Briefs: Forward Steps in Batteries, Microreactors, and DC Systems

Energy demand is driving innovations in battery technology, nuclear energy, and power infrastructure for electric vehicles and batteries. Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast are planning for the future by developing a 3D-printed iron flow battery to slash grid-scale storage costs and rare metal use. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group and SK On started production at their $5 billion battery manufacturing plant in Georgia to secure domestic supply chains for electric vehicle production.

Terra Innovatum and Waiken ILW are deploying modular microreactors to provide uninterrupted power for data centers throughout Latin America. ABB acquired Advantics to integrate silicon carbide-based DC power distribution systems for more efficient data centers, solar arrays, and EV charging networks.

Batteries, microreactors, and DC power distribution systems.

3D-Printed Iron Flow Battery Could Cut Fab Costs and Accelerate Grid-Scale Storage

Queen’s University Belfast researchers have engineered a 3D-printed, iron-based flow battery cell that slashes fabrication costs from £3,000 to £75 per unit. The open-source hardware accelerates the commercialization of cheap, grid-scale renewable energy storage. A standardized assembly guide allows easy implementation.

Intermittent solar and wind power currently generate only 16% of the U.K. and Ireland's total energy, creating heavy reliance on fossil fuels during generation lulls. Existing lithium-ion and vanadium flow batteries may not be suitable for long-duration grid storage due to high scaling costs, flammability hazards, ethical cobalt mining issues, and volatile supply chains.

Vanadium. Image used courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The Belfast team designed a 10-component battery unit using abundant, low-cost iron liquid electrolytes instead of scarce vanadium or lithium. Additive manufacturing techniques reduce total component costs while maintaining high physical durability.

Over 35 international research teams, including groups at MIT, Harvard, and Cambridge, are employing the standardized cell design to conduct identical experimental protocols.

Hyundai, SK On Open $5 Billion Battery Plant for EV Lithium-Ion Cells

Hyundai Motor Group and South Korea-based SK On initiated commercial production at their $5 billion joint-venture battery manufacturing plant in Bartow County, Georgia. The facility supplies high-capacity lithium-ion cells directly to North American vehicle assembly hubs.

The Bartow County complex can produce up to 35 GWh of batteries annually, which can supply battery packs for about 300,000 electric vehicles each year. Initial cell runs route directly to Hyundai's Metaplant America site to power three-row Ioniq 9 models alongside Ioniq 5 units. Kia and Genesis also have nearby assembly plants.

A Hyundai Ioniq battery pack. Image used courtesy of HSBMA

Automakers expanding domestic EV assembly can face severe supply bottlenecks and tariff exposure when importing battery packs from overseas suppliers. Long-distance supply chains increase transit lead times, exposing manufacturing lines to inventory delays and fluctuating international shipping costs. Domestic cell integration eliminates cross-border logistics costs, supporting entry-level vehicle price reductions down to $35,000.

Terra Innovatum and Waiken Team Up for Microreactor Platform for Data Centers

Terra Innovatum will work with Waiken ILW to deploy up to 8 MWe of micro-modular reactor platforms for data center facilities in Latin America. The deployment provides uninterrupted, low-carbon electricity directly to high-demand digital infrastructure without relying on the public grid.

Construction of the Solo reactor module. Image used courtesy of Terra Innovatum

Terra Innovatum’s Solo platform utilizes a factory-manufactured, modular architecture assembled from off-the-shelf commercial components. Each unit supplies 1 MWe of power using low-enriched uranium plus (LEU+) or high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, fuel encased in non-proliferant safety containment. The design scales incrementally to 1 GW or more, serving industrial heat, water desalination, and radioisotope production alongside direct electrical generation.

Commercial units are projected to reach international markets within three years. The behind-the-meter generation capacity will power broadcasting operations for DirecTV Latin America and Sky Brasil in Jaguariúna, Brazil, and Argentina.

ABB To Acquire Advantics for DC Systems in Data Centers, Microgrids, and EV Charging

ABB has acquired Advantics, a French power conversion developer, to expand silicon carbide-based DC power distribution systems across high-density facilities such as industrial microgrids, data centers, and high-voltage electric vehicle charging networks.

Conventional AC grids require multiple conversion stages when transmitting power to native direct current endpoints like solar arrays, server racks, and battery storage units. Repeating alternating-to-direct conversions causes heavy energy dissipation, elevating power costs and thermal management burdens in heavy industrial facilities.

Advantics SiC power conversion module. Image used courtesy of Advantics

DC architecture eliminates intermediate power conversions to cut system losses and lower cooling demands. The transaction delivers compact components that optimize energy management, power density, and grid stability across industrial electrical architectures.

Advantics manufactures power conversion hardware built with silicon carbide semiconductors, achieving thermal conversion efficiencies reaching 99%. The wide-bandgap material can handle larger loads and higher temperatures than silicon. The combined hardware, firmware, and embedded software architectures minimize conversion steps, matching projected global electricity demand growth from 20% to 36% by 2035.

The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026.