r/energy

Invinity Selected to Design GWh-Scale VFB System

Strategic Partnership with FlexBase to Develop World's Largest Flow Battery

Invinity Energy Systems plc (AIM: IES), a leading global manufacturer of utility-grade energy storage, is delighted to note FlexBase Group's announcement that, following an in-depth competitive selection process that reviewed proposals from flow battery manufacturers from across the world, it has selected Invinity to design a GWh-scale vanadium flow battery ("VFB") for deployment at the Technology Centre Laufenburg.

Situated in the Swiss municipality of Laufenburg, which is located on the Switzerland-Germany border, the project will feature an AI datacentre and technology campus, integrated with a VFB of up to 1.5 GWh capacity - believed to be the world's largest to date. Invinity's battery solution, which FlexBase will look to expand to 2.1 GWh in subsequent phases, will be used to support the integration of renewable energy onto the site and provide stabilisation to the grid.

The project broke ground in May 2025 and is currently under construction. Invinity will now proceed with the engineering phase of the project, which is expected to take place during 2026 and into 2027 and will generate engineering revenue for the Company, subject to the achievement of various development milestones. Following the successful conclusion of the engineering design phase, a purchase order for the battery system is anticipated to be received, allowing Invinity to initiate phased manufacturing of datacentre-optimized VFB modules for integration into the project.

Further announcements will be made in due course as the project progresses.

Marcel Aumer, Group CEO, Chairman of the Board and Founder of FlexBase Group said:

"Invinity has proven to be the strongest partner by presenting the most compelling overall package with the lowest life-cycle costs (LCOS). Invinity's vanadium flow technology is perfectly suited for our project due to its safety - particularly its non-flammability - its cycle stability, and its flexibility in application."

Pascal Wyss, Chief Innovation Officer at FlexBase said:

"In Invinity, we have found a partner that not only possesses market-ready and internationally proven technology but has also impressed us with innovative, modular solutions perfectly tailored to FlexBase. We look forward to working with the Invinity team to advance the vision of a sustainable energy future."

Jonathan Marren, Chief Executive Officer at Invinity said:

"Having just delivered the biggest vanadium flow battery in the UK, Invinity now enters the engineering phase of what will be the world's largest vanadium flow battery to date. Our longstanding focus on continually building our expertise in flow battery technology has been recognized with the award of this phase of the contract and I am extremely proud of the efforts of the Invinity team in getting us to this position."

Stay up to date with news from Invinity. Join the distribution list for the Company's monthly investor newsletter here.

Do you drive an EV? If so, for how long, what make and model?

How would you compare it to your last gas vehicle, what do you love about it, and what are your biggest dislikes or frustrations?

Curious to hear real-world experiences from owners — charging, reliability, software, road trips, maintenance, performance, all of it.

While China used coal to power its industrialization, India is turning to solar to meet its growing energy needs. Though India faces major hurdles — a rickety grid, a lack of storage — its solar buildout could be a model for other emerging economies.

Exclusive: Supreme Leader says enriched uranium must stay in Iran - https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/supreme-leader-says-enriched-uranium-must-stay-iran-iranian-sources-say-2026-05-21/

*DUBAI - Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main U.S. demands ​at peace talks.*

So, what will Dear Leader say now?

In the meanwhile, oil prices start heading higher, with Brent at $107 again ….

I love our Gas Aga, wouldn't do without it.

I read a post from 2 years ago about whether to fix or stay on variable rate with a Gas Aga. Consumption is 24600kwh Gas / year and 2,006kwh Electricty / year.

Currently on Flexible Octopus but worried about variable rate price rises in July.

Thoughts?

In this video, I speak through how China moved from a country struggling with smog to become the “OPEC of renewable energy.”

Due to reduced natural gas supplies, Saudi Arabia anticipates increased use of imported fuel oil for electricity generation this summer, according to analysts. The drop in natural gas stems from the closure of oilfields after the Iran war, which curtailed the nation’s oil exports.

The rise in fuel oil consumption in power plants, coinciding with peak summer electricity demand for cooling, represents a setback to Saudi Arabia’s efforts to transition to cleaner energy sources.

The world’s leading oil exporter has been compelled to halt over 3 million barrels per day of oil production following an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which disrupted crude exports from Ras Tanura. This disruption has subsequently reduced the associated gas output.

Despite the commissioning of the Jafurah gas field in December, gas production decreased to 10.5 billion cubic feet per day in the first quarter, down from 10.7 bcfd in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to Saudi Aramco’s recent quarterly earnings report.

To compensate for the gas shortfall at power plants, Aramco boosted its fuel oil imports to roughly 1.7 million tons (360,000 bpd) in April, an 86% year-over-year increase, according to Vortexa data. The majority of these imports were delivered to terminals linked to power and desalination plants, including Jeddah South and Shuqaiq Steam.

Rahul Choudhary, vice president of oil & gas research at Rystad Energy, stated that the substantial surge in fuel oil imports indicates a rise in oil consumption compared to last year.

Saudi Arabia’s power demand typically escalates from April, reaching its peak in August, thereby increasing the use of crude, high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO), and gas in power plants. Choudhary noted that the burning of crude and fuel oil for power could exceed 1 million barrels per day this summer. This would undermine efforts to increase gas and renewable energy use, reversing the low of 991,000 bpd observed in 2025.

Aramco is expected to burn less crude for power this summer, as it prioritizes crude exports, primarily Arab Light, via the East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, and due to HSFO’s lower cost compared to Saudi crude.

Last year, Saudi Arabia’s direct crude burn averaged 593,500 barrels per day from June to September, according to data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI).

Analysts hold differing views on the precise amount of crude Saudi Arabia will use for power generation this summer.

Wood Mackenzie anticipates a decrease of 5,000 to 15,000 bpd in crude burn from an average of 629,000 bpd between June and August 2025.

Jayadev D, an oil research analyst at WoodMac, said that every barrel of Arab Light crude used domestically results in a significant loss of export revenue.

Rystad Energy estimates that crude consumption for power will average approximately 540,000 to 550,000 bpd this summer.

Koen Wessels, head of demand at Energy Aspects, expects Saudi Arabia to burn more crude this summer than in 2025, constrained by how much crude supply it can divert to Red Sea ports. Energy Aspects forecasts that Hormuz transits will remain disrupted through the end of May, with a 50% recovery on pre-war tonnage in June, 60% in July, and 70% in August, Wessels said.

thiel just led a 140 million series B for panthalassa, an oregon startup building floating ocean data centers powered by wave energy. valuation pushed near 1 billion. john doerr, marc benioff time ventures, founders fund, lowercarbon capital, super micro all joined.

the tech: lollipop-shaped nodes. buoyant sphere on top, submerged vertical tube below. wave motion drives oscillating turbine. self-propelled hull steers to deep-sea siting on its own. LEO satellite data link. cold seawater cools the servers. no grid connection at all.

the claim that matters: power at 0.02 per kWh if scaled. that would undercut every hyperscale land-based PPA being signed right now.

context for the bet: meta disclosed 145 billion in 2026 AI capex in Q1. amazon 44 billion same quarter. US power interconnection queues are running 4 to 7 years. hyperscalers are running out of grid faster than they're running out of money.

ocean-3 pilot deploys later this year off the northern pacific. commercial rollout target 2027.

compare to starcloud, redmond startup announced 170 million in march for space-based solar-powered data centers. valuation 1.1 billion. multi-modal AI infrastructure asset class: land plus sea plus low earth orbit. all three running in parallel now.

the skeptical read: infrastructure finance doesn't tolerate many failures. hyperscalers, insurers, lenders, regulators, maritime authorities all need repeatable safe serviced operations before they sign PPAs. show measured net electrical bus power over months in real ocean conditions. show useful IT power after parasitic loads. show stationkeeping energy in real currents.

watch list: ocean-3 pilot deployment, any hyperscaler signed PPA, US treasury OFAC posture on offshore data infrastructure, insurance market pricing of ocean-sited compute.

iris

ABB announced a $200 million investment in medium-voltage manufacturing across Europe over three years. The program includes a $100 million facility in Dalmine, Italy for SF₆-free switchgear and breakers. Another $100 million will expand facilities in Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Norway and Poland.

I’ll be making the transition from private practice to FERC soon. I was curious what the current vibe/mood is like for attorneys at FERC. I know there’s been a mass exodus but I’m curious if things have gotten better or if it’s affected workload/hours.