Ceramic and glass business news of the week for December 4, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Nissan invests $2.5 billion for electric vehicle production at British plant

Japanese automaker Nissan Motor says it will invest about $2.5 billion at its plant in northern Britain with a pledge to manufacture three fully electric vehicle models there.

Floating solar array underway in Delaware County, Ohio

Construction is underway on a floating solar array in Delaware County, Ohio. When it is complete, nearly 2,600 solar energy panels will float on the surface of a reservoir outside the DelCo water plant.

USDA grows solar power in rural Oregon despite limited transmission, assistance

Historic funding to the Rural Energy for America program has helped fund more than three dozen rural solar projects in Oregon in 2023. But challenges with a lack of transmission for the electricity, and a lack of local technical assistance—including help applying for grants to offset the cost of solar installations—remain.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Owner of US heavy rare earth mine licenses ORNL separation technology

Caldera Holding, owner and developer of Missouri’s Pea Ridge iron mine, entered a nonexclusive research and development licensing agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to apply a membrane solvent extraction technique developed by ORNL researchers to mined ores.

IBM, FuelCell Energy to use AI in effort to forge longer-life fuel cell systems

IBM and FuelCell Energy, Inc. will work together to boost the performance of FuelCell Energy’s technology using Foundation Models, a form of generative artificial intelligence.

Arizona State, Idaho National Laboratory team to boost clean energy research

Idaho National Laboratory and Arizona State University agreed to expand their joint efforts in clean energy research for the next five years. An agreement signed in October 2023 establishes a framework for both institutions to develop low-carbon processes for the energy and manufacturing sectors.

EU and Greenland sign MoU to develop sustainable raw materials value chain

The European Union and the Government of Greenland entered a strategic partnership to secure sustainable raw materials value chains. The partnership will also aid the deployment of infrastructure required to develop the value chains.

African countries sign on to join pioneering global battery energy storage consortium

Several African countries formally expressed interest to join the Battery Energy Storage Systems Consortium, launched on Saturday, Dec. 2 during COP28, which could revolutionize Africa’s energy landscape by developing advanced energy storage solutions through collaboration and innovation.

OTHER STORIES

Countries promise clean energy boost at COP28 to push out fossil fuels

Governments launched new initiatives on Saturday, Dec. 2 to bolster clean energy and to wean themselves off fossil fuels at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where countries are grappling with how to halt the non-stop rise in planet-warming emissions.

A concrete step forward: Australia’s ambitious plan to cut cement and lime emissions

A new roadmap sets out opportunities and challenges for carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies to reduce the cement and lime industry’s emissions in Australia. The roadmap determined that the path forward requires deep collaboration between industry and researchers and for companies to learn by doing.

Michigan to implement clean energy mandates with goal of carbon-free electricity by 2040

Michigan will implement one of the most ambitious clean energy mandates in the United States, aiming to be carbon-free by 2040. The state also set a goal for utilities to generate 50% of their energy from renewable sources by 2030, a big leap from the current 12%.

Şişecam celebrates its 88^th anniversary

Şişecam is celebrating its 88^th anniversary. The company started with a single facility in Turkey and 400 employees in 1935. Today, Şişecam is a global pioneer that operates production facilities in 14 countries with a sales network of 150 countries and more than 25,000 employees.

MARKET TRENDS

IEA: Energy efficiency must double in pace by 2030 to hit climate goals

Countries must double the pace of measures to improve energy efficiency if global climate targets are to be met, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency. Record high energy costs in 2022 helped spur adoption of sustainability measures, but the rate of energy efficiency progress has since slowed.

Unexpected expansion of rare earth mining activities in Myanmar–China border region

Researchers at the University of Delaware found that, despite a policy implemented by China, rare earth mining has expanded on both sides of the Myanmar–China border over the past 15 years, with mining activity increasing by 130% on the China side and by 327% on the Myanmar side.

NEW PRODUCTS

SGD Pharma launches lightweight glass bottle

SGD Pharma expanded its cosmetics and beauty range with the introduction of Nova, a lightweight glass bottle. The new bottle combines the functional and aesthetic performance of glass with a reduced carbon footprint linked to weight optimization.

Kyocera adds safety-certified capacitors to its portfolio

Kyocera AVX expanded its extensive portfolio of commercial surface-mount multilayer ceramic capacitors with the release of its safety-certified Class X1/Y2 KGK Series and Class X2 KGH Series.

ROSS Mixers offers Trial Rental Program for R&D-scale equipment

ROSS Mixers offers a Trial Rental Program that offers process managers a way to optimize R&D projects before committing to substantial capital investment. ROSS maintains a multimillion-dollar inventory of both pre-owned and brand-new mixing equipment dedicated to the Trial Rental Program.