Energy-Storage.news caught up with Energy Vault CEO Robert Piconi to primarily discuss its gravity-based energy storage solution which, putting it mildly, has its fair share of sceptics.

Utility Portland General Electric (PGE) has announced the procurement of a 75MW battery energy storage system (BESS) project in the state of Oregon, building on another 400MW round last month.

Energy Vault will reveal new form factors to its EVx gravity-based energy storage solution which could deliver the “lowest cost of energy storage in the world”, CEO Robert Piconi claimed to Energy-Storage.news.

The US now has a larger pipeline of lithium-ion manufacturing projects than Europe, according to Clean Energy Associates (CEA) and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

Multinational energy firm RWE has started construction on two battery storage projects totalling 220MW/235MWh in Germany.

A senior executive from the power solutions arm of manufacturing firm Volvo Group, Volvo Penta, talked Energy-Storage.news through its recent entry into the BESS market.

California governor Gavin Newsom has outlined how the state will reach 100% decarbonisation by 2045, in a policy update which put energy storage front-and-centre in enabling 24/7 clean power.

Renewable energy technology firm Entech has won a framework contract in France with four public utilities to deploy 50MWh of battery storage.

Mobile battery energy storage system (BESS) firm Moxion has announced plans to build a manufacturing plant in California with 7GWh of production capacity, in a launch ceremony attended by the state governor.

Some 710MW of battery storage came online in the US in the first three months of the year, of which around 70% was in the ERCOT, Texas market, S&P Global said.