In this episode of the IONS podcast, host Cam Dales sits down with energy storage pioneer Marek Kubik to discuss the past, present, and future of the grid-scale energy storage industry. Drawing on over 16 years of experience, from the early commercial projects at AES to the scaling of Fluence, Marek provides a unique perspective on how storage has evolved from a niche grid-stabilization tool into a cornerstone of the global energy transition.

The episode explores several key themes:

The Middle East as a Renewable Frontier: Marek explains how Saudi Arabia is aggressively pursuing its Vision 2030 goals, aiming for 50% renewable energy by 2030. With record-low solar pricing and massive storage build-outs, the region is effectively becoming the "Saudi Arabia of renewables".

The Shift to Long-Duration Storage: The industry is moving away from short-duration frequency regulation toward 8-hour systems designed for full day-night solar firming. This shift is supported by Wright’s Law, which predicts a 20% to 30% cost reduction for every doubling of production volume.

Next-Generation Chemistries: While lithium-ion (LFP) remains dominant, Cam and Marek discuss the potential of sodium-ion batteries. Sodium-ion is highlighted for its performance in extreme climates, supply chain diversification, and the potential for a lower theoretical "cost floor" compared to lithium.

AI and Speed of Deployment: Marek notes that the rapid growth of AI infrastructure is driving an urgent demand for power. Solar-plus-storage is often the fastest and most cost-effective way to bring massive amounts of new capacity online for hyperscale data centers.

The episode concludes with a look at the "inevitable" transition toward a 100% renewable grid, driven by economic rationalism and continuous innovation in manufacturing.

Links & Resources

• 🎙 Marek Kubik on LinkedIn
• 🌍 Reliability of Solar and Storage
• ⚡ Early grid battery in Chile

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In this episode, we talk with battery industry legend Bob Galyen. Reflecting on his nearly 50 years in the battery industry, Bob shares his career journey from the US automotive industry to last week’s announcement of his receiving the Benchmark Lifetime Achievement Award.

He details his experience as an early executive at CATL, where he played an instrumental role in building what is now the world’s biggest battery company. We discuss batteries' role in saving the planet by reducing pollution and get his take on why the US needs a leapfrog technology to compete globally.

This really is a very special episode with a guy that’s seen it all!

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This episode of the IONS podcast features host Cam Dales of Peak Energy with Dr. Venkat Srinivasan, a prominent battery scientist at Argonne National Lab. Dr. Srinivasan, an electrochemist with 30 years in the field, explains Argonne's "big science" mission to solve national problems like energy storage, also aiding industry. His industry sabbatical reinforced his dedication to fundamental scientific inquiry.

The conversation highlights a shift in battery applications: beyond mature electric vehicles, the focus moves to grid storage (especially for AI data centers), military, and new mobility, driving a need for diverse, bespoke chemistries like sodium-ion and aqueous batteries due to supply chain concerns. They discuss AI and machine learning as "software-based power tools" for accelerating material discovery and crucial battery life prediction, enhancing "bankability". The experts concur the grid storage market is "the absolute ideal market" for innovation, presenting vast opportunities for new technologies to scale.

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This IONS podcast episode features Cam Dales (Peak Energy) with Ben Steinberg and Carly Good from Venn Strategies, a lobbying and consulting firm based in Washington DC. They delve into how policy significantly impacts the energy and battery storage industry.

The discussion traces US energy policy evolution from the Obama administration's Recovery Act and its early battery manufacturing investments to the current era of industrial policy. Key legislation highlighted includes the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which offered substantial funding and tax credits for domestic battery production. Recent policy, referred to as "OB-cubed," aims to further decouple the US battery supply chain from foreign entities, particularly China, posing challenges for the nascent domestic industry. The experts note the bipartisan agreement on batteries' importance for both economy and national security, anticipating increased policy stability and clarity in rule-making soon.

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This Episode is all about safety. We go deep on this critical topic with Mathew Paiss, Technical Advisor for PNNL's Battery Materials & Systems group as part of their Reliability & Safety Team. He leads the Energy Storage Safety Codes & Standards and brings a wealth of experience to this important conversation.

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In this episode, host Cam Dales of Peak Energy speaks with Anil Achyuta, an early investor in Peak from TDK Ventures. TDK Ventures, the corporate VC arm of TDK Corporation, invests in deep tech/frontier tech within energy and mobility, characterized by a long-term, patient approach.

We discuss TDK's significant role in batteries back to the 2004/2005 acquisition of Chinese company ATL, whose pouch cell technology, propelled by the iPhone's success, led to the spin-off and rise of CATL. A key factor was ATL's journey to improve quality under TDK, adopting a "zero defect policy" mindset crucial for meeting stringent requirements like Apple's.

Anil shares his initial skepticism about investing in batteries as expensive, high-risk experiments. His perspective changed by seeking investments with performance gains, a strong unit economics advantage (without subsidies), and addressing fundamental industry misalignments.

Anil describes TDK Ventures' "prepared mind" approach, involving deep dives and thesis development before investing. Cam highlights the crucial role of timing for startup success, and Anil concludes with personal lessons from cricket.

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In this episode of the IONS Podcast, host Cam Dales talks with Peak Energy’s VP of Cell Engineering, Brandon Kelly, PhD, about the potential of sodium-ion batteries, with a focus on the NFPP (sodium iron phosphate pyrophosphate) chemistry that Peak Energy is developing for grid storage.

Dr. Kelly explains how NFPP is particularly well-suited for stationary energy storage, offering strong stability, safety advantages over certain lithium-ion chemistries, and long cycle life. While NFPP cells currently (March 2025) have lower energy density and higher costs than LFP, experts predict cost parity by 2027 as the technology scales.

Beyond the cell itself, designing energy storage systems around sodium-ion's specific properties—including its thermal resilience and cycling stability—could unlock significant long-term value by reducing operational complexity, cooling requirements, and maintenance over a 20-year project lifespan.

If you’ll be attending the International Battery Seminar in Orlando, Florida, March 17-20, be sure to catch Dr. Kelly’s presentation, Advancing BESS with Sodium-ion Batteries, and join the discussion during the program’s Q&A session.

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On this episode of the IONS podcast, we talk with Landon Mossburg, co-founder of Peak Energy, who shares his experiences helping Northvolt grow from a team of 20 people to become Europe's largest battery manufacturer. Now, having declared bankruptcy, Northvolt's meteoric rise and tragic fall begs the question: how can western companies compete with the Chinese and Korean companies that dominate the industry today?

Host Cam Dales explores what went right, what went wrong, and what lessons can be learned from Northvolt's journey

Summary:

• Northvolt aimed to establish a sustainable battery supply chain in Europe but struggled with scaling and parallelizing various processes.
• The company's vision was expansive, encompassing recycling, raw materials, cathode production, cell manufacturing, and battery systems, which proved difficult to manage simultaneously.
• Northvolt initially focused on high-energy-density NMC cells but later recognized the strategic importance of including LFP options in their portfolio.
• The company encountered difficulties in cell design and manufacturing, including equipment selection and adapting to customer demands for custom cells.
• External factors, such as construction delays, supply chain disruptions during COVID-19, and policy uncertainties, further complicated Northvolt's efforts.

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