-2026 2026-06-10T00:07:20.000Z 2026-06-10T00:07:17.000Z

GM and Peak Energy announced a strategic partnership to develop sodium-ion cells for stationary storage systems. GM will work on the cell chemistry, hold exclusive manufacturing rights, and back Peak through GM Ventures, while Peak integrates the cells into passively cooled grid storage products.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-battery-formation-aging-explained 2026-06-09T01:32:20.000Z 2026-06-09T01:30:11.000Z

Battery formation and aging create the SEI, detect weak cells, manage gas, and shape gigafactory throughput. This explainer covers why the final manufacturing step is slow, costly, and essential.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-factorial-nasdaq-solid-state-battery-commercialization-2026 2026-06-09T00:13:40.000Z 2026-06-09T00:13:40.000Z

Factorial Energy listed on Nasdaq under FAC and FACWW after closing its SPAC merger with Cartesian Growth Corp III. The deal supplies more than $100 million for commercialization, while the company points to a 745-mile Mercedes EQS demonstration, Stellantis cell validation, and partnerships with Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Kia, and Stellantis.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-bess-permitting-bans-normal-illinois-2026 2026-06-08T00:08:58.000Z 2026-06-08T00:08:58.000Z

Local BESS rules are spreading across the United States as storage projects move closer to factories, substations, and communities. Normal, Illinois offers a fresh example of how setbacks, fire codes, zoning, and emergency plans are becoming central to project bankability.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-victoria-fast-tracks-1390mw-battery-storage-2026 2026-06-07T00:13:35.000Z 2026-06-07T00:13:35.000Z

Victoria has approved four renewable energy and storage projects through its Development Facilitation Program, including 1,390 MW of battery storage. The largest is TagEnergy's planned 1,000 MW / 4,000 MWh Morwell BESS near the Hazelwood Terminal Station. The approval round shows how Australian states are using planning reform as a battery deployment tool.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-china-solar-majors-battery-storage-pivot-2026 2026-06-06T00:05:41.000Z 2026-06-06T00:05:38.000Z

Chinese solar companies JinkoSolar, JA Solar, LONGi, and Trina Solar are pushing deeper into battery storage as module prices stay weak. The strategy pairs existing solar customer relationships with rising demand for integrated solar-plus-storage systems, but the market will test bankability, safety, service, and policy risk.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-t1-energy-kore-power-bess-acquisition-2026 2026-06-05T00:06:57.000Z 2026-06-05T00:06:57.000Z

T1 Energy plans to acquire KORE Power for approximately $32 million, gaining KORE’s NRI utility-scale BESS engineering and controls business while avoiding cell manufacturing. The deal reflects a wider U.S. storage shift from greenfield gigafactory ambitions toward integration, controls, domestic software, and AI data-center power demand.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-alsym-rebuild-us-sodium-ion-cell-manufacturing-2026 2026-06-04T00:09:48.000Z 2026-06-04T00:09:45.000Z

The partnership targets commercial-scale sodium-ion cell manufacturing for U.S. energy storage customers, with a focus on non-flammable chemistry, domestic supply, IRA 45X incentives, and safer deployments for utilities, data centers, and commercial sites.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-eve-energy-company-profile 2026-06-03T01:24:00.000Z 2026-06-03T01:00:00.000Z

Company profile of EVE Energy, covering its 2001 founding in Huizhou, 2009 ChiNext listing, energy storage surge, 2025 shipment figures, Malaysia and Hungary factory plans, large cylindrical EV cells, and technology roadmap.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-spain-9-billion-capacity-market-battery-storage-2026 2026-06-03T00:03:54.000Z 2026-06-03T00:03:51.000Z

Spain's new capacity mechanism will run from May 2026 with an estimated €900 million annual budget. Battery storage can compete alongside demand response and generation for reliability payments procured by Red Eléctrica.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-battery-separators-explained 2026-06-02T01:21:36.000Z 2026-06-02T01:18:13.000Z

Battery separators prevent internal shorts while letting lithium ions move. This explainer covers PE, PP, ceramic coatings, thermal shutdown, wet and dry manufacturing, fast charging, and why separators matter for EV safety.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-polestar-clever-v2x-denmark-bidirectional-charging-2026 2026-06-02T00:07:12.000Z 2026-06-02T00:07:12.000Z

Clever and Polestar launched a Danish V2X pilot using bidirectional DC wallboxes and Polestar 4 vehicles. The project will test vehicle-to-home, vehicle-to-grid, and outage backup use cases, with Clever targeting commercial V2X solutions in 2027.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-nextpower-prevalon-bess-ai-data-centers-2026 2026-06-01T00:06:23.000Z 2026-06-01T00:06:23.000Z

Nextpower, formerly Nextracker, signed a definitive agreement to acquire Prevalon Energy for up to $365 million. The deal brings more than 6 GWh of deployed BESS experience, software, controls, and data center-linked supply contracts into a solar platform built around trackers and power technology.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-eni-seri-italy-lfp-bess-supply-chain-2026 2026-05-31T00:07:52.000Z 2026-05-31T00:07:52.000Z

Eni and Seri Industrial's FIB are forming an Italian LFP storage platform around Teverola and Brindisi, pairing cell production, BESS assembly, and a planned 8+ GWh gigafactory with a goal of capturing more than 10 percent of Europe's stationary battery market.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-dte-lg-6gwh-michigan-battery-storage-2026 2026-05-30T00:06:24.000Z 2026-05-30T00:06:24.000Z

DTE Energy has signed a 1.5 GW / 6 GWh battery storage supply agreement with LG Energy Solution Vertech. The $1.6 billion Michigan portfolio spans eight projects, supports the Holland manufacturing plant, and signals how U.S. utilities are pairing reliability spending with domestic BESS supply chains.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-rwe-limondale-australia-first-8-hour-bess-2026 2026-05-29T00:07:51.000Z 2026-05-29T00:07:48.000Z

RWE has received full operational approval for the Limondale BESS, a 50 MW, 400 MWh lithium-ion storage project beside its New South Wales solar farm. The project uses 144 Tesla Megapacks and was built under the state long-duration storage procurement framework.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-sumitomo-gresham-house-694mw-uk-bess-portfolio-2026 2026-05-28T00:05:56.000Z 2026-05-28T00:05:53.000Z

Sumitomo Corporation, through Summit Transition Partners, is investing in multiple Gresham House UK battery storage projects totaling about 694 MW. The deal highlights the shift from single BESS projects toward portfolio-scale storage infrastructure backed by trading and optimization expertise.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-sk-on-company-profile 2026-05-27T01:22:59.000Z 2026-05-27T01:22:59.000Z

SK On was spun out of SK Innovation in 2021 but builds on decades of battery work. Its U.S. factories, Hyundai and Ford relationships, high-nickel EV cells, and 7.2 GWh Flatiron storage agreement make it a key test of non-Chinese battery supply.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-adani-khavda-337gwh-bess-2026 2026-05-27T00:06:37.000Z 2026-05-27T00:06:33.000Z

Adani Green Energy has commissioned 3.37 GWh of battery storage at Khavda, Gujarat, giving India a grid-scale storage landmark and a test case for renewable power that can serve evening peaks.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-napanee-ontario-1gwh-bess-commercial-operations-2026 2026-05-26T00:06:18.000Z 2026-05-26T00:06:15.000Z

Napanee BESS has started commercial operations in Ontario, giving Canada a 1 GWh grid battery built through the province's LT1 procurement and a live test case for local supply chains, nuclear charging, and longer-duration expansion.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-basquevolt-bqv400l-lithium-metal-cell-2026 2026-05-25T00:10:06.000Z 2026-05-25T00:10:02.000Z

Spanish battery developer Basquevolt introduced its BQV400L lithium-metal cell, a fourth-generation design using an NMC cathode, lithium-metal anode, and hybrid polymer electrolyte. The company says the cell is commercially available and designed for existing gigafactory infrastructure.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-sungrow-masdar-75gwh-abu-dhabi-rtc-storage-2026 2026-05-24T00:06:03.000Z 2026-05-24T00:05:56.000Z

Sungrow has signed a 7.5 GWh storage agreement with Masdar for Abu Dhabi's round-the-clock renewable power project. The broader Masdar and EWEC project combines 5.2 GW of solar PV with 19 GWh of batteries to deliver roughly 1 GW of continuous clean power, creating a major test case for solar-plus-storage as scheduled clean capacity.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-antora-poet-5gwh-thermal-battery-south-dakota-2026 2026-05-23T00:03:11.000Z 2026-05-23T00:03:11.000Z

Antora and POET are commissioning Project Big Stone, a 5 GWh thermal energy storage system at POET Big Stone City. The system uses more than 200 thermal batteries, stores electricity as heat in carbon blocks, and delivers 50 MW of round-the-clock industrial energy.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-texas-overtakes-california-battery-storage-us-record-2025 2026-05-22T18:00:00.000Z 2026-05-22T18:00:00.000Z

The SEIA/Benchmark Q1 2026 report reveals US battery storage hit 57.6 GWh in 2025, a 30% increase. Texas is projected to overtake California in 2026 as the largest storage market. Meanwhile, Spain's FRV announced a 1.2 GW/5 GWh BESS portfolio following the Iberian blackout and Royal Decree 997/2025.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-invinity-flexbase-21gwh-flow-battery-switzerland-2026 2026-05-22T00:09:49.000Z 2026-05-22T00:09:47.000Z

FlexBase selected Invinity to design a GWh-scale vanadium flow battery for Technology Centre Laufenburg in Switzerland, giving Europe a serious test of flow batteries for AI data center power and grid stability.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-copenhagen-akaysha-2gwh-germany-battery-2026 2026-05-21T00:10:09.000Z 2026-05-21T00:10:09.000Z

A planned 500 MW, 2 GWh battery near Baden-Baden gives Germany another large four-hour storage proposal and highlights the shift toward grid-adjacent projects, tolling contracts, and bankable standalone BESS development.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-dry-electrode-manufacturing-explained 2026-05-19T01:37:11.000Z 2026-05-19T01:37:11.000Z

A practical explainer on dry electrode manufacturing, how it differs from wet slurry coating, why Tesla and suppliers care, and what has to work at scale.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-australia-home-battery-400000-11gwh-2026 2026-05-19T00:08:16.000Z 2026-05-19T00:08:16.000Z

Australia's Cheaper Home Batteries Program has pushed residential storage past 400,000 installations and 11.2 GWh, raising a new question for grid planners: how much distributed capacity can be coordinated like infrastructure?

CurrentCells currentcells-article-akuo-portugal-santasbat-solar-storage-2026 2026-05-18T00:04:56.000Z 2026-05-18T00:04:56.000Z

Akuo is developing the SantasBAT battery in Borba, Portugal, pairing 220 MWh of storage with an existing 181 MW solar plant as the country pushes toward 85 percent renewable electricity by 2030.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-sodium-ion-batteries-how-they-work 2026-05-17T18:00:00.000Z 2026-05-17T18:00:00.000Z

Sodium-ion batteries hit commercial scale in early 2026. CATL's Naxtra entered mass production in January, the world's first sodium-ion passenger EV (Changan Nevo A06) launches mid-year, BYD announced 10,000-cycle third-gen cells, HiNa Battery commissioned a 100 MWh grid project with Datang Group, and Dutch startup Moonwatt launched Europe's first commercial sodium-ion storage system. Natron Energy, once a leading US player, closed in September 2025. The chemistry is no longer hypothetical.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-pakistan-lithium-cell-tax-local-assembly-2026 2026-05-17T00:03:54.000Z 2026-05-17T00:03:54.000Z

Pakistan imported 26,000 MW of solar panels from 2022 through 2024, and lithium-ion battery imports could reach 2.5 GWh to 3 GWh in 2025. Industry groups argue that lowering cell taxes could make storage cheaper and give local battery pack assembly a chance to scale.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-form-energy-crusoe-iron-air-ai-datacenter-12gwh-2026 2026-05-16T18:00:00.000Z 2026-05-16T18:00:00.000Z

Form Energy's 12 GWh Crusoe deal now sits beside a 300 MW, 30 GWh Google-Xcel project in Minnesota. The next question is factory execution: first modules for the Minnesota battery are expected by the end of 2028 as Weirton ramps beyond pilot-scale output.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-iberdrola-burrenbring-queensland-1gw-bess-epbc-2026 2026-05-16T00:04:35.000Z 2026-05-16T00:04:33.000Z

Iberdrola Australia filed the proposed Burrenbring BESS under the EPBC Act. The 1,000 MW project near Nebo, Queensland would use LFP battery units, connect underground to Powerlink Queensland’s Nebo Substation, and offer 2 to 4 hours of storage duration.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-byd-blade-battery-2-lmfp-flash-charging-2026 2026-05-15T18:00:00.000Z 2026-05-15T18:00:00.000Z

Updated May 15 with BYD's volume rollout: the third-generation Yuan Plus gets Blade Battery 2.0 and Flash Charging with 57.545 kWh and 68.547 kWh packs, while Song Ultra pre-orders test demand below the luxury tier.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-gotion-richardson-illinois-bess-feoc-2026 2026-05-15T00:04:40.000Z 2026-05-15T00:04:37.000Z

Gotion Inc. and Richardson Electronics announced an Illinois technology partnership for U.S.-made BESS products, including a 760 kWh commercial and industrial system and a 5 MWh utility-scale platform. The deal highlights both domestic storage demand and the policy tension around Chinese-linked battery technology under FEOC rules.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-catl-company-profile-2025 2026-05-14T18:00:00.000Z 2026-05-14T18:00:00.000Z

CATL entered May with a stronger 2026 story: Q1 revenue rose 52.45%, net profit rose 48.52%, and its sodium-ion strategy moved from product launch to major storage orders and planned capacity expansion.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-spearmint-clearway-bess-texas-utah-2026 2026-05-14T00:04:31.000Z 2026-05-14T00:04:29.000Z

Spearmint Energy added two 100 MW / 200 MWh standalone batteries in ERCOT, and Clearway commissioned the 320 MW / 1,280 MWh Honeycomb Energy Center in Utah. The projects show how U.S. grid storage is scaling through both merchant and contracted models.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-group14-technologies-company-profile 2026-05-13T01:18:28.000Z 2026-05-13T01:17:00.000Z

A company profile of Group14 Technologies, covering its 2015 founding, SCC55 silicon-carbon anode material, Porsche and SK backing, $1.1 billion-plus funding, South Korea and Washington production, customers, risks, and battery-market role.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-ford-energy-bess-kentucky-grid-storage-2026 2026-05-13T00:05:28.000Z 2026-05-13T00:05:26.000Z

Ford Energy will manufacture U.S.-assembled LFP battery energy storage systems for utilities, data centers, and industrial customers. Its DC Block product uses 512 Ah LFP prismatic cells in two-hour and four-hour configurations, with first deliveries planned for late 2027.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-qcells-jabil-michigan-home-battery-manufacturing-2026 2026-05-12T00:05:15.000Z 2026-05-12T00:05:15.000Z

Qcells and Jabil are assembling Q.HOME CORE G3 home batteries in Michigan, adding a domestic-content-eligible residential storage product to Qcells' U.S. solar, inverter, financing, and installer ecosystem.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-google-form-energy-30gwh-iron-air-battery-minnesota 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z

Google, Xcel Energy, and Form Energy announced a 300 MW / 30 GWh iron-air battery installation at a data center in Pine Island, Minnesota. The project uses Form Energy's 100-hour discharge technology to provide multi-day storage backup for renewable-heavy grids. Despite round-trip efficiency concerns (40-50% vs. 85-90% for lithium-ion), the project's backers argue iron-air's low material costs and multi-day capability fill a gap lithium-ion cannot. Google has pledged to cover all infrastructure costs, shielding ratepayers.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-china-sodium-ion-batteries-mass-production-2026 2026-05-11T18:00:00.000Z 2026-05-11T18:00:00.000Z

China is ramping sodium-ion battery production at an unprecedented pace. CATL has begun mass-producing Naxtra cells for commercial vehicles, BYD is building a 30 GWh factory, and over 370 GWh of manufacturing capacity is under construction across the country. The first sodium-ion passenger cars arrive mid-2026.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-us-battery-manufacturing-pivot-ev-to-grid-storage-2026 2026-05-15T13:09:32.000Z 2026-05-11T00:06:34.000Z

US battery manufacturing has crossed $45 billion in active construction, but the direction has shifted. Ford, GM, and LG Energy Solution are converting EV-focused plants to lithium iron phosphate grid storage production as EV demand lags and data center and grid needs surge.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-redwood-materials-company-profile 2026-05-10T18:00:00.000Z 2026-05-10T18:00:00.000Z

JB Straubel's Redwood Materials remains a major recycling and battery-materials player, but 2026 has clarified a second identity. The company is scaling Redwood Energy with data center and manufacturing projects, expanding R&D in San Francisco, and restructuring after layoffs to focus on storage systems that can be deployed faster than new grid infrastructure.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-bloombergnef-158gw-energy-storage-2026-100-gigawatt-era 2026-05-15T13:09:33.000Z 2026-05-10T17:39:27.000Z

BloombergNEF's new Energy Storage Market Outlook puts 2025 global BESS additions at 112 GW, the first year the industry crossed 100 GW annually. The 2026 forecast calls for 158 GW more, driven by China, AI data centers, and the first real traction for non-lithium chemistries at scale.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-catl-company-profile 2026-05-09T18:00:00.000Z 2026-05-09T18:00:00.000Z

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited is the world's largest EV battery manufacturer, holding 38% global market share as of 2025. Founded in 2011 by Robin Zeng as a spin-off of ATL's automotive battery division, CATL grew from a Fujian startup to a $113 billion-asset company in under 15 years. Its technology portfolio spans LFP, NCM, Cell-to-Pack, the Kirin fast-charging battery, and a 500 Wh/kg condensed cell targeting aviation, while its 13 factories and deep upstream mining investments cement its supply chain dominance across three continents.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-morrow-batteries-bankruptcy-europe-cell-factory-2026 2026-05-09T00:07:17.000Z 2026-05-09T00:07:17.000Z

Morrow Batteries' collapse shows that even a focused European battery strategy built around LFP, future LNMO chemistry, public support, and early customer traction can still fail in a market defined by oversupply, lower prices, and tight capital.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-sungrow-grid-forming-black-start-test-2026 2026-05-08T00:05:36.000Z 2026-05-08T00:05:36.000Z

Sungrow's latest grid-forming test points to a broader change in the battery market, where developers and grid operators increasingly value black-start capability, fault response, and system strength alongside cost and duration.

CurrentCells currentcells-article-byd-second-gen-blade-battery-flash-charging-2026 2026-05-21T18:00:00.000Z 2026-05-07T18:00:00.000Z

BYD's second-generation Blade Battery and 1,500 kW Flash Charging system are now scaling across vehicles and infrastructure. The May update adds tight battery supply, normalized Tai 3 flash-charge deliveries, Tai 7 shipments, and Bao 8 and Bao 5 delivery timing, reframing the story around manufacturing execution as much as charging speed.

CurrentCells