In this session of IONS, Cam is joined by Dr. Adrian Yao, founder of Lithium-ion cell development company EnPower and STEER, Stanford's center for energy feasibility research. Cam and Adrian have both been in the battery space for years, and their experience across chemistries, academia, and industry informs a conversation that ranges from material development to project economics and the approach needed to commercialize batteries in the west: technological pragmatism.

For the first time, Cam and Adrian discuss STEER's 2025 study of sodium-ion cell cost-down curves and break down STEER's initial pessimism on sodium-ion cell economics against the movement of CATL, Peak, and GM into project deployments built on an underdog chemistry.

Cam and Adrian find that the industry's perspective has expanded, growing from a granular focus on low-cost materials and R&D to real assessments of system-level viability. Cam and Adrian describe this as a "parallel journey" tracked over the last two years by academia and industry, driven by real-world concerns as energy storage projects take the grid by storm.

🔋 Learn more about EnPower's American-built batteries

📃 Read Dr. Yao’s thesis on energy storage development

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In this episode of the IONS podcast, host Cam Dales sits down with energy storage pioneer Marek Kubik to discuss the past, present, and future of the grid-scale energy storage industry. Drawing on over 16 years of experience, from the early commercial projects at AES to the scaling of Fluence, Marek provides a unique perspective on how storage has evolved from a niche grid-stabilization tool into a cornerstone of the global energy transition.

The episode explores several key themes:

The Middle East as a Renewable Frontier: Marek explains how Saudi Arabia is aggressively pursuing its Vision 2030 goals, aiming for 50% renewable energy by 2030. With record-low solar pricing and massive storage build-outs, the region is effectively becoming the "Saudi Arabia of renewables".

The Shift to Long-Duration Storage: The industry is moving away from short-duration frequency regulation toward 8-hour systems designed for full day-night solar firming. This shift is supported by Wright’s Law, which predicts a 20% to 30% cost reduction for every doubling of production volume.

Next-Generation Chemistries: While lithium-ion (LFP) remains dominant, Cam and Marek discuss the potential of sodium-ion batteries. Sodium-ion is highlighted for its performance in extreme climates, supply chain diversification, and the potential for a lower theoretical "cost floor" compared to lithium.

AI and Speed of Deployment: Marek notes that the rapid growth of AI infrastructure is driving an urgent demand for power. Solar-plus-storage is often the fastest and most cost-effective way to bring massive amounts of new capacity online for hyperscale data centers.

The episode concludes with a look at the "inevitable" transition toward a 100% renewable grid, driven by economic rationalism and continuous innovation in manufacturing.

Links & Resources

• 🎙 Marek Kubik on LinkedIn
• 🌍 Reliability of Solar and Storage
• ⚡ Early grid battery in Chile

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In this episode, we talk with battery industry legend Bob Galyen. Reflecting on his nearly 50 years in the battery industry, Bob shares his career journey from the US automotive industry to last week’s announcement of his receiving the Benchmark Lifetime Achievement Award.

He details his experience as an early executive at CATL, where he played an instrumental role in building what is now the world’s biggest battery company. We discuss batteries' role in saving the planet by reducing pollution and get his take on why the US needs a leapfrog technology to compete globally.

This really is a very special episode with a guy that’s seen it all!

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