Mercedes-Benz has revealed plans to follow Tesla into the energy-storage business. “A division of parent company Daimler has been testing battery packs that can power houses, and plans to launch commercially in September, according to Australia’s Motoring.

Like Tesla, Daimler has tested quietly energy-storage systems for some time. The company created a subsidiary called ACCUmotive in 2009 to develop lithium-ion batteries. It built an energy-storage array that is now operated by German electricity joint venture Coulomb. The system’s 96 lithium-ion “modules” boast a combined 500 kilowatt hours of storage capacity, which is used to stabilize the Saxony Kamenz power grid.” [Green Car Reports]

Tri Alpha, a relatively unknown energy start-up company in California, has unveiled plans to develop fusion energy with two papers revealing its strategy for the industry. “They’ve improved things greatly and are moving in a direction that is quite promising,” says plasma physicist John Santarius of the Fusion Technology Institute at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Fusion energy seeks to replicate the power source of the sun and stars: heating atoms to enormous temperatures so that their nuclei slam together with enough force to overcome their mutual repulsion and fuse, releasing energy.” [ScienceMag]

Approximately 5,000 Duke Energy customers were without power near the University of Cincinnati’s campus due to a transformer fire that broke out early yesterday afternoon. “Officials said areas around UC are affected by the outage.

Cincinnati Police Department are setting up to direct traffic where some street lights have failed. Authorities said power has been restored to all but about 300 customers, and power should be fully restored within the hour.” [WLWT/NBC]

Mercedes-Benz fleet photo courtesy of Shutterstock.