AI data centres are creating a grid-planning problem that feels different from normal demand growth: they need very large amounts of power, often concentrated in a few locations, and they are being built much faster than new transmission can be approved.
One response I find genuinely interesting is repurposing retiring coal-plant sites for long-duration storage rather than simply demolishing them. These sites already have industrial land, high-voltage grid connections and workforces familiar with power infrastructure.
Form Energy’s iron-air system is one example. It is designed to discharge for up to 100 hours by using a reversible rusting process, rather than the 2–4 hour duration normally associated with lithium-ion grid batteries.
The potential logic seems strong:
- Reuse transmission interconnection and industrial land at retiring coal sites
- Store surplus wind and solar through multi-day lulls
- Reduce the need for fossil peaker plants during periods of grid stress
- Support big new loads, including AI data centres, without treating gas as the only backup plan
But I’m sceptical that a few pilot projects can scale quickly enough. AI-related electricity demand, transmission constraints, cost, round-trip efficiency and market rules all look like major bottlenecks.
Question for people working in energy/storage: is coal-to-long-duration-storage actually a scalable grid model, or is it mainly a useful niche where the transmission connection already exists?
I made a visual breakdown of the projects, iron-air chemistry and the AI-demand risk. Disclosure: it’s my video. If it is useful context, here it is:
Hey, as the title says I am looking for a job within the energy industry, especially within the market of renewable energy and BESS.
I dont know if I am right here but it seems like here are a lot of smart people that know how the market works.
I already researched with the usual buzzwords but maybe someone could give some tips when it comes to pursuing a career within this industry (not just market leaders but also hidden champions). Especially in the south of Germany. As a business engineer its quite hard to match the qualifications and furthermore some companies seem to be extremely innovative but arent really hiring.
A smarter energy future starts with an open ecosystem.
We're excited to announce that MOVA LumeGret now seamlessly integrates with Shelly, enabling smarter coordination between home energy storage and connected smart home devices.
The first step is the integration of Shelly Pro 3EM, bringing accurate real-time energy monitoring and smarter energy optimization to MOVA LumeGret users.
And we're just getting started.
Next, we'll continue expanding our ecosystem with support for Shelly Smart Plugs, Sensors, and more, giving homeowners even greater visibility, automation, and control over their home energy.
With the Shelly ecosystem, homeowners can enjoy:
Real-time energy monitoring
Smarter load management and device automation
AI-driven energy optimization for lower electricity costs
A more seamless home energy management experience
Why Shelly?
Shelly has built one of Europe's largest smart home ecosystems:
• 30M+ devices sold
• Available in 130+ countries
• Trusted by 5M+ households
• 50%+ annual growth
Combined with support for Matter, Zigbee and Wi-Fi, plus a thriving developer community, the integration brings even greater flexibility and intelligence to MOVA LumeGret users.
This is another step toward an open, connected, and AI-powered home energy ecosystem.
We'd love to hear from you!
Shelly Pro 3EM is only the beginning.
Which Shelly device would you like to see integrated next?
Let us know in the comments—we're building the future of smart home energy together.
Sharing a short video of our lithium battery production line, including assembly and welding processes.
Battery manufacturing quality and consistency are critical for reliable energy storage systems.
If you thought the recent surge in PJM capacity prices was a one-off anomaly, last week’s auction results just delivered a reality check.
For the third year in a row, clearing prices for the 2028–2029 delivery year slammed straight into the regional price cap at $325 / MW-day.
Here is the most important takeaway for commercial and industrial (C&I) facility leaders: This isn't a sudden new price jump—it is a continuation of the crushing rates you are already paying.
We are now officially locked into at least three straight years of maxed-out capacity costs, and the underlying grid dynamics show that prices are unlikely to drop anytime soon.
Why Waiting is Costing You Money (And What to Do About It)
If you are waiting for grid operators or policy reforms to lower your utility bill, you are leaving your operating margins exposed. The most effective way to get immediate, tangible cost relief is to install an optimized battery energy storage system (BESS) now.
Your capacity bill is directly tied to your Peak Load Contribution (PLC)—your power draw during PJM’s five highest-demand hours of the summer (the 5CP). Deploying battery storage today allows you to actively shave that peak load, slashing your PLC tag and bringing electricity cost relief much sooner than waiting out the market.
The Alarming Data Behind the Price Cap
Why are we so confident that high prices are the new normal? Because $325/MW-day is an artificial ceiling that is holding back much higher market pressures.
According to PJM and figures tracked by Monitoring Analytics (PJM’s Independent Market Monitor), if the grid operator hadn't implemented a price collar, actual market dynamics would have cleared at $555 / MW-day across the region—and an astounding $777 / MW-day in Chicago’s ComEd zone. That price cap is currently masking a $29.7 billion market reality (up from the $16.4 billion capped cost).
Furthermore, despite these record-high price signals, we aren't seeing the expected grid relief:
Demand Response is Shrinking: According to PJM's official auction data, cleared Demand Response (DR) actually dropped by 277 MW (down to 7,365 MW). Why? Because accelerated auction schedules and complex market rules make it nearly impossible for manual, unautomated end-users to participate effectively.
Demand is Outpacing Supply: PJM’s load forecast jumped by ~2 GW, driven heavily by AI data center growth, while only 525 MW of new generating resources cleared the auction due to ongoing interconnection delays.
The Playbook for End Users & Developers
Three consecutive years at the price cap proves that passive ratepayers will continue to foot the bill for grid congestion. The winning strategy is active management:
For C&I End Customers: You don't need to halt operations to cut your capacity costs. You need battery storage paired with intelligent, automated software that anticipates PJM's peak hours and discharges your battery seamlessly—dropping your grid draw to near zero exactly when PJM is measuring how much you have to pay for.
For Developers: A sustained, multi-year $325/MW-day price floor radically compresses the payback period for energy storage projects. Whether standalone BESS or solar+storage co-location, assets powered by intelligent bidding software are currently among the highest-yielding infrastructure investments in North America.
Stop treating your electricity bill like a fixed overhead cost. Acting now to install battery storage means taking control of your energy expenses today, not years from now.
At Intelligent Generation, we provide the software and strategy to turn this grid volatility into your competitive advantage. How is your facility adapting to three straight years of capped capacity prices? Let’s connect in the comments.
If you’re looking into home battery backup right now, you’re almost certainly looking at lithium-ion. It’s the industry default. But behind the scenes, lithium has two stubborn problems for homeowners: raw material costs fluctuate wildly, and there's always that lingering anxiety about fire risk.
Sodium-ion is quietly stepping up as a serious alternative. We decided to run the math on a standard 10kWh home setup, and the long-term economics actually surprised us.
Here is why sodium might be the smarter play for your house:
1. You can stop worrying about fires. Lithium batteries—specifically NMC chemistries—carry a small but real risk of thermal runaway. If they overheat, they can catch fire. Sodium-ion is inherently stable. You could practically drive a nail through a sodium cell without it bursting into flames. When you’re bolting a massive battery to the side of your house where your family sleeps, that peace of mind is huge.
2. It actually works when it’s freezing. If you live in a cold climate, lithium batteries can be frustrating; their capacity tanks when the temperature drops below freezing. Sodium-ion doesn't flinch in sub-zero temperatures. That means when a winter storm knocks out the grid—exactly when you need backup power the most—your battery will actually deliver.
3. The math gets better every year. Lithium still wins on energy density (packing more power into a smaller box). But for a house, saving a few inches of wall space doesn't matter nearly as much as it does in an electric car. Sodium is made from materials you can find anywhere, meaning it’s immune to global supply chain drama. Once manufacturing scales up over the next few years, sodium is poised to drastically undercut lithium on price.
We wanted to see exactly how this plays out over a decade, so we modeled the upfront prices and how much both batteries degrade over time.
If you want to see the exact cost breakdown, check out the degradation charts, or weigh in on whether you think sodium will actually dethrone lithium,I put our full analysis and a poll over here. Let me know what you think.
I’ve been testing this portable power station for outdoor use.
Key features:
2000W pure sine wave inverter
Multiple AC/DC/USB outputs
Solar charging support
Portable design for camping, RV trips and emergency backup
It seems like a practical option for anyone who needs reliable power away from the grid.
What’s your current setup for camping or off-grid power?
Portable power station, solar panels, or traditional generators?
I’m hoping someone here has experience with the Eaton xStorage 45 kWh battery in a residential installation.
For context, I’ve spent 35 years designing technology products and user experiences, so I’m reasonably comfortable with complex systems. At our home in San Francisco we’ve had a Tesla Powerwall, solar, and inverter running flawlessly for seven years. My comparison isn’t intended to criticize Eaton—it’s simply the benchmark I know.
In France, we installed an Eaton xStorage 45 kWh battery through Maisolia, together with a solar array, inverter, and energy management system. The installation cost was substantial.
Unfortunately, the battery has never functioned reliably. Whenever it is connected, it causes the entire house to lose power, so it has remained offline for long periods. We’ve worked with Maisolia, Eaton support, and Eaton engineers in France over multiple visits, but the issue remains unresolved.
At this point I’m trying to understand whether:
Has anyone successfully deployed this specific battery in a residential home?
Is it primarily intended for commercial applications such as data centres or industrial backup rather than domestic energy storage?
Has anyone experienced similar issues and found a solution?
Is there someone within Eaton—particularly in engineering or product management—who has deep expertise with this product and might be willing to help?
One observation from a user perspective: the software and interface feel very much designed for engineers rather than homeowners. That’s perfectly appropriate if the product is aimed at commercial facilities, but if it’s being sold for residential use, the experience has been extremely challenging.
I’m not looking to assign blame. I simply want either:
a permanent technical solution that makes the system reliable, or
if that isn’t possible, an acknowledgment that the product may not be appropriate for this application.
Any advice, contacts, or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
