In 2008, Fluence installed one of the first lithium-ion battery systems ever connected to the U.S. grid. Back then, the idea of a domestic battery supply chain felt distant—almost theoretical.
Today, it’s real.

"It became very clear to us... that an industry the size of what storage was gonna be is not able to be supported from just one corner of the world." - John Zahurancik

John Zahurancik, now President of Fluence Americas, has spent nearly two decades pushing the storage industry from “interesting pilot projects” to critical grid infrastructure. The last time he was on SunCast, he said domestic content would happen.
This year, Fluence started shipping it.

In this episode, John breaks down how storage has quietly become the backbone of the power system—independent of renewables—and why the next wave of deployments will be bigger, faster, and more strategically important than anything we’ve seen.

We dig into:

🔹 What true U.S.-made battery content means for developers and grid operators
🔹 How AI and hyperscale data centers are reshaping grid architecture
🔹 The fire-safety testing Fluence spearheaded that is now industry standard
🔹 Why batteries are becoming the “shock absorbers” of the modern grid

If you care about project execution, energy security, or the future of grid reliability, this conversation is essential.

RESOURCES:

Connect with John Zahurancik:

• LinkedIn

Check out Fluence:

• Website | LinkedIn

John Zahurancik Episodes:

Episode 675: Can America Be THE Battery Manufacturing Leader? | John Zahurancik of Fluence Energy

Episode 640: Fluence Continues To Outperform The Market, With President Of Americas - John Zahurancik

"Storage helps glue all those things together in a way that's very unique." - John Zahurancik

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