Ceramic and glass business news of the week for July 3, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

NSF invests $162m in research centers to accelerate materials science from lab to factory

A $162 million investment from the U.S. National Science Foundation will drive the creation of advanced materials at nine new materials research science and engineering centers. Each center will receive $18 million over six years.

Ethiopia and China launch center to develop renewable energy potential

Ethiopia and China launched a joint research and extension center supported by the United Nations Development Program to fast-track renewable energy development in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has the potential to generate more than 60,000 MW of electric power from hydroelectric, wind, solar, and geothermal sources.

Researchers can now build huge hydropower plants in the lab

With the Real-Time Hydropower Emulation Platform, which uses field data from actual hydropower plants, mathematical models, and even hardware, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory can recreate hydropower plants in a virtual, lab setting.

World’s largest hydro-solar power station fully operational in China

The world’s largest and highest-altitude hydro-solar power plant entered full operation in China on June 25. The plant, situated in the Yalong River Basin, will cover the needs of 700,000 households for a whole year with its annual generating capacity of 2 billion kilowatt-hours.

Şişecam completes €20 million glass investment in Georgia

Turkish glass manufacturer Şişecam completed a €20 million furnace investment at its Mina, Georgia facility. It is the company’s first investment outside of Turkey in 26 years. The investment increased the furnace’s capacity by 50% and expanded the company’s total glass packaging production capacity in Georgia by 25%.

Ardagh to close two US glass facilities

Ardagh confirmed its Ruston (Simsboro), La., and Wilson, N.C. plants will close by the middle of next month. Ardagh said it was closing the two plants because of decreased market demand.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Rondot Group completes Ramsey glass acquisition

French glass technology provider Rondot Group completed the largest acquisition in its history. It acquired U.S.-based Ramsey Product Corp., which specializes in production of metal conveyor or power transmission chains for the glass sector. Ramsey carries out 70% of its activity with producers of hollow glass containers, Rondot’s core market.

NOAA, University of Rhode Island to explore effects of offshore wind energy development

NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the University of Rhode Island signed a 5-year formal partnership agreement to research how offshore wind energy development will affect marine ecosystems and the people who live near, or work on, the ocean.

Yara Clean Ammonia announces MoU for shipping fuel development

Norwegian chemical company Yara signed a memorandum of understanding with marine fuel suppliers Bunker Holding to develop ammonia for use as shipping fuel. The Yara Clean Ammonia subsidiary will work to provide clean ammonia, made from green hydrogen, as an alternative to using fossil fuels in international shipping.

Tesla recruits another rival to use its supercharger network

Electric-vehicle startup Rivian Automotive struck a deal to expand access of Tesla’s fast-chargers to drivers of its vehicles. Rivian’s agreement follows similar deals Tesla reached in recent weeks with Ford Motor and General Motors.

US–Japan fusion materials collaboration marks 40 years of progress

For more than 40 years, the Japan–U.S. Fusion Cooperation Program has provided a framework for the two countries to conduct joint scientific projects on a wide range of fusion materials and engineering issues.

DOE and partners sign landmark agreement to accelerate long-duration energy storage

The Department of Energy signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate commercialization of long-duration energy storage. Parties involved in the MOU include the DOE Office of Technology Transitions, Edison Electric Institute, Edison Foundation’s Institute for the Energy Transition, Electric Power Research Institute, and Long Duration Energy Storage Council.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Industrial decarbonization pathways to commercial liftoff

Senior leaders from the Department of Energy are holding a webinar to discuss preliminary perspectives from the upcoming report “Industrial decarbonization pathways to commercial liftoff.” The webinar takes place June 28 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator announces Class 3 ventures

Fifteen new energy ventures that are building technologies to accelerate the energy transition will work with the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator as part of the third cohort of the program. The annual 10-week program kicks off on July 25 and will conclude with a Demo Day alongside the 20^th Annual Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum on September 21.

Weck glass manufacturer files for insolvency

German glass jar manufacturer J Weck and its subsidiary Weck Glaswerk have filed for insolvency. The company, with a glass production site in Bonn, has faced high energy prices and lower demand. The company is best known for manufacturing glass jars used for food preserves such as jams.

New moon rover gives it the old college try

The United States’ first robotic lunar rover was built by students at Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about the unusual history and development of this rover in an IEEE Spectrum article.

MARKET TRENDS

Could wave energy technology lower Tonga’s crippling electricity costs?

In March 2023, the Kingdom of Tonga signed a memorandum of understanding with an Irish-based wave energy company called Seabased to develop a 10-megawatt wave power park off the main island of Tongatapu. Once completed, the park is expected to provide half of Tonga’s energy and cut emissions by 20%.

Robotaxis are here—it is time to decide what to do about them

Over the past few years, Cruise and Waymo have cleared several major regulatory hurdles, expanded into new markets, and racked up over a million relatively uneventful, truly driverless miles each in major U.S. cities. It is high time for the public and its elected representatives to play a more active role in shaping the future of this new technology.

Survey: US people support renewable energy but reluctant to change way of life

A Pew Research Center survey finds large shares of people living in the U.S. support taking steps to address global climate change and back an energy landscape that prioritizes renewable sources. However, there is also ongoing public reluctance to make sweeping changes to U.S. life to cut carbon emissions.

NEW PRODUCTS

Corning debuts new glass, production line for thin triples

Corning announced a new material and manufacturing process for thin-triple insulating glass units. The company says that its new product’s price is just above that of baseline, double-pane insulating glass units.

ROSS highly engineered multi-agitator mixing systems for specialty applications

ROSS VersaMix Multi-Shaft Mixers are designed to optimize the processing of medium- to high-viscosity products. The tank of the VersaMix is fabricated from durable 304 stainless steel and is designed for vacuum operation and internal pressures of up to 50 psi.

L&L Special Furnace model XLC3348

The L&L Special Furnace model XLC3348 has an effective work zone of 23” wide by 23” high by 36” deep, with a uniformity of ±15°F above 1,200°F. The control system includes one control loop along with six zones of heating volume that can be adjusted to achieve the required temperature gradients.