It's Tuesday. Solar got lithium-ion. Wind has been waiting for its own battery. A startup in Amsterdam thinks it just signed the deal that proves which chemistry wins.
In today's edition:
🔋 Ore Energy lands Europe's first utility-scale iron-air order
⚡ Quick Hits: Tesla's New England VPP, a 339-mile line lights up NYC, sodium-ion bands together
💰 Capital: Nvidia backs a $28M grid-AI raise
📋 Policy Watch: FERC opens a fast lane for data centers, Texas stares down a 438-GW queue
📊 Chart: Solar just passed gas in California
The Big Story
Ore Energy lands Europe's first utility-scale iron-air battery order.
Amsterdam-based startup Ore Energy signed an agreement with Dutch energy and telecoms supplier Budget Thuis to deploy up to 1,000 MWh of multi-day iron-air batteries, with a 400 MWh first phase due in 2028. The technology runs on iron, water, and air, packs into 40-foot enclosures at megawatt-hour scale, and is configurable for 24-hour to 100-hour discharge. Founded in 2022, Ore is one of only two companies commercializing iron-air at scale, alongside US-based Form Energy.
"Short-duration batteries alone can't fix this. They shift solar by a few hours, but wind-heavy European grids need storage that works across days, not hours. We believe iron-air will become as important for wind as lithium-ion has been for solar." Aytaç Yilmaz, CEO, Ore Energy, via Energy-Storage News, June 22, 2026
The deal covers up to 1 GWh across Budget Thuis's portfolio, starting with a 400 MWh phase delivered in 2028.
Ore cites a cost of about €16 (US$18.50) per kWh, in the same range as Form Energy's stated US$15-20 per kWh, with a ~20-year system life.
The chemistry is cobalt-free and built on a supply chain Yilmaz says Europe controls, aimed at storing wind output across multiple days rather than hours.
Ore recently ran a grid-connected 100-hour pilot with EDF in France, its second pilot, and is weighing a factory in Germany or the Netherlands.
Source: Energy-Storage News
Quick Hits
Small bites from across the grid.
Distributed batteries, a long-awaited line, and a chemistry coalition picking a fight with China.
Tesla is offering discounted Powerwall leases to households in Massachusetts and Connecticut, on the condition that homes enroll in virtual power plant programs Tesla can monetize. Canary Media
The Champlain-Hudson Power Express began moving Canadian hydropower down a new 339-mile line to Queens, a link expected to meet up to 20% of New York City's electricity needs. Utility Dive
The American Battery Leadership Coalition launched with Peak Energy, Alsym, ESS, and others to push federal policy behind US sodium-ion manufacturing and supply chains. Business Wire
Eavor is hunting for partners to finish its first-of-a-kind closed-loop geothermal project in Germany after hitting both key milestones and technical hurdles. Canary Media
Nodiac, a developer of 1-to-15-MW containerized data centers, signed its second deal to drop compute directly onto a renewable developer's sites, tapping SkyVolt's roughly 2-GW wind, solar, and battery pipeline in a model built to skip the interconnection queue. Data Center Dynamics
The Capital Stack
Nvidia backs grid AI built to clear the interconnection logjam.
ThinkLabs AI raised $28 million to scale software that uses grid physics and billions of data points to map where spare capacity actually exists, helping large loads connect in months instead of years. The round, backed by Nvidia, lands as queues swell and FERC pushes operators to find room for data centers without new lines.
Source: VentureBeat
Also in the capital stack:
Eurelectric, Europe's utilities association, published analysis from consultancy AFRY finding that non-lithium long-duration storage is becoming a viable flexibility option for European grids, the macro backdrop to Ore Energy's iron-air bet. The report ties multi-day storage directly to cutting the renewable curtailment now costing the continent billions. Energy-Storage News
Policy Watch
FERC ordered six major grid operators to fast-track interconnection for data centers and other large loads, made those loads responsible for their connection costs, and directed operators to consider "alternative transmission technologies," an explicit opening for grid-enhancing tech and reconductoring. TechCrunch
Texas regulators approved an initial large-load interconnection process as ERCOT stares down a 438-GW request queue, a test case for how grids triage AI-era demand. Utility Dive
Chart of the Day
Solar and storage own the US buildout
Utility-scale solar out-generated natural gas in CAISO over the first five months of 2026, as solar generation rose 21% versus the same period in 2024 and gas-fired output fell 60%.
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