Author: omc_admin

The PEM Chair at RWTH Aachen University is developing a melt coating process for the production of very thin lithium metal anodes. The core of the technology is the controlled application of liquid lithium to substrate foil. The Aachen-based researchers want to venture into spin-off business with the method called ‘LIMA’. Ultra-thin lithium metal anodes are considered key components for next-generation batteries – especially solid-state batteries. However, coating them is a challenge. The state of the art is ‘cost-intensive, limited in layer thickness and difficult to scale,’ according to researchers from the Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM)…

EUNICE, NEW MEXICO — Paul Lorskulsint was a shift manager at a brand new uranium enrichment facility deep in the American Southwest when catastrophe struck Japan in 2011.A massive tsunami and earthquake had caused a severe accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Thousands of miles away in Eunice, New Mexico, Lorskulsint turned on the television to make sure his team could witness what was happening across the Pacific Ocean.Lorskulsint knew the disaster in Japan was a watershed moment for the nuclear industry. The plant where he was leading an operations shift had just opened in 2010, after the…

Siemens is expanding its range of fast charging stations and has now introduced the Sicharge Flex product family at Busworld in Brussels. What makes it special is that it supports not only the familiar CCS fast charging process, but also the new megawatt charging standard MCS. The Sicharge Flex offers a power output of up to 1.68 MW. Under the name Sicharge D, Siemens introduced a fast-charging station in 2021 that achieved a charging capacity of up to 300 kW. In 2024, the charging capacity was increased to 400 kW. Customers using the device include E.ON and Leipziger Stadtwerke, as…

Datacenters’ electricity demands have been accused of delaying the US’s transition to clean energy and requiring fossil fuel plants to stay online, while their high level of water consumption has also raised alarm. Now public health advocates fear another environmental problem could be linked to them – Pfas “forever chemical” pollution.Big tech companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon often need datacenters to store servers and networking equipment that process the world’s digital traffic, and the artificial intelligence boom is driving demand for more facilities.Advocates are particularly concerned over the facilities’ use of Pfas gas, or f-gas, which can be potent…

Ocean services provider DeepOcean said it has been awarded a simultaneous marine operation and production installation (SIMOPRO) contract by Equinor ASA. DeepOcean’s scope of work entails installation work on both the Åsgård and Visund fields on the Norwegian continental shelf. The company will undertake onshore project management, engineering and procurement services, as well as offshore operations, according to a news release. A SIMOPRO operation refers to a complex offshore job where marine construction or installation activities are carried out while an offshore facility is producing hydrocarbons, DeepOcean said. The scope of work on Åsgard includes riser removal at the Åsgard…

India is set to become the next major force in the petrochemicals industry, a move that could intensify supply imbalances already troubling Asia, according to a press release citing recent reports by S&P Global Ratings.The research points out that India’s plans to expand its petrochemical production mirror the earlier steps taken by China, which is already reshaping the global market. This shift comes as both countries, with China being the world’s largest consumer and India the third, look to reduce their dependence on imports for essential chemicals used in everyday products such as plastics, packaging, and auto components.”India’s capacity additions…

Forget the fancy Ferraris and precious Picassos. Instead, new Forbes 400 member David D. Halbert chose the ultimate flex: convincing Tom Fazio to build him a “no-budget” 18-hole golf course in Texas. “If you don’t have a hole named after you then you’re not a member,” laughs David D. Halbert, as he pulls the cart up to the first tee at his personal golf course. This one is called the “Jake hole” – because that’s the nickname his grandkids call him. Located on 170 acres along Lake Granbury, 60 miles southwest of Dallas Fort-Worth airport, the championship length (7,500 yards…

As the European Union pushes to fully sever its reliance on Russian energy and the administration of US President Donald Trump urges NATO members to abandon Russian oil, one country’s populist government stands firm.Hungary and its leader, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, have long argued Russian energy imports are indispensable for the country’s economy and switching to fossil fuels sourced from elsewhere would cause an immediate economic collapse.Orban, who has long had the friendliest ties to the Kremlin of any EU leader, has vigorously opposed the bloc’s efforts to sanction Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and blasted…

Chevron said the fire had bee Chevron’s 285,000-barrel-per-day El Segundo refinery in southern California had taken multiple units offline on Friday after a large fire erupted in a jet fuel production unit, disrupting supply in the Golden State’s isolated energy market.The El Segundo refinery is the second largest in California and Chevron’s second-biggest refinery in the United States. The facility supplies a fifth of all motor vehicle fuels and 40% of the jet fuel consumed in southern California. The fire at the facility’s jet fuel production unit broke out on Thursday evening. No injuries were reported, and all workers at…

The Trump administration is cancelling $7.6bn in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.The move comes as Donald Trump threatens deep cuts in his fight with congressional Democrats over the government shutdown.The energy department said in a statement on Thursday that 223 projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable. Officials did not provide details about which projects are being cut, but said funding came from the Office of Clean…