Ceramic and glass business news of the week for August 19, 2024

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

US Department of Energy launches advanced energy storage research and testing facility

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity opened a 93,000-square-foot facility called the Grid Storage Launchpad at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where researchers can test energy storage capabilities in a realistic environment.

New $150 million research center to develop sustainable model for materials production

The University of California, Berkeley will partner with the new Rio Tinto Center for Future Materials to develop a sustainable model for materials production to support the global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Rio Tinto will contribute $150 million over 10 years to fund the center, which will be led by Imperial College London.

SEG Solar inaugurates Houston module plant and rolls out first module

On Aug. 8, 2024, U.S. photovoltaic manufacturer SEG Solar held a grand opening ceremony for its new photovoltaic manufacturing base in Houston, Texas. The automated factory line has an initial capacity of 2 GW of n-type panels per year with plans to expand to 5 GW by 2030.

New glass factory opens in Litchfield; another to be built in Detroit

LuxWall, Inc. opened a new glass manufacturing factory in Litchfield on August 12, the first of two planned facilities to open in Michigan. At this new location, LuxWall will manufacture energy-efficient windows to be sold to residential and commercial buyers in North America and Europe. It is the world’s first high-volume vacuum-insulating glass production facility.

American Rare Earths restructures to accelerate Wyoming project

American Rare Earths announced operational and structural changes aimed at advancing the Halleck Creek project in Wyoming. Following a strategic review, the board repositioned the project under a newly created, wholly owned subsidiary, Wyoming Rare Inc., to attract major U.S. investors and enhance shareholder value.

Gold Mountain’s Irajuba tenements yield promising rare earth results in Brazil

A series of very high-grade results from channel sampling at Gold Mountain’s Irajuba tenements within the Down Under rare earths project in Brazil have compared favorably with geochemical samples taken from known mineralized channels in the region.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Saint-Gobain Performance Ceramics & Refractories acquires Ceramco

Saint-Gobain Performance Ceramics & Refractories reached a definitive agreement to acquire the assets, technology, and brand from Ceramco, a privately owned company specializing in industrial ceramics. Ceramco, founded in 1997 in Scotland, is a leading player in ceramics for the nonferrous metals melting and casting industries.

LS Power to acquire Algonquin’s renewable energy assets

U.S.-based power and energy infrastructure group LS Power agreed to acquire the renewable energy business from Algonquin Power & Utilities. The renewable energy business consists mainly of wind and solar assets across the U.S. and Canada.

JENNMAR acquires concrete blending facility from Wright-Mix

JENNMAR, a global provider of infrastructure products and specialized services to the civil, solar, mining, and construction industries, acquired the assets of the West Virginia-based cement blending facility of Wright-Mix Material Solutions, a provider of contract blending and bagging services in central Appalachia.

Penn State, Shell announce collaboration focused on energy and sustainability

An initial commitment from Shell of more than $1 million will fund initiatives at The Pennsylvania State University focused on energy transition, decarbonization, polymer recycling and biodiversity, and the creation of an inclusive energy workforce.

8 Rivers partners with Siemens Energy on zero-emissions turbine development

8 Rivers Capital, a decarbonization technology and property developer, partnered with Siemens Energy to develop a zero-emissions turbine that will generate 270 MW of electricity from captured carbon dioxide. Since the end of 2023, the companies have worked to develop direct-fired supercritical CO₂ turbines across a range of fuel types.

Argonne, Purdue University explore collaborations to advance next-gen microelectronics

Argonne National Laboratory and Purdue University held a joint microelectronics workshop to identify opportunities for collaborative projects. The workshop was the culmination of recent smaller, microelectronics-focused projects and team visits between the institutions.

OTHER STORIES

NGA relaunches global map of glass manufacturing locations

The National Glass Association relaunched its online “World of Glass” map. The map provides information on global float glass manufacturing locations and North American glass fabrication facilities. Website visitors will be able to view locations and capabilities, as well as search and sort companies by name and location.

$10.6M available for research on floating offshore wind tech

The National Offshore Research and Development Consortium is soliciting proposals to compete for a share in $10.6 million in funding aimed at driving advances in floating offshore wind technology.  A webinar on the funding opportunity has been scheduled for September 10 at 1 p.m. Eastern. The deadline for proposal submissions is November 14.

NC A&T receives $4.2M NSF grant to enhance diversity in materials research

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University received a $4.2 million National Science Foundation grant to fund an interdisciplinary program enhancing diversity in materials research. There will be three focus areas: 2D materials for flexible electronic devices, plasmonic materials for optics, and biodegradable metals for surgical implants.

MARKET TRENDS

After Chevron, interest grows in science education for judges

Since the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference doctrine in June 2024, centers of judicial education have been considering what additional scientific support judicial employees might need when handling technical cases.

Report: More than 800 coal plants could potentially make a profitable switch to solar

New modeling from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis finds it is economically viable to use large-scale investment in renewables coupled with restructured power purchase agreements to replace more than 800 coal plants in emerging economies.

Dutch energy-intensive industry presents Aurora report on rising network costs

Aurora Energy Research showed that network costs in the Netherlands will continue to rise over the coming decades in a study commissioned by Tata Steel, Shell, Nyrstar, bp, Sabic, and Chemelot. The report reveals that grid fees in the Netherlands are diverging even more from those of neighboring countries than reported in previous studies.

NEW PRODUCTS

Samsung debuts EV battery with 600-mile charge in 9 minutes, 20-year lifespan

At the SNE Battery Day 2024 expo, Samsung revealed that its pilot solid-state electric vehicle battery production line is now fully operational. The batteries have the potential to power electric vehicles with a 600-mile range, charge in just 9 minutes, and have a lifespan of 20 years.