Northvolt, the start-up aiming to manufacture lithium-ion batteries on a massive scale in Europe sustainably, has signed a contract to deliver its own first commercial energy storage system (ESS) project and revealed news on a second planned ‘gigafactory’ in Germany.

A round-up of recent news from renewables developer Savion, energy tech firm Enphase Energy and manufacturers Ingeteam and Pylontech.

Tesla has come under fire for its employment practices once more, with reports of discrimination complaints laying bare worries over profitability at the firm’s very top.

A consortium featuring Mitsubishi and Japanese utility Chubu is set to buy out European energy major Eneco as Mitsubishi targets further European growth.

Convergent Energy & Power’s first projects out of a joint venture with Shell have come online, while GE Renewable Energy touted the imminent implementation of the country’s ‘first hybrid electric gas turbine’ project.

UK energy regulator Ofgem has confirmed it will press ahead with a contentious reform of electricity network charges which stands to damage the economics of distributed generation and energy storage projects in the country.

Even the US states leading in energy storage market development still have work to do when it comes to adopting the best and lowest-cost grid interconnection procedures, an expert in regulatory affairs at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), has said.

Susan Kennedy has stepped down as CEO of Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS), with chief product officer Seyed Madaeni appointed to take her place.

As US states work to address and enable the swift growth of distributed energy resources (DERs), including solar and energy storage, the issues surrounding their interconnection to the electric grid require close attention, Sara Baldwin, VP for regulatory affairs at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), explains.

RedT has confirmed that Avalon chief executive Larry Zulch will lead the combined entity should its proposed merger complete, with Scott McGregor set to depart at the end of the year.