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🌐 This week in Supercool: Deployed
Josh Dorfman
February 18, 2026
This is Deployed — Supercool's weekly newsletter tracking where the low-carbon economy is scaling up.
If it isn't operational, it isn't Deployed.
DEPLOYED
What went operational this past week.
Grid | Storage
Plus Power's Cross Town Energy Storage facility in Gorham, Maine, is now online — 175 MW / 350 MWh, the largest battery storage project on the ISO New England grid. Located next to a congested transmission substation, it helps move wind power from northern Maine to southern Maine and the greater Boston area. One feather in its cap: during Winter Storm Fern last month, Cross Town ran at full capacity.
Grid | Storage
LRE's Sierra Pinta Battery Energy Storage System is now online in Yuma County — 112.5 MW / 450 MWh of stand-alone storage, and LRE's second grid-connected battery project in the region. Combined with the adjacent White Wing Ranch Solar project, LRE now operates more than 291 MW in Yuma County. Sierra Pinta stores energy during low-demand periods and dispatches it during peak evening hours to avoid firing up fossil fuel-based peaker plants.
Grid | Storage
CleanCo Queensland opened the Swanbank Battery — 250 MW / 500 MWh — on the site of a coal power plant decommissioned in 2012, located 45 km southwest of Brisbane. The AU$330 million facility reused existing transmission infrastructure to connect to the grid faster and at lower cost. Tesla supplied the Megapack battery system.
Industry | Transportation
Fortescue, the global mining giant, commissioned two battery-electric locomotives across its Pilbara rail network in Western Australia. The locomotives run on renewable power from Fortescue's Pilbara Energy Connect program, which has built more than 480 km of high-voltage transmission lines linking energy assets directly to operations. Together, they displace roughly one million liters of diesel per year.
Industry | Circular Economy
Salzgitter now operates a closed-loop steel supply chain with Volvo Cars: the German steelmaker delivers flat steel to Volvo's body parts factory in southern Sweden, collects stamping scrap, compresses it into cubes, and ships it back by rail for remelting into new high-quality steel. The 700 km route is powered by 100% carbon-neutral electricity. The first train arrived last week.
Shipping | Transportation
Two all-electric container ships are now operating in China. The Ningyuan Diankun, built by Jiangxi Jiangxin Shipbuilding, is the world's largest electric containership — 127.8 meters long with capacity for 740 twenty-foot containers, powered by 19 MWh of swappable battery packs. A second ship, the Suigang Electric Navigation 01, carries 240 containers and is already operating feeder routes across the Pearl River and Greater Bay Area, making it the first all-electric container ship in service in southern China.
Transportation
Over eight months on Stockholm's Route 89, the Candela P-12 hydrofoiling electric ferry cut travel time from 55 to 30 minutes, reduced CO₂ emissions by 94%, and earned a 95% passenger satisfaction rating. The Swedish Transport Agency's assessment found that replacing two conventional diesel vessels with six P-12s would be cheaper to operate and would generate roughly €11 million in socio-economic benefits.
Energy | Solar
In the Philippines, Quezon City energized solar systems at eight public schools, installing 1,393 panels with a combined capacity of 800 kWp. The installations are projected to benefit over 28,800 students. The city plans to expand to 50 schools.
Mobility
The Wishbone Bridge opened in East Austin, spanning Lady Bird Lake near Longhorn Dam and completing the full 10-mile Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. The three-legged design connects three shoreline points to a central plaza. Alongside it, a long-dreaded underpass was rebuilt into the Unity Underpass — wider, taller, and featuring public art. The project finished four months ahead of schedule and under budget.
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SUPERCOOL ECOSYSTEM
Operational updates from companies we’ve featured.
Motorsport | EVs
Electric formula racing is heading to Tokyo this summer for its first-ever night race. TDK, one of Japan's most important electronics manufacturers, signed on as title partner for the 2026 TDK Tokyo E-Prix and official partner for the full 2025/26 season. For a global racing series still building its audience, a night race in Tokyo with a Japanese title sponsor is a meaningful expansion of both reach and spectacle.
Healthcare | Circular Economy
CHU Rennes University Hospital in France is now operating the world's first system that vacuums infectious waste through pneumatic tubes built into the walls, pulling it from care units to a central platform where it's shredded and pasteurized into general waste on-site — no hazardous transport trucks required. The system processes approximately 620 tonnes annually and saves the hospital €400,000 annually.
Transportation
It's Electric switched on curbside EV charging in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, bringing Washington, DC, into its network as the 8th U.S. city. The chargers draw power directly from the adjacent building, The Festival Center, which shares revenue, eliminating the need for costly utility grid upgrades that typically slow urban charging infrastructure.
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HORIZON
Not yet deployed, but we’re tracking.
Circular Economy | Materials
Circulose will restart production later in 2026 at its Ortviken plant in Sundsvall, Sweden, converting discarded cotton textiles into recycled pulp that displaces virgin fiber production and diverts waste from incineration. After Renewcell's bankruptcy, private equity firm Altor acquired the operation and secured commitments from 11 fashion brands. Once restarted, the plant will regain its status as the world's only commercial-scale chemical textile recycling facility.
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If you see something go live—opened, launched, commissioned, connected, shipped—to accelerate the low-carbon economy, hit reply and send it to me.
Deployed is selective about what’s really moving the needle, and tips make it better!
Josh
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