The Signal Report // ENERGY STORAGE
Energy Storage.
Grid batteries, chemistry, and controls, from someone who helps build the AI that cycles them. All reports →
3 in this beat
Why Lithium Iron Phosphate Won the Grid
Grid storage standardized on a battery that stores less energy than its rivals, and it wasn't a compromise. LFP now takes 90%+ of new storage. The reason goes down to one stubborn phosphorus-oxygen bond that won't let go of its oxygen. A materials read.
Read the report → Report 011 · Energy Storage · 2026-07-06 · 5 minSodium-Ion Batteries Reach the Grid
In 2026 sodium-ion stopped being "a few years away" and started shipping to real grids, from Peak Energy in the U.S. to CATL in China. What sodium actually trades off versus lithium, why that trade is fine for stationary storage, and which datasheet numbers to hedge.
Read the report → Report 006 · Energy Storage · 2026-07-05 · 5 minWhy Grid Battery Fires Keep Dropping
We've built vastly more grid storage, and the fires got rarer, not more common. The EPRI data shows failure rates fell ~99% since 2018, and that the cells were rarely the problem. A chemistry-and-controls read on what actually made them safer.
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