Hey everyone! Nuked here—let’s dive into some cool tech news that combines green energy and innovation.

Redwood Materials is working with General Motors to reuse old and new EV batteries, transforming them into stationary energy storage systems. They’ve already used second-life batteries from GM to create a 12 MW microgrid at Redwood’s Nevada headquarters, which supplies power to a nearby data center with 2,000 GPUs.

This microgrid is part of Redwood’s new energy storage division, launched in June, focusing on repurposing EV batteries for large-scale energy storage. Many batteries arriving at Redwood still have significant life left, and instead of recycling their materials immediately, the company keeps the packs intact and connects them into big energy storage units that harness excess power generated by solar and wind sources. These systems are primarily solar-powered.

Redwood’s CEO, JB Straubel, believes this approach can grow faster than traditional recycling. The company already recovers about 70% of used batteries in the U.S. and aims to deploy 20 GWh of energy storage capacity by 2028. Their ability to integrate various battery types from different manufacturers could give them an edge in the market, especially as this energy storage market continues to expand.

GM’s role involves supplying Redwood with both new and old batteries. This strategy helps GM hedge against fluctuating EV sales, which saw a slight decrease in the second quarter but are expected to rebound before the end of September, thanks to tax credits. Meanwhile, demand for energy storage installations has been consistently growing, with a 57% increase in the first quarter of this year.

This collaboration illustrates a promising shift towards sustainable energy solutions, combining automotive and energy sectors to support power grids and reduce waste.

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