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The global energy landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace. With the increased adoption of renewable energy sources and the drive for a more sustainable future, the demand for efficient energy storage has never been greater.
 

Enter Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) the backbone of modern energy infrastructure, ensuring stability, resilience, and efficiency in power distribution.

In 2024, the US battery storage market saw record-breaking growth, with nearly 9.2 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity installed in late November alone, according to figures from S&P Global. But how is this supercharged leap into more stable power distribution fairing on a fundamental level?

Despite an estimated capacity increase in the United States of a staggering 89% in 2024, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), there is still more to be done to ensure this rapid rollout of these mainly Lithium-ion battery systems don’t pose a threat to workers, communities and our energy infrastructure.

The global importance of Battery Energy Storage Systems
BESS plays a critical role in balancing power supply and demand, especially as more countries transition to renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Typically, renewable energy sources are inherently intermittent meaning they don’t produce electricity consistently throughout the day, due to a variety of uncontrollable environmental factors. BESS helps to bridge the gap by storing excess energy when supply is high and distributing it when demand peaks.

While the idea of shoring up our energy infrastructure to greater withstand periods of intense strain is a laudable (and indeed, logical) one, we must ensure that in our haste to erect new BESS sites, we don’t overlook vital safety concerns.

In addition to grid stabilization, BESS is instrumental in enhancing energy reliability. By storing surplus electricity, BESS ensures that power remains available even during blackouts or grid failures. It’s also an important element of reducing carbon emissions, as with stored renewable energy, reliance on fossil fuel-powered plants decreases, leading to a more sustainable energy mix. Let’s not forget how BESS underpins growing support for the electrification of transportation. As electric vehicles (EVs) gain traction, BESS can facilitate fast-charging infrastructure without overloading the grid.

The growing prominence of BESS installations can mean greater risks
In February 2025 alone, renewable energy producers added 10.5 GWh capacity to the global energy network, according to market intelligence firm Rho Motion’s Battery Energy Stationary Storage Monthly Database. But while BESS sites are a useful way to prevent overloading the world’s power supplies releasing stored energy at peak times when power generators come under greater strain they come with challenges.

One of the greatest concerns is thermal runaway, a dangerous chain reaction in which rising temperatures spread from one battery cell to another. Without proper monitoring and early detection of potential failures, thermal runaway incidents can easily snowball into devastating fires. These fires spread rapidly, passing from unit to unit, causing sizable financial losses, environmental damage, and, of course, safety hazards including releasing toxic substances such as hydrogen fluoride gas.

That’s why advanced thermal imaging solutions are becoming essential to keep BESS sites safe and operational. Fixed thermal cameras with advanced analytics are the go-to solution, as they can trigger alarms and suppression systems when temperatures pass a set threshold.

Learn more about solutions for early fire detection at BESS and other industrial sites.

The Pepperl+Fuchs Group, a pioneer in the field of mobile devices for hazardous areas, continues the success story of the globally certified and established Smart-Ex® series: The new, industrial-grade Smart-Ex® 203 smartphone is designed for use in Division 2 and Zone 2/22 hazardous areas and offers all the necessary certifications. This complements the smartphone portfolio around the proven Smart-Ex® 03 with another powerful device. The Smart-Ex® 203 enables continuous and reliable operation even in challenging industrial environments and offers a high level of user convenience thanks to a wide range of well-thought-out features. This makes it the perfect solution for addressing the increasing demands of digitalized process chains in the context of IoT and Industry 4.0 scenarios.

The new smartphone covers the most important public and private 5G and 4G mobile networks in a single hardware version and is suitable for worldwide use in areas with an increased risk of explosion. The Smart-Ex® 203 supports a total of 52 different frequency bands, including 24 5G and 28 4G bands. The dual SIM function simplifies the fast and flexible switch between private and public networks and their management by optionally using eSIM and nano-SIM. Thanks to the high-resolution 6.3-inch display, sophisticated augmented reality (AR) applications and other digital processes can be optimally used, ensuring maximum future-proofing.

Proven features optimize handling

In addition, the Smart-Ex® 203 has many other proven features that make mobile work and communication easier under demanding and harsh industrial conditions: Glove Mode, for example, increases the touchscreen’s sensitivity so that the device can be operated precisely even with gloves. This ensures more efficient and safer work processes. Another useful feature is Double-Tap, which allows to lock the smartphone by simply double-tapping on the home screen. This eliminates the need to feel for the on/off button on the side, making it easier to use the smartphone with gloves. In addition, both left- and right-handed workers benefit from this function. What's more, the Smart-Ex® 203 is equipped with the innovative feature Smart Call Handling, which enables intelligent call handling using hand gestures: to accept an incoming call, the device is brought directly to the ear. A simple shake, on the other hand, is all it takes to reject the call. If you want to mute the conversation, simply tilt the phone.

Additional features include a fingerprint sensor that allows unlocking without entering a code, thus enabling biometrically supported multi-factor authentication for maximum security. In addition, the smartphone has a rear camera with 48 megapixels, an autofocus and a LED flash, as well as a front camera with a resolution of 16 megapixels. The LED can also be conveniently used as a flashlight. The cameras can be used to take not only high-quality pictures but also videos in full HD resolution. The new accessory interface allows the Smart-Ex® 203 to be connected to the SM-Ex S203 SR scanner module, transforming it into a convenient 1D/2D barcode scanner. In addition, automatic identification of objects is possible with the smartphone.

Support for the latest communication standards

The Smart-Ex® 203 features Android 14, a cutting-edge operating system that optimally supports the latest communication standards. The pending Android Enterprise Recommended and Google ARCore certification make the smartphone ideally suited for demanding augmented reality applications such as remote support, training and other company-specific tools. And finally, the new accessory interface allows the use of additional accessories such as the SM-Ex S203 SR scanner module.

“With the Smart-Ex® 203, we are providing a powerful and cost-effective smartphone for use in Division 2 and Zone 2/22 hazardous areas, complementing our proven Smart-Ex® 03 portfolio. Users benefit from a wide range of features that take mobile work and communication to a new level in all industries with challenging production conditions. These include, in particular, the oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage sectors,” explains Jörg Hartleb, Head of Product Management at the Pepperl+Fuchs subsidiary ECOM Instruments.

www.pepperl-fuchs.com

Situational awareness involves understanding a given circumstance, collecting relevant information, analyzing it, and making informed decisions to address any potential risks.

When applying this to perimeter security, it is common practice to see designs that fortify the perimeter; but once that alarm happens, it is uncommon to have a system that provides the continuous coverage and relevant information operators need to make an informed decision as the potential threat progress.

So, in thinking about a traditional perimeter design, you would expect to see some sort of intrusion detection system encompassing a variety of technologies. Often FLIR works with customers to set up a virtual barrier that includes a combination of thermal and visible cameras coupled with detection analytics. Together these systems can provide accurate information about people or vehicles at the perimeter.

However, it is the action that comes after a perimeter breach that determines how a security team should respond. This is, unfortunately, where we see gaps in security system designs and can ultimately mean the operator does not have total situational awareness.

This is where FLIR Nexus comes in. Nexus is a proprietary communication protocol that helps bridge the gap between devices and systems, ensuring a more complete understanding of the environment outside and inside a security perimeter.

Creating a detection system's tracking layer and providing complete situational awareness requires a system integrator to coordinate the communication between many different technologies. Without an overarching communication system, this type of coordination can be quite complicated, requiring the integrator to set up a series of rules to first identify the target, classify it as a threat, locate the physical location, and then track the target as it moves. It's unlikely this potential threat would stay in the field of view of a single sensor, so the integrator would further have to coordinate communications between different sensors to maintain continuity as the target moves.

Often, to execute this level of situational awareness, a customer would need some sort of advanced software that collects the geodata being presented by a variety of different sensors and then coordinate proper handoffs as the target moves.

FLIR Nexus provides customers with the situational awareness needed for exterior spaces by allowing edge devices to communicate in a server/client format without the need of software or server in the middle. There is no need for additional software or servers, reducing the cost of ownership when compared to similar solutions in the market. FLIR Nexus devices also allow for a simplified installation, since all of the edge devices are communicating in real-time and there is nothing to configure at the headend.

When combined with FLIR's camera analytics for detection, this total security system can identify, locate, and track targets all at the edge. As a potential threat moves through the scene, Nexus-enabled devices communicate the geodata to other Nexus devices and provide seamless handoffs for continuous tracking. This allows an operator to have the relevant information needed to make informed decisions on what is happening, thus providing complete situational awareness. Since all FLIR devices have ONVIF drivers, all of the video information can be recorded to any VMS.

Another advantage of Nexus is it allows customers to extend their coverage over large area using fewer devices. This makes providing complete situational awareness much more affordable.

For example, consider a commercial building parking lot. Trying to cover such a large area often presents many challenges such as low visibility at night and minimal infrastructure. With FLIR’s Nexus sensors we can cover 180 degrees from a building with just three devices. Two flat-panel radars can provide detection for a 180-degree field of a view, and a multi-spectral pan-tilt camera will provide visibility in both day and night. The devices allowing for alarm scheduling and zone configuration, so with three devices we can detect and track any potential threat who is in the area outside the desired hours.

See the FLIR Nexus Bundle and learn how it can improve perimeter security.

Today there is an abundance of options when it comes to analytics. If you want to receive a notification about some sort of detection, there is probably an analytic for that. When it comes to perimeter security, do these analytics help secure your environment, or do they end up creating nuisance alarms which makes the overall solution less effective? Nexus enabled devices from FLIR help customers create a simplified solution at a lower cost while ensuring that the information provided to the operator is not only relevant but accurate.

Lambda Resins isn’t a typical industry giant – and that’s precisely its strength. As a highly specialized resin manufacturer, the company has emerged over the past two years – under the umbrella of Nagel Technologies GmbH – as a sought-after technology partner for OEMs and innovation leaders. With powerful, thermally conductive casting resins, Lambda Resins GmbH (Germany) addresses some of the central challenges of electromobility, especially where conventional solutions reach their limits.

 Axial Flux Motors: Compact, Efficient, and Resource-Saving

A key application area is the axial flux motor – a forward-looking alternative to the traditional radial flux motor. Where compact design, high torque, and low power-to-weight ratios are essential, axial flux motors come into their own. They also offer a tangible economic advantage: significantly less copper, iron, aluminum, and magnetic materials are needed per kilowatt of output.

 Key advantages at a glance:

• Lightweight design
• High power density
• Optimal torque-to-weight ratio
• Improved energy efficiency
• Reduced raw material consumption

The Challenge of Scalability – and How Lambda Resins Provides a Breakthrough

Despite these technical advantages, many axial motor concepts have so far failed to reach mass production. The main hurdle: costly bonding and joining processes have hampered industrial scalability. This is where Lambda Resins steps in – with an innovative encapsulation material and an integrated system approach for thermal and structural optimization of electric motors.

Why Axial Flux Motors Aren’t Yet Mass-Produced – and How Lambda Resins Can Change That

Axial flux motors promise a new dimension of power density, spatial efficiency, and torque – all while consuming fewer materials. However, the complexity of their geometry demands precise alignment, extensive fixation, and a high share of bonding operations – often paired with thermal intermediate steps. The result: high energy consumption, long cycle times, and excessive production costs.

In the automotive industry especially, this represents a major barrier to mass adoption. "For any drive concept to be viable for series production, it needs a cycle time of less than one minute per stator – a benchmark that most axial motor concepts currently fail to meet," says Uwe Köhler, CEO of Lambda Resins.

Lambda Resins offers a highly practical solution. Through targeted material development, the company has created a thermally conductive resin system so structurally robust that it can eliminate the need for bonding processes entirely. Instead of maintaining dozens of hot-press stations for bonded joints, Lambda Resins enables the direct casting of entire functional units – faster, more reliably, and with drastically lower capital investment. This doesn’t just make axial flux motors technically attractive – it makes them economically feasible.

 Radical Simplification in Production: Fewer Parts, Less Effort, Greater Control

Lambda Resins' technology radically simplifies axial flux motor assembly. Instead of bonding, fixing, and thermally treating individual teeth, the innovative resin system enables the direct casting of complete functional units – including coils, tooth structures, and insulation. The result:

• Elimination of time-consuming bonding steps
• More robust components
• Shorter cycle times
• Higher process repeatability

A further technical benefit: the resins’ thermal expansion behavior is finely tuned to match the metal components used. Traditional weak points such as cracks and delamination are effectively avoided – even under the extreme lateral and torsional forces generated by high-frequency magnetic fields.

The encapsulation process also unlocks new design freedoms. By eliminating adhesives, mounting plates, and insulation layers, many components can be left out altogether – including intricate busbar holders and expensive GFRP or CFRP covers, which are prone to failure under vibration stress. Their removal allows the air gap between coil and magnet to be reduced by more than 60% – directly boosting efficiency through more torque, greater output, or lower energy consumption at equivalent performance.

From a production planning perspective, these advantages are significant. Traditional axial motor manufacturing might require over 100 hot-press stations to meet sub-one-minute cycle times. Lambda Resins' encapsulation approach achieves similar results with a fraction of the infrastructure – reducing floorspace, energy demand, and capital expenditure, while increasing flexibility for OEMs.

 More Than Just a Material: Lambda Resins as a System Partner for E-Mobility

Unlike traditional resin suppliers, Lambda Resins goes far beyond delivering materials and data sheets. In close collaboration with the internationally active Nagel Group and its sister company Gehring Technologies, the team has developed dedicated process and equipment technologies that enable reliable, fully automated integration of casting resins into both existing and new production lines.
“We don’t just supply a material – we deliver a solution,” explains Köhler. “From component design and prototyping to casting strategies and production line integration, we support our customers as true partners.”

This includes a modular machine platform that automates the encapsulation process, controlling critical parameters like fill volume, thermal management, and curing. Complementing the hardware is design consultancy: Lambda Resins works closely with clients to optimize designs for resin integration – such as wall thickness reduction, improved thermal pathways, or even complete part substitution.

 Proven Performance Gains – Across Applications

Lambda Resins’ resin systems are already being used in projects for motorcycle drives, commercial vehicle components, industrial drives, marine systems, and aviation – and since 2023, the company has supported several Formula Student teams as a development partner. One striking example: in a motorcycle motor application, Lambda Resins enabled a performance boost of up to 40% without any mechanical modifications.
The secret? Improved thermal dissipation, which reduced internal electrical resistance – translating directly into higher torque and greater efficiency. “We prove time and again that our resin doesn’t just work technically – it delivers measurable performance advantages. And word is spreading – we’ve become a bit of an insider tip,” says Köhler.

One Contact. One Process. One System.

Together with the Nagel Group and Gehring Technologies, Lambda Resins offers a fully integrated system for electric motor production – from resin development and process integration to complete line planning. By combining materials, machinery, and application expertise, OEMs receive a solution-focused, all-in-one package that minimizes coordination overhead, interface risks, and friction losses – while maximizing market readiness and investment security for innovative motor concepts.

 Enabling the Axial Flux Motor for Mass Production

The future of drive technology isn’t just about new motor architectures – it’s about the materials and processes that make scalable production possible. Lambda Resins delivers exactly that: high-performance resin systems, combined with deep process and manufacturing know-how, specifically tailored to the needs of modern axial flux motors.
For OEMs and suppliers seeking efficiency and readiness for mass production, Lambda Resins and the Nagel Group offer a reliable and visionary partnership.

www.nagel.com

As hydrogen cements its role in the global transition to cleaner energy, prioritizing safety in its production, storage, and use is critical. Hydrogen’s properties — colourless, odourless, and highly flammable — present unique challenges, requiring a proactive and multi-layered approach to risk management.

A key element in risk prevention is the use of advanced leak detection technologies. Continuous monitoring through gas and flame detection systems supports the timely identification of leaks, enabling quicker, more informed responses to help safeguard people, assets, and the environment.
MSA - The Safety Company Safety recommends a comprehensive fire and gas safety strategy that layers diverse yet complementary technologies. Facilities can benefit from combining ultrasonic leak detection, traditional point gas monitoring, and hydrogen-specific flame detection to create a robust safety net.

Ultrasonic Leak Detection: Ideal for high-pressure systems, ultrasonic detectors such as the Observer® i Ultrasonic Gas Leak Detector quickly identify leaks by detecting ultrasound waves, unaffected by wind or gas dispersion.

Point Gas Detection: Effective for monitoring low-concentration and combustible hydrogen levels, devices like the ULTIMA® X5000 Gas Monitor and General Monitors® S5000 offer catalytic bead or electrochemical sensing options.
Hydrogen Flame Detection: Specialized flame detectors, such as the FL500-H2 UV/IR Flame Detector, are designed to sense the distinct UV and IR signatures of hydrogen fires, providing early warning to trigger emergency responses.

Fire and Gas Detection Controllers: Centralized systems power detectors, display gas concentrations, and automate critical safety actions when hazards are detected.
Building a safe hydrogen infrastructure calls for thoughtful investment—not only in innovative detection technologies, but also in education, robust standards, and forward-looking safety planning. By focusing on these areas, industries can better harness hydrogen’s potential while working to protect their people and operations.
Learn more at:
https://lnkd.in/eQfy7Xtk

EGE-Elektronik manufactures intrinsically safe capacitive level controllers for hazardous areas with potentially explosive gas atmospheres. The compact KGFTa-series sensors feature a high temperature stability of -20 °C to 180 °C. They have the ATEX and IECEx approvals for installation in zone 0 and in partition walls between zone 0 and zone 1. The KKa 030 Ex external amplifier, which is also approved for zone 0 and zone 1, enables remote parameterization outside the high-temperature area. The system consisting of KGFTa and KKa 030 is connected to an IKMb 123... analysis device, which provides an intrinsically safe power supply. The series includes sensors with G1/4 and G1/2 threads. The level controllers made of stainless steel 1.4571 feature IP68 protection, a PEEK measuring tip and a PTFE cable. They are therefore also suitable for monitoring aggressive media. Typical applications include level monitoring of process fluids in chemical and pharmaceutical production.

More about capacitive level sensors for hazardous areas: https://www.ege-elektronik.com/products/fill-level-sensors/capacitive-level-switches-for-hazardous-areas-high-temperature/

As the hydrogen industry continues to grow, the demand for compact, reliable, and high-performance pressure measurement solutions has never been greater. The HI6200 compact pressure transmitter from ESI Technology Ltd is designed specifically to meet these challenges, offering outstanding capability in an incredibly small and robust package.

Engineered with the latest technology, the HI6200 provides accurate and stable pressure measurement for hydrogen applications, where safety, precision, and durability are critical. Despite its compact size, this transmitter delivers exceptional performance, making it the ideal choice for use in space-restricted systems such as hydrogen fuel cells, refuelling stations, and storage solutions.

One of the key advantages of the HI6200 is its suitability for hydrogen environments. Hydrogen presents unique challenges due to its small molecular size and high diffusivity, which can often lead to material degradation or leakage in unsuitable sensors. The HI6200 overcomes these issues through its specialised design and carefully selected materials, ensuring long-term stability, reliability, and resistance to hydrogen embrittlement.

With high accuracy and excellent long-term stability, the HI6200 allows operators to monitor pressure with confidence, supporting both safety and operational efficiency. Its compact form factor makes installation easy, even in tight spaces, without compromising on performance.

Additionally, the HI6200 offers a range of output options and pressure ranges, providing flexibility to suit a variety of hydrogen applications. Whether used in mobile hydrogen-powered vehicles or fixed industrial systems, it ensures consistent and precise monitoring — critical for maintaining system integrity and safety.
In a sector where reliability and safety are paramount, the HI6200 compact pressure transmitter from ESI Technology offers a cutting-edge solution. Designed for the unique demands of hydrogen applications, it proves that when it comes to pressure measurement, size isn’t everything — performance is.