Norwegian polysilicon and silane gas company, REC Silicon, has announced that it will construct a silicon-carbon anode material plant with the help of Group14 Technologies.

Some context:

Typically, lithium-ion batteries have used graphite as the anode, but recently there has been more interest in using silicon to hold those lithium ions. That's because silicon can store 10x more energy per gram than graphite, but switching to silicon isn't so simple. Group14 Technologies has developed a new silicon-carbon composite material that has some of those silicon benefits.

So what are they doing?

REC Silicon has been producing polysilicon from silane gas for the photovoltaic and electronics industry for 30 years. Its silane gas feedstock will be integrated into the new silicon-carbon anode plant and will produce 12,000 tons of the material per year by 2023.

Read the press release here.

German multinational chemical company, Wacker Chemie, has announced that it more than double its production of vinyl acetate/ethylene (VAE) at its site in Nanjing, China.

Who needs VAE?

The VAE copolymer is sold as a dispersion or as a powder. In either case, it acts as a binder in "construction, paints, coatings and adhesives – for example, for formulating high-quality tile adhesives, energy-saving external thermal insulation composite systems, and low-odor low-emission interior paints.".

Why put the plant in China?

China's construction industry has been booming and is going to continue booming for quite some time. The country is responsible for "20 percent of all construction investment" globally. Wacker Chemie is confident that future growth in the region will pay off this $100 million investment.

Read the press release here.

US-based conglomerate, General Electric, has announced that it is partnering with Long Ridge Energy Terminal and New Fortress Energy to transition a power plant to run on hydrogen.

Some context:

Currently, combined-cycle power plants run on natural gas courtesy of the oil & gas industry. When combusted, natural gas releases 50% less CO2 and 90% fewer air pollutants than coal. But natural gas power plants still have emissions, and people are demanding further reduction, so we've seen carbon-capture and more creative solutions. Another solution would be to combust green hydrogen in the turbines instead of natural gas—and that is what these companies are looking to do.

So what's the plan?

Green hydrogen production is virtually non-existent in the US (remember, the electrolysis of water is not cheap). So over the next decade, as the cost of green hydrogen goes down and the supply goes up we will see more and more of it blended into the feed for the power plant. Eventually, the plant will be converted into a 100% green hydrogen powered facility.

Read the press release here.