batteries

the plan to implement 16,000 MW of batteries to save renewable surplus

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Spain is a world power in wind and solar energy: the graphics say it where it fares quite well against much larger countries and also the records he is breaking year by year. None of the world’s major economies came close to level of integration of renewables like Spain and Portugal already in 2024. In fact, there is so much that it reaches unbalance the electrical grid and what has he done to him become an export power. And yet, the blackout of April 28, 2025 He put Spain in front of an uncomfortable truth: I didn’t have enough batteries to accompany the boom of its renewables. So Spain is doing its homework: it is the second country with the most battery storage projects in the world, only behind the United States, according to this Ernst & Young report that analyzes the evolution and perspectives of the sector. Why is it important. Because the implementation of enough BESS would end one of the big problems with renewables: they provide energy intermittently, not on demand. If there is no storage, the excess is wasted (exporting is an option, but France is in the middle). Batteries are what is missing for the energy transition to be a reality, a reality that implies achieving energy sovereignty. On the other hand, with a storage system sized to the capacity, the batteries would function as a blackout-proof airbag in a matter of milliseconds in the event of possible failures. Finally, the possibility of being able to store energy when it is cheap (during very sunny hours) and release it would help alleviate electricity bills. Brief notes on the BESS. Energy storage batteries for the electrical grid or BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) They are not just huge mobile phone batteries, but rather they are storage systems the size of industrial containers (such as those on ships) packed with electrochemical cells with integrated electronics to inject or absorb energy into the grid in real time. They work as if they were a kind of shock absorber to store excess energy that is released later, when necessary. Inside there is a kind of management brain to control its status, power inverters so that the energy is usable on a domestic and industrial scale, and control software that decides when charging or discharging occurs. It’s time. The 2025 blackout was a friendly reminder of the situation, but it also helps that the price of lithium-ion batteries has dropped drastically: from 2014 to 2024 it fell 73% and continues to plummet: now it is at a minimum of 78 dollars per megawatt-hour. This collapse in costs is working as a catalyst for investment. The Spain of batteries, in figures. The EY report speaks of a planned business volume of 2,000 million euros in the form of projects under development until 2030 to store 16,000 MW. By then, the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan hope to have 22,500 MW of storage. The Expansion medium puts This data in perspective: those 16 GW represent a 29% share of everything projected on a global scale. Only the United States exceeds that figure. To make it possible, there is already a committed public investment: 750 million euros come from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, which is added to the 699 million European funds. The ball is in the Administration’s court. Everything mentioned so far are projects and not realities, that is, having these storage systems plugged into the electrical grid. Despite the volume of business and public aid, it is the economic viability that will make these projects go from paper to materialization. More specifically, the sector is waiting for the Spanish Government to develop a regulatory framework on how payment will be for these infrastructures and the service they provide to the network. These rewards will define their long-term profitability and therefore, whether companies decide to execute them or not. In Xataka | Spain’s electricity market has broken: there is so much energy left over that we are using the reservoirs like giant batteries In Xataka | Andalusia is going to become the “battery” of Spain: why it will keep almost half of European funds for batteries Cover | RawPixel

the price of storage batteries has reached its minimum

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For years, detractors of the energy transition have clung to a seemingly immovable argument: the sun and the wind are intermittent, and saving that energy for when it is not blowing or it is night is economically unviable. This mismatch between supply and demand generates the phenomenon known as “duck curve”where solar energy is abundant during the day but drops drastically just when nighttime consumption skyrockets. To balance this balance, battery storage stands as the definitive solution. Today, that last bastion against the total viability of clean energy has just collapsed. The last piece of the renewable puzzle now fits, but its lowering price has uncovered a much more complex problem: a fierce geopolitical race to control the materials that make this technological miracle possible. The economic barrier has fallen. If we take a look at the data, the graph of the cost of batteries shows a historic plummet. According to the report Levelized Cost of Electricity 2026 of BloombergNEFstoring energy in four-hour projects is today 27% cheaper than a year ago, bottoming out at $78 per megawatt-hour (MWh). Never since records began in 2009 has saving electricity been so accessible. And this positive anomaly is supported by three very clear pillars: The reduction in prices of battery packs. Increased competition between different manufacturers. Excess manufacturing capacity coming from the electric vehicle market. Fuels pay the price. While clean technologies become cheaper, fossil fuels suffer the opposite effect. Driven by the voracious electrical demand of new data centers, new gas plants have seen their equipment become more expensive. In fact, the report of bloombergNEF highlights that the global cost of electricity for combined cycle gas turbines has risen by 16%, reaching a record of 102 dollars/MWh. The market has already ruled: in the United States and Canada, wind energy has displaced gas as the cheapest source for new generation, while renewables already exceed the operating costs of existing fossil fuel plants in key Asia-Pacific markets. The elephant in the room. If global costs have plunged, it is largely because China has flooded the market with massive overproduction. This overwhelming figure, however, was born of a systemic dysfunction. As the analyzes from two years ago warnedChinese provincial regulations forced solar parks to install batteries by law, which led to the accumulation of systems that were barely used due to the lack of incentives in the electricity market. Beijing achieved its goal: scaling production to a level unattainable by the rest of the world. Today, in 2026, that inertia has mutated into an industrial tsunami. According to the recent report of BloombergNEFthe current price collapse has been accelerated by a new factor: excess manufacturing capacity coming from the electric vehicle market. The fierce competition between Chinese manufacturers and the overproduction of car batteries has ended up drastically making large-scale systems cheaper, forever transforming the economics of the global electrical grid. The “brain” of the network and the gallium trap. Having millions of cheap batteries is useless without a system that manages them. Storing energy is only the first step; To feed it into the grid in a stable manner, immense power inverters are needed. These devices function as the electronic “brain” of the facility, composed of logic modules and high-performance chips that decide in milliseconds when to absorb surpluses and when to release them. And it is here, in semiconductors capable of withstanding these extreme voltages without melting, where the real battle is fought. For decades, the West operated under a mirage. As analyst Gillian Tett points outWestern elites assumed that making things was low-margin “dirty work” that could be outsourced. They became obsessed with software as China quietly built the physical infrastructure of the 21st century. Today, Beijing has what investor Craig Tindale calls “processing sovereignty”: controls 90% of rare earths and an overwhelming 98% of gallium. The latter is that irreplaceable strategic metal for advanced semiconductors that manage energy. After flooding the market for years to suffocate Western mining, China imposed export controls, causing its price to triple to reach historical records above $1,500 per kilo. From “red mud” to chips: the Western counterattack. For the United States, this is already a matter of national survival. The response of Washington and its allies has been to design an ambitious plan to become independent from Beijing by extracting gallium directly from industrial waste, known as “red mud”. The strategy It is an intercontinental triangle: In Australia, the Wagerup refinery has teamed up with the US and Japan to filter gallium from bauxite processing, aiming to cover 10% of global demand without opening new mines. In Louisiana, the Gramercy plant has received $150 million from the Pentagon to process its own aluminum waste to meet total U.S. demand. But the economic risk is enormous. Experts warn that the gallium market is dangerously small, and if Western production increases too quickly, prices could collapse. To protect these investments against dumping Chinese, the White House has deployed the Project Vaulta strategic reserve of 12 billion dollars. The human bottleneck. Even with all the money on the table, the West facing a problem that cannot be solved by printing banknotes: the “human bottleneck”. After decades of deindustrialization, Western engineers and workers who knew how to operate complex chemical plants and foundries have retired. Reconstructing that physical sovereignty requires expert hands that, today, are scarce on this side of the world. However, in this interdependent world, China It also has a critical vulnerability. Despite its monopoly on materials, its industry is still forced to import almost all of the advanced logic modules that control turbines and networks in real time. Beijing has the factories and the minerals, but the West still has the “brains” and the fine chemistry that makes complex systems work. A future with many edges. The economic viability of a world powered 100% by renewables is already an irrefutable reality. Batteries are no longer the economic brake on the transition. However, we have escaped the geological tyranny of oil only to discover … Read more

There is so much energy left over that we are using the reservoirs like giant batteries

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Not long ago, the news in Spain was the dust, the dry land and the anguish of starving reservoirs. Today, the story has taken a turn as violent as it was unexpected. The background sound in the Spanish electrical system is no longer the drought alarm, but the roar of the floodgates opening to release excess water. What the meteorology has given in the form of torrential rains during this beginning of 2026 has become a financial paradox: there is so much energy left over that the market, designed to manage scarcity, has begun to show its seams in the face of abundance. The price of electricity has not only dropped; has been broken. A perfect storm. And this time, literally. A succession of Atlantic storms (Goretti, Harry, Ingrid…) and an extraordinarily rainy start to the year They have brought the hydraulic reserve to 77.3%. This scenario has forced hydroelectric plants to work on a piece-rate basis. It is not an option: many are “flow-through” plants, which means they cannot store water and must turbine it to avoid overflows, flooding the electrical grid with cheap energy. This situation has drawn two opposite realities. On the one hand, for households with a regulated (PVPC) or indexed rate, the saying “year of snow, year of goods” is literally fulfilled. The bill plummets thanks to the massive entry of renewables. On the other hand, nuclear energy, designed to operate 24/7 as a base load, has become the collateral victim. The technical data of Red Eléctrica corroborate this trend. In the generation records of February 12, it is observed how nuclear energy remains on a flat line of about 5,770 MW, but operating in an environment where wind energy exceeds 17,000 MW at peak hours, pushing prices down and displacing other technologies. The mechanics of a “broken” market. The excess of water and wind has caused the price of electricity to “break” during the hours of lowest consumption. We’re no longer just talking about the solar “duck curve” at noon; now zero or negative prices also appear at dawn. According to The Spanishin the first ten days of February, 69 hours were accumulated with zero or negative prices. The system is so saturated with energy that it needs “sponges” to absorb it. Here pumping hydroelectricity comes into play (using electricity to raise water from a lower reservoir to a higher one), which acts as the system’s large battery. REE reports They are revealing about it.. During the early hours of February 12, the system recorded massive pumping consumption to prevent the collapse of the network, reaching consumption values ​​(energy withdrawn from the network) greater than 1,800 MW: At 04:05 on February 12, pumping consumption was -1,850 MW. At 04:55 hours, it remained at -1,848 MW. This confirms that Spain is using its reversible reservoirs to “drink” the excess electricity produced by wind and flowing water while demand sleeps. An x-ray of the price. As a result, the wholesale price has plummeted. According to Expansionthe average price for this February 13 is €4.38/MWh in the wholesale market (pool), a ridiculous figure compared to previous years. However, the market presents a time “trap” for the consumer. Although the average is low, the volatility is extreme. OMIE graphs show a flat curve close to zero for almost the entire day, which shoots up vertically at dusk. The valley: On February 12, the price remained practically flat and low for most of the day. The peak (The forbidden hour): When the sun goes down and the photovoltaics stop providing, and coinciding with dinner, the price skyrockets. Between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. the most expensive section is concentratedexceeding €35/MWh in the wholesale market, which translates into more than €170/MWh for the final consumer due to tolls and system charges. For the intelligent consumer, the “bargain hours” are now between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. (with negative prices in the pool of -€0.03/MWh) and during the early hours of the morning. Forecasts. Is this an anecdote or a trend? The experts consulted by The Energy Newspaper, like Javier Revuelta from the consulting firm AFRYthey believe it is structural. Futures markets (forwards) for March and April are already trading lower (€40 and €25 respectively). The forecast is that 2026 will close with an average price of around €55/MWh. This strongly reopens the energy debate: if renewable energy is capable of covering demand at zero prices, the economic viability of maintaining the nuclear park—which cannot stop and start at will—becomes complicated. The “problem” of full reservoirs is, in reality, the sign that the marginalist electricity market creaks when the raw material is free and abundant. For the citizen, the lesson is clear: electricity is almost free, but only if you know how to look at the clock before turning on the switch. Image | freepik and freepik Xataka | The reservoir that would “never be filled” is opening its floodgates: 23 years later, the largest swamp in Western Europe is completely full

Electric car battery makers are retooling to make batteries… for AI data centers

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In the United States there are a slowdown in the electric vehicle industry, which has caused more and more manufacturers in the sector to convert their business. According to account Financial Times, ten North American factories that produced batteries for electric cars are allocating a good part of their production to energy storage systems for AI data centers. It is the latest industry to readjust around artificial intelligence. The change of course. The media shares data from the consulting firm CRU, which states that these ten plants have canceled enough capacity to produce batteries for 2 million electric vehicles. Of these, seven will focus primarily on the energy storage systems (ESS) market. Among the names involved are Ford, which is converting a factory in Kentucky, and Stellantis along with its partner Samsung SDI, which are converting production lines at its Indiana plant. General Motors is also considering producing its own energy storage batteries, according to declared its head of batteries, Kurt Kelty, to the Financial Times. Why data centers need batteries. Data centers that process AI models require uninterrupted power supply to protect against blackouts or voltage fluctuations. With the construction boom of these centers in the United States, storage batteries have become a critical component of infrastructure. This opens up an alternative revenue stream for automotive companies struggling with electric vehicles. The Tesla example. It is worth taking a look at the numbers of Elon Musk’s company, since in addition to producing vehicles it also manufactures energy storage systems such as Megapack and Powerwall. In this sense, its battery business is turning out to be tremendously profitable, since the company reported income for energy and storage of $12.8 billion in its last quarter, a growth of 27% year-on-year. In 2021, that figure barely reached 2.8 billion. Meanwhile, its revenue from electric vehicle sales has fallen 9% to $64 billion. Political context difficult. Just like account FT, Since the Trump administration eliminated tax incentives for electric vehicle buyers put in place during the Biden era and lowered emissions standards, the electric vehicle market in the United States has seen a slowdown. This has led BloombergNEF to revise its forecast downwards: from expecting electric vehicles to represent 48% of total car sales in 2030, they now project only 27%. Electric vehicles currently account for about 8% of new car sales in the United States. The aid that is maintained. As well as mention In the middle, although these subsidies have been eliminated, the administration retains generous incentives for battery manufacturers: a production credit of $35 per kilowatt-hour and a 30% tax credit for investments in energy storage. In addition, tariffs on Chinese storage batteries are around 60%, allowing manufacturers to produce in the United States at prices close to parity with Asian imports. Between the lines. It is also worth highlighting important nuances. CRU’s Sam Adham counted to FT that battery manufacturers will not necessarily pass on what they save on costs to their customers (they may increase their margins, for what). In addition, according to the FT, the Korean companies that lead the production of storage batteries in the United States have less experience with the lithium iron phosphate technology used by these systems, compared to their Chinese rivals. It is not a total reconversion, for now. Wood Mackenzie’s data suggest that electric vehicles will continue to absorb a greater proportion of battery installations than energy storage until the end of 2030. “If there is a rebound in demand for electric vehicles, companies that have switched to storage systems could be left behind,” said Milan Thakore, an analyst at the consultancy. More sectors than They pivot towards AI. From the Semafor newsletter, also they mention another very interesting sector that is beginning to convert its business towards AI: cryptocurrency miners. And according to Morgan Stanley, facilities dedicated to cryptocurrency mining are seeing a more profitable business in the creation of data centers for AI. The economics of cryptocurrency mining have gotten worse and worse since the reward is lower, and converting these facilities into infrastructure for artificial intelligence is much more profitable. According to the calculations Morgan Stanley, transforming all bitcoin mining facilities in the United States could reduce the electrical capacity deficit for data centers by between 10 and 15 gigawatts. Cover image | CHUTTERSNAP and İsmail Enes Ayhan In Xataka | If AI is the “weapon” of the future, the US is already investing 25% of all world military spending in it

Ten years ago, we were afraid of fast charging. The 10,000mAh batteries are going the same way

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The world of smartphones is divided in two: a Chinese market betting on gigantic silicon-carbon and some “traditional” manufacturers who do not dare to take the leap. This weekend, the controversy was sparked by YouTuber Marques Brownlee, after publishing a video that has surpassed one million views in less than 24 hours. what has happened. “The problem with smartphone batteries”is the title of a video that has spread like wildfire among the community tech. In it, he explained some of the problems that silicon-carbon batteries supposedly suffer from, a technology that China is betting on to boost the capacity of its phones. above 10,000mAh. The problems. Silicon-carbon batteries are not a new technology, but they have been starting to be implemented in smartphones for just two years. During this time, there are several concerns on the table. Possible swelling due to the expansion of silicon: with each charge, a battery contracts and expands. Silicon can triple its volume, generating greater internal stresses in the battery. At the same time, there are fears that this expansion-contraction cycle could cause cracks and leaks in the battery. Need for reinforcement in battery compartment (such as small steel cages) to contain swelling. Long-term reliability not yet demonstrated in smartphones. Yes, but. Concerns about whether silicon-carbon batteries are safe or not are legitimate. Just as, back in the day, we were worried that a mobile phone with “fast” charging like the OnePlus 3 in 2016 (those times when Dash Charge was 30W) could explode. Today there are already mobile phones with 120W. The first commercial mobile phone to incorporate this type of battery was the Honor Magic 5 Pro in its Chinese version. No cases of the slightest problem have been reported to date in its more than two years of life. Manufacturers do not go crazy. Manufacturers are more than aware of the possible dangers that these types of batteries can have, and equip their phones with specific chips to control the charge in real time if excess heat is detected. Some brands, like Honor, go so far as to create microscopic tunnels in their batteries so that lithium ions can reduce chemical friction. Because yes, although carbon silicon batteries are called that, they are not made of pure silicon, they are a natural evolution of lithium batteries themselves. It’s not that easy. The next challenge after the introduction of silicon-carbon batteries has been to take advantage of their ability to store greater energy in a smaller size to achieve barbaric capacities: 7,000mAh, 7,500mAh, 10,000mAh. Energy densities notably higher than those that large manufacturers, such as Samsung, Apple and Google, currently mount in their high-end phones. Here an extra degree is added to the uncertainty: not only do we have more modern and not so tested batteries, but we also have capabilities that make their behavior even more unpredictable. Go deeper. The war for high-capacity batteries adds, apart from doubts about their reliability on the part of some manufacturers, logistical and economic challenges. They are more expensive batteries, and some manufacturers They are not taking them out of China yet. for that same reason. Added to this is that although the spec sheet tells us about milliamp hours, the main measure to determine the energy capacity of a battery is watt hours (Whr). Europe does not like batteries with more than 20 Whr, and they require longer and more expensive transport and authorization protocols. If the RAM crisis threatens to skyrocket the price of smartphones, thinking about incorporating significantly more expensive batteries does not seem like a viable plan to maintain the current margins of large manufacturers. Image | Apple In Xataka | We already know why mobile phones with 6,000mAh are not arriving in Europe: there is a clear person responsible

The electric car needs cheap batteries. And a Spanish region is closer to giving it to them: Extremadura

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It’s just the go-ahead but it’s a key go-ahead. It is what will allow Yuneng International Spain New Energy Battery Material SLU to launch a project in Mérida to produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP/LiFePO₄). In other words, Mérida will be key to producing essential materials for the manufacture of LFP batteries. Batteries that aspire to be essential in the popularization of the electric car. Merida. It was the place chosen by Yuneng International Spain New Energy Battery Material SLU to build a factory that can produce lithium iron phosphate. The project will be located in the Expacio Mérida business park and will extend across 467,000 square meters after the Government of Extremadura has confirmed the approval of the environmental declaration for this factory. The project aims to have financing of 800 million euros and generate 500 jobs to produce the planned capacity of 50,000 tons per year of these materials. In the first phase they will mobilize between 116 and 125 million euros of investment creating about 160 direct jobs, they point out in Motorpassion. Why is it key? The production of lithium iron phosphate is essential for LFP batteries. Batteries are made up of modules and these, in turn, are made up of cells. In each cell there is an anode and a cathode. It is in the cathodes of LFP batteries where lithium iron phosphate sheets are located. Without them, the batteries would not work. In batteries of this type there are small lithium particles on the anode (negative pole). These particles move to the cathode (positive pole) through a liquid electrolyte found inside. This is when the electric current is generated which is then used by the motors to move the wheels. LFP Batteries. LFP batteries are one of the big promises of the electric car to make models cheaper and popularize this technology. It is a technology that offers less autonomy than NMC (cathode formed by nickel, cobalt and manganese) or NCA (nickel, cobalt and aluminum) because they have lower energy density. However, these batteries are cheaper because lithium and iron are cheaper than nickel or cobalt. And, in addition, they are safer and better resist load cycles so they will be more durable. This is essential for smaller cars, which will have less autonomy and must undergo a greater number of charging cycles but with the backpack of not being able to raise its price. Estremadura. In recent years, Extremadura has become relevant in the electric car supply chain. In addition to this lithium and iron phosphate production plant, in Navalmoral de la Mata (Cáceres) it is already rising a plant to produce complete batteries. This factory was designed to produce NMC batteries but has pivoted to produce LFP accumulatorsso both industries can be connected when the time comes. Additionally, the region is rich in lithium. Next to Cáceres it is believed that there are one of the largest deposits in Europe. The mine that should exploit this deposit has encountered the opposition from some neighbors and environmental platforms which has paralyzed the project. However, up to three of the seven projects that the European Commission wants to carry out in Spain for the exploitation of minerals and rare earths They are in Extremadura. The cheap electric car. To popularize the electric car, China has been betting on LFP batteries for years. In Europe, most electric cars have opted for batteries that include nickel or cobalt because they allow greater charging and discharging power and autonomy but are more expensive. Over the years, this has changed. Renault works with LFP batteries for the entry-level range of electric cars such as the Twingo or the Renault 5 (in the future). Tesla also uses them in the more modest versions of Model 3 and Model Y. In Spain, CATL is going to manufacture this type of batteries in Zaragoza for the smaller Stellantis cars. And Volkswagen too has this type of accumulator in mind for its most affordable electric cars that will come out of the Martorell line. Photo | Mercedes and Google Maps In Xataka | Europe has its hope in the 25,000 euro electric car and Volkswagen already knows who will manufacture it: Spain

The big problem with lithium ion batteries is their degradation over time. A chemical adjustment can change it

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It doesn’t matter if it’s a mobile phone, a laptop, the Nintendo Switch or a Dyson: as you use it, the battery life will reduce. Yes, lithium ion batteries they have changed the world and for years they have been the absolute standard in consumer electronics, but degradation over time is their endemic evil. While we look for alternatives To this technology, a research team has found a promising solution in a seemingly simple chemical tweak. The advance. The main idea of ​​this research is not to change the main materials of the battery, but simply to add a small amount of an additive: lithium difluorophosphate. Its existence is not new, but this research led by Professor Chunsheng Wang of the University of Maryland reveals how effective it is in stabilizing batteries. Why is it important. Because lithium ion batteries are present everywhere and this modification would extend their useful life using standard, low-cost chemistry. The result of their experiment is that with this additive, batteries can be optimized to maximize power and energy, or to achieve greater useful life and stability. For practical purposes, the study shows how with this adjustment they maintained a significantly higher capacity after hundreds of charge and discharge cycles. As Wang explains.“It is a relatively simple modification of current batteries.” Or what is the same, after having run security tests and long cycles, “it could realistically reach consumers.” Brief notes on the mechanism of a battery. Lithium ion batteries are made up of a negative anode and a positive cathode and have a porous separator between the two. The assembly is immersed in an electrolyte whose mission is to allow lithium ions to move between electrodes during charging and discharging. With the discharge, the anode releases electrons to the electrical circuit (gives electricity to the device) and ions to the electrolyte, meeting again at the cathode. Upon charging, an external source (the charger) reverses the process by “pumping” the ions back to the anode to store the energy in the chemical structure. The degradation of its capacity with use occurs due to the irreversible loss of lithium in secondary chemical reactions and due to mechanical fatigue of the electrodes. Basic diagram of the operation of a lithium ion battery. Walter Davison. Via: Wikimedia In detail. If we delve a little deeper into the previous explanation, the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) appears, a thin layer that forms on the anode during the first charges. In standard batteries, this layer is fragile and breaks down with use, consuming lithium and reducing battery life. Through a simple reaction inspired by organic chemistry, this additive makes the electrolyte more prone to accepting electrons, making degradation more controlled. In short, it helps to form a more robust, elastic and uniform SEI, thus acting as a kind of shield that prevents the electrolyte from reacting parasitically with the electrodes. In addition, it is a flexible chemistry that can be adjusted to be more or less protective and the presence of the additive minimizes the presence of cracks in the cathode. In Xataka | They have found a way to turn tall buildings into batteries. And that makes Benidorm our best asset In Xataka | China sold cheap batteries for years. The problem is that in the meantime no one built an alternative Cover | John Cameron

43% of European funds for batteries

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Spain is trying to create more energy batteries to store surplus renewable energy, something key for the future to achieve energy independence and also to avoid episodes like the April blackout. Although several communities were competing for aid, there is a clear winner: Andalusia. The ERDF are EU funds to encourage energy transformation and in Spain there were several communities in dispute. After the modifications, for state energy storage there was 818 million in aid to be distributed according to the final resolution. Although Andalusia has suffered a cut of 20 million compared to the previous plan, it is still a good pinch considering that almost half of the funds go there. Why is it important. The primary objective of the ERDF program is to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the European Union, reducing disparities between regions through investments that boost growth, employment, innovation, the green and digital transition, and territorial cooperation, supporting less developed regions and transforming industries in decline. And this is demonstrated with this definitive roadmap. Why Andalusia. Taking into account economic reasons, it is worth remembering that the IDAE designed the call from the beginning, distributing the budget into regional pools and from the beginning Andalusia received the highest allocation, even after the downward adjustment of the final resolution. Under EU criteria, Andalusia is classified as a “less developed region”a designation intended for those whose GDP per capita is less than 7% of the EU average. In short: it has absolute priority for the distribution of funds. The co-financing rate is higher precisely because of the previous classification taking into account the regulatory bases, which allows us to reach 85% compared to other areas such as Madrid or Catalonia. When faced with similar projects, those present in a less developed region receive more subsidies. But there are also strategic reasons derived from the state’s renewable energy infrastructure and its operation. Andalusia is going to become Spain’s battery: with this aid it will not only lead the generation of clean energy, but will also have the technologies to manage it. Andalusia concentrates some of the projects with the greatest storage capacity of the entire call, such as those from Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure or the Rolwind battery system (ST Palmosilla) one of the largest in the state. Andalusia is the state leader in installed power in photovoltaic solar energy and as points out the PNIECregions with very high variable renewable generation urgently need storage to avoid spills and thus guarantee electrical stability. In figures. The final resolution of the plan is lower than the initial proposal, with a total budget of 818 million in non-refundable public aid allocated to 126 projects (previously there were 133), 2.2 GW of power and a total capacity of 9.4 GWh. All this with September 30, 2029 as the deadline. Three operators concentrate more than 50% of the awarded capacity: Iberdrola with 2,333.7 MWh and 12 projects, Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure with more than 1,500 MWh and eight projects and Rolwind Renovables with 1,225 MWh and 2 large-scale projects. Behind, other relevant actors such as Naturgy, BenBros or Ecoener. Andalusia accounts for 43% of the aid, with 354.5 million euros. It is the area with the most projects and accumulated volume. Galicia and Castilla-La Mancha follow, with 97.2 and 98 million euros respectively. The only Autonomous Community whose budget increases is Extremadura, going from 73 to 91 million euros. In detail. In the list of awarded projects, those hybridized with renewables (the majority, photovoltaic) prevail, followed by independent batteries, thermal storage and pumped hydroelectricity. Spain has achieved very competitive prices compared to other European tenders. Without going any further, according to Strategic Energy The average price for independent storage systems (stand-alone) was €64,933/MWh/year, below markets such as Italy. In Xataka | The solar miracle that went wrong: Spain produces more electricity than it can manage In Xataka | The perfect storm for electricity companies occurs in Spain: daytime solar surpluses, nighttime peaks… and increasingly cheaper batteries Cover | Sungrow EMEA

China sold cheap batteries for years. The problem is that in the meantime no one built an alternative

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For more than a decade, the world became accustomed to an idea that seemed unquestionable: batteries—the heart of electric cars, of renewable energies, of data centers and of modern warfare— would be increasingly cheaper. China mass-produced them, dominated the technology, controlled critical materials and accepted minimal margins, even losses. For the West, the model was comfortable: import, reduce costs and accelerate the energy transition. That normality, however, has begun to crack. A turning point in the Chinese market. In recent months, several lithium battery manufacturers have begun to announce price increases after almost three years of fierce competition and below-cost sales. According to South China Morning Postthe most visible case is that of Deegares, which reported an increase of 15%, opening a debate on whether the sector is beginning to emerge from the “involution” cycle, a dynamic in which producing more, selling cheaper and earning less had become the norm. The immediate trigger has been the rise in the price of lithium, which has risen around a 70% from its annual minimum. This rebound responds to several overlapping factors: the rise of data centers for artificial intelligence, a rebound in demand for electric vehicles in China and an increasingly explicit intervention by the State to organize the sector. The Chinese Ministry of Industry itself has gathered to the main market players and has promised to accelerate measures to stop the so-called “irrational competition”. A stressed model. Sales prices for energy storage systems in China have plummeted by up to 80% in just three years. Some companies operate with gross margins of 15% to 20% in the domestic market, a far cry from the 40% or 50% common in the United States. The real profitability, analysts cited by SCMP admitwas in exports. And exporting, China has continued to dominate. This year it has managed to sell lithium batteries worth more than $69 billion. According to the analysis of energy expert Gavin Maguire in Reutersthis milestone is explained by the voracious hunger of Germany and the United States for large-scale storage systems, essential to stabilize electrical networks saturated by renewables and data centers. In practice, every new AI data center in Europe or North America starts with a silent dependency: thousands of batteries designed, manufactured and assembled in China. The low price hid an uncomfortable reality. All this time there was a truth that no one said out loud, perhaps because it was so obvious: there was no real Chinese alternative. This new year 2026 will be marked by the massive expansion of data centers that power artificial intelligence, facilities that consume amounts of electricity comparable to that of a small city and that need large-scale batteries to guarantee a continuous supply. Google has installed more than 100 million lithium-ion cells in its data centers, while Microsoft plans to eliminate diesel generators before 2030, replacing them with batteries to meet their climate goals. The forecasts confirm that the risk is not theoretical. The International Energy Agency sums it up crudely. If in 2024 China manufactured 99% of the world’s LFP cells and refined most of the critical materials such as lithium and graphite. For its executive director, Fatih Birol, depend on a single country For a strategic technology, it is a risk comparable to that posed to Europe by its dependence on Russian gas. The Chinese adjustment. Far from retreating, Beijing now seeks to organize the sector without losing its dominance. State intervention translates to braking the most extreme overcapacity, review mining licenses, limit sales at a loss and allow prices to rise to sustainable levels. The objective is not to make batteries abruptly more expensive, but to prevent a strategic industry from self-destructing by competing with itself. Control of raw materials remains the central lever. China process around of 80% of the world’s lithium and produces nearly 90% of the anodes and electrolytes used in batteries. When the United States or Europe impose tariffs, China responds by restricting exports of critical metals. The message is unmistakable: the power lies not only in making batteries, but in controlling every link in the chain. The Western Response. In parallel, the United States and Europe are trying to react. According to Sprott’s reportWestern governments have begun to treat lithium and batteries as strategic assets. Washington has invested directly in mining projectshas multiplied the number of planned gigafactories and has included restrictions on the purchase of Chinese batteries in defense legislation. Europe is following a similar, albeit slower path, supporting local extraction and refining projects and seeking to reduce its dependence on China. Big oil companies like Exxon either Chevron have entered the lithium business, and countries like Germany finance domestic production to ensure supply and reduce geopolitical risks. Still, the consensus among analysts it is clear: replicating the Chinese model will take years. Environmental regulations, labor costs and the absence of centralized industrial planning make competing on price impossible for now. Decoupling, if it comes, will be slow, expensive and politically uncomfortable. A planned domain. It is the direct result of the plan Made in China 2025with which Beijing decided to stop being the world’s cheap factory to become a technological leader. China already dominates solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and lithium batteries. In addition, it controls strategic minerals such as graphite and has vertically integrated the entire value chain. In fact, the Asian giant It is the first “electrostate” in the world: a power whose power is no longer based on oil, but on renewable gigawatts, electrons and batteries. This strategy has reduced its emissions, weakened petrostates and turned its energy industry into a tool of global influence. The true cost of batteries. For years, this low price allowed us to accelerate the global energy transition, but it also created a deep and silent dependency. Now that China begins to organize its market, raise prices and prioritize its own industrial strategy, the world begins to discover the real cost of having delegated the heart of its energy system. Batteries are no … Read more

Apple, Google and Samsung promised them happily with 5,000mAh batteries. Until China came to rub their hands on their faces

by

The person writing these lines has an American mobile phone—made in China—with a little more 5,000mAh. A figure in which giants like Apple, Samsung or Google have been comfortably installed for years. Meanwhile, in China, Honor has just made official a phone with a 10,000 mAh battery. The launch is not surprising just because it has managed to literally introduce a powerbank inside a smartphone. It is surprising because it breaks a barrier that until now no one had dared to cross. Not due to lack of possibilities, but due to industrial inertia. The aforementioned. Honor has made the Honor Win and Honor Win RT. Two phones that, in addition to having the best Qualcomm processorshave a 10,000mAh battery made of silicon-carbon technology. The message is clear: this is not a typical high-end, it is proof that China is the leading benchmark in batteries for smartphones. thickness. For years there has been an unwritten but unquestionable rule: more battery means more thickness. The 10,000 mAh were reserved for rugged, bulky mobile phones designed for very specific uses. These Honor Win break that logic. They are thinner than a iPhone 17 Pro Maxbut with double the energy capacity. There are no gimmicks, fine print or marketing exercises: it’s a real leap in energy density. How did they achieve it?. Honor has not specified how they have managed to take the capacity to such an extreme but the person responsible is clear: silicon-carbon. This technology has been demonstrating for years that it is possible to introduce much denser batteries in the sizes in which lithium has already reached its ceiling. Chinese mobile phones have been standardizing for more than a year batteries over 7,000mAhand Honor’s move to reach five figures marks what aspires to be a new standard. The cons. Silicon-carbon poses certain challenges, and the first is degradation. These batteries, especially in their first generations, They seemed not to be at the same level as classic lithium batteries. Over time, the promised charge cycles are virtually identical to those of traditional lithium batteries (more than 1,500). The second is the cost: producing this type of cells is more expensivewhich partially explains why, for the moment, these figures reach China first and not global markets. In fact, a common practice is to find models whose Chinese version has more battery than the global version, reserved for the rest of the markets. A third key point is related to security and regulation. Denser batteries require stricter controls, and Western regulatory frameworks are not always prepared to adopt these types of advances so quickly. None of this invalidates progress. It simply explains why Apple, Samsung or Google have not yet made the leap. It’s not that they can’t: it’s that they haven’t wanted to take the risk… yet. China is going to force a move. The 10,000mAh batteries are, without much room for doubt, one of the biggest technological leaps in the world of smartphones after the arrival of AI. A figure that will allow us to normalize the three days of average use without going through the charger. The leap is so relevant that, whether they like it or not, “traditional” manufacturers will have to start making a move, as they had to start doing with fast charging systems. Samsung has already started implementing the 7,000mAh in phones like the Galaxy M51but its high-end is still at the 5,000mAh barrier. Google also moves in the 5,200mAh and Apple… is Apple. With a greater or lesser pace of implementation, these manufacturers are forced to keep pace with China in these advances. And that translates into admitting that we were wrong about lithium. Image | Honor In Xataka | The Android phones with the best battery of 2025: which one to buy and recommended models

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