Beltsville Solid State Battery Manufacturer ION Storage Systems Welcomes State and Local Leaders
Beltsville’s ION Storage Systems welcomed Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), University of Maryland President Darryll Pines, Advance Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Director Dr. Evelyn Wang, and other state and local officials on Aug. 13, celebrating the battery plant’s successes and growth. Their company has received millions of dollars of grants, including $20 million from the Department of Energy.
“ION Storage Systems is a Maryland original. Their success underscores our state’s growing leadership in science, technology, and advanced manufacturing,” said Gov. Moore. “Today, we take another step toward driving public investment in the innovation economy, creating jobs, and spurring growth for years to come. In partnership, we will make Maryland the best place in the world to change the world.”
ION builds an adaptable solid-state battery that removes the need for cobalt, nickel, and other less sustainable materials and can be used for a variety of applications. The company’s website cites their batteries as safer, faster charging, sustainable, and versatile.
“ARPA-E’s SCALEUP Program is designed to scale transformative technologies that create more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy,” said Wang. “ION Storage Systems is well-positioned to accomplish this goal, and we are excited to see what they achieve.”
Data center expert Michael Fox foresees considerable growth for high-technology industries including battery plants and data centers in Prince George’s, particularly because the northern Virginia tech hubs are running out of space and power capacity and the use of AI is very energy intensive.
“The ballpark estimate is AI alone will drive a doubling and tripling of power need and demand by 100% year over year,” said Fox in an interview. “Most AI solutions are using between 5-10 times the amount of power than a traditional IT solution. For a traditional IT environment. one needs approximately 5-10 kilowatts of power per rack of equipment. An AI rack requires between 25-50 kilowatts per rack and the newest Nvidia AI pods use 8-10 Racks at over 100 kilowatts per rack!”
For students looking to work in these industries in the future, he recommends learning large language models, how to write code, and cybersecurity.
Rep. Ivey noted ION’s progress as a perfect opportunity to bring more jobs to Prince George’s County.
“Today, I’m proud to celebrate this important funding from the Biden-Harris administration’s historic Investing In America Agenda which is powering the commercialization of transformative energy technologies that companies like ION Storage Systems are pioneering.” said Ivey. “I’m proud to partner with Governor Moore and the great State of Maryland to ensure that ION and other companies like it are creating jobs right here in Prince George’s County.”
Residents Decry Changes to Zoning and Development Process
Civic activists filed a petition of legal review to CB-15, a zoning bill passed on July 16 just before the Prince George’s County Council recessed for the summer, alleging the bill contains provisions that are preferable for developers and the building industry. This petition is part of a plan to overturn CB-15, which is scheduled to become law on Sep. 3.
“Throughout the months-long, often rancorous debate over CB-15-2024, civic, environmental, and good-government organizations raised serious concerns about those developer-backed amendments and objected to violations of procedural laws by the Council,” read a press release sent out by activists Greg and Dan Smith.
“We believe that the developer-backed provisions in the bill will cause broad, long-term damage to communities and the environment by undermining: the county’s ability to achieve important goals set forth in the county’s General Plan, Climate Action Plan, and local master plans; residents’ rights and abilities to challenge damaging developments; the county’s ability to address climate change; and the county’s ability to address major shortfalls in essential public services and infrastructure.”
Fort Washington residents are planning to protest a proposed logistics warehouse on Aug. 24, Aug. 26, and Aug. 28 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. each day. Fort Washington Forward (FWF) is organizing efforts and distributing information via email.
“We are planning a peaceful protest march against the logistics warehouse development located at 9405 Livingston Road, 20744. The protest march will begin on Taylor Acres Road on public property next to the Harley Davidson shop on Livingston Road,” read Fort Washington Forward’s email to potential protestors.
The Fort Washington-based organization also noted the proposed development brings 18-wheeler trucks to Livingston Road.
“This contradicts the county’s master plan and land use designation, endangers pedestrians and cyclists, introduces more traffic to an already saturated thoroughfare, and increases harmful amounts of nitrogen dioxide pollution.”
For more information on the Fort Washington Forward protest, go to fwforward.org.