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In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

  • KORE Power will build the first lithium-ion battery factory wholly owned by a US company.
  • A Bronx, New York food distributor will host a 2.7-megawatt community solar project on its roof.
  • UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.

KORE Power’s new lithium-ion battery factory

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho-based battery cell technology developer KORE Power announced yesterday that it will build the first lithium-ion battery factory wholly owned by a US company in Maricopa County, Arizona. It will create a vital new US battery supply for electric vehicles and battery storage.

The 1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility will be called the KOREPlex (rendering above). It will support up to 12 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery cell production.

KOREPlex will add to the company’s current annual production capacity of 2 GWh that’s in the process of scaling up to 6 GWh.

KORE Power plans to start construction of KOREPlex by the end of 2021 and intends to start production in the second quarter of 2023.

The new Arizona factory will create more than 3,000 full-time jobs and around 10,000 direct and indirect jobs. The company said it chose Maricopa County because it “offered proximity to complementary industries such as e-mobility, solar, semiconductor, and utilities, workforce and logistics capacity, and a pro-business tax and regulatory environment.”

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) said:

I join all Arizonans in welcoming to our state KORE Power and its new manufacturing site that will create thousands of new jobs. Arizona is positioned to lead the nation on increasing America’s competitiveness in battery technology, and I will continue supporting this vital industry.

Bronx community solar

White Plains, New York-based grocery distributor Krasdale Foods is going to host a 2.7-megawatt community solar project on its 325,000-square-foot Hunts Point Food Distribution Center in the Bronx.

San Diego-based clean energy infrastructure provider PowerFlex will install more than 6,500 panels. The project will generate clean energy equivalent to offsetting 5.3 million pounds of emissions or removing 524 gas cars from the road annually.

The project is expected to be completed in 2022, and Krasdale will be able to extend its current lease through 2041 as part of an agreement with the New York City Economic Development Corp.

Around 300 residents are expected to qualify for the no-cost community solar project, which will cut their electric bills by 10%. 

Electrek’s Take: We love it when large warehouses and buildings host solar on their huge roofs – why not utilize all that unused space? Krasdale has operated out of this warehouse since the early 1970s, and it’s giving back to its Bronx community by cutting their power bills and helping to reduce emissions by increasing the use of renewables. Everyone wins.

Read more: Why isn’t US commercial solar’s massive potential being tapped?

Photo: KORE Power


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‘A lot of people were happy’: David Beckham defends Qatar ambassador role

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David Beckham has insisted he was not upset by the criticism he received over his decision to accept millions of pounds from Qatar to serve as a football ambassador around last year’s World Cup, despite its stance on LGBTQ+ rights. 

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Pamela Anderson praised by Jamie Lee Curtis for makeup-free appearance at Paris Fashion Week

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Pamela Anderson praised by Jamie Lee Curtis for makeup-free appearance at Paris Fashion Week

Jamie Lee Curtis has praised Pamela Anderson for showing up to Paris Fashion Week with no makeup on, crediting her with kicking off a “natural beauty revolution”.

The Oscar-winning actress shared two pictures of the Baywatch star looking fresh-faced on Instagram.

Pamela Anderson attends designer Andreas Kronthaler's Spring/Summer 2024 Women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Vivienne Westwood, during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 30, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
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Pic: REUTERS/Johanna Geron

Curtis wrote: “THE NATURAL BEAUTY REVOLUTION HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!

“Pamela Anderson in the middle of fashion week with so many pressures and postures, and and and, this woman showed up and claimed her seat at the table with nothing on her face.

“I am so impressed and floored by this act of courage and rebellion.”

Actress Selma Blair commented “Love this. Beautiful self-assuredness,” while comedian Chelsea Handler wrote, “That’s pretty iconic”.

Michelle Visage added, “And she was GLOWING”.

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The images of Anderson were taken on Thursday at the Isabel Marant Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 show at Place Colette during Paris Fashion Week.

She also attended the Victoria Beckham show the following day.

Anderson, 56, who in her youth embraced cosmetic enhancements to the extreme, has since adopted a more natural look.

She told Elle last year that started going makeup-free after her makeup artist Alexis Vogel sadly died from breast cancer.

Anderson said: “She was the best. And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup.”

Calling her low-maintenance approach “freeing, and fun, and a little rebellious,” she went on to joke about “the effects of time, which come to us all”.

She said: “I think we all start looking a little funny when we get older. And I’m kind of laughing at myself when I look at the mirror. I go: ‘Wow, this is really…what’s happening to me?’ It’s a journey’,” she said. “I feel rooted for. I feel good. I’m in a good place.”

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Meanwhile Curtis has long been a fan of growing old gracefully.

During a conversation with Maria Shriver for the Radically Reframing Ageing Summit in March 2022, she said: “I am an advocate now for natural beauty because I do feel that there has been a genocide on natural beauty.

“This word ‘anti-ageing’ has to be struck, because what the f*** is ‘anti-ageing?’ I am pro-ageing. I want to age with intelligence and grace and dignity and verve and energy. I don’t want to hide from it.”

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Easy Life band sued by easyJet owners over use of name

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Easy Life band sued by easyJet owners over use of name

Alternative Indie band Easy Life say they have been left “virtually powerless” as they face a lawsuit over their name by the holding group behind easyJet – whose founder has called the musicians “brand thieves”.

The critically acclaimed Leicester band, who formed in 2017 and have had two Top 10 albums, say they are being forced to change their name “or take up a costly legal battle which we could never afford”.

Responding to a request from Sky News for comment, founder and chairman Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou described Easy Life frontman Murray Matravers as a “brand thief”. He added that his company has “a long established record to legally stopping brand thieves and I am confident we will stop Mr Matravers”.

An easyJet Airbus A320 approaches for landing in Lisbon at sunrise, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
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easyGroup is the parent company for easyJet airlines and other brands. Pic: AP/Armando Franca

In a filing submitted to the High Court, seen by Sky News, easyGroup claims it “has suffered and/or is likely to suffer loss and damage” as a result of the band’s name, as easyLife is among its family brands. The lawsuit states that the financial value of the claim cannot currently be estimated, but it is considered to be “substantial”.

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Posting a statement on social media, Easy Life said: “We’ve worked hard to establish our brand and I’m certain in no way have we ever affected their business.

“Although we find this whole situation hilarious, we are virtually powerless against such a massive corporation.”

easyGroup is the owner of the family of brands under the easy name. It is the private investment vehicle for easyJet’s founder, Sir Stelios, but each of the brands, including easyJet and easyHotel, are separate companies.

In their court filing, they say the easylife catalogue retailer is a licensed brand.

The easyGroup, which was set up in 1998 by Sir Stelios, has previously taken legal action against a number of companies over the use of the “easy” brand. It has a section of its website entitled “brand thieves”, which includes details of its legal battles over the name.

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