SAN DIEGO, June 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Whale Energy, a Southeast Asia based virtual power plant energy developer, and UNIGRID, Inc., an advanced sodium-ion battery innovator, announced a partnership to deploy behind-the-meter commercial and industrial (C&I) battery energy storage system (BESS) solutions tailored for dense urban environments.
As solar installation rates soar globally, driven by falling costs, and progressive regulatory support, the electric grid is increasingly strained by the intermittent nature of solar energy and its mismatch with peak electricity demand. To bridge this gap, pairing solar with battery storage is essential.
However, in dense urban environments, where the need for such solutions is highest, deploying BESS has long been constrained by space limitations. Urban areas lack open spaces for large containerized battery systems, and require setback distances that typically exceed commercially available footprint and industrial building boundaries.
Blue Whale Energy is addressing this with a novel strategy: installing compact, modular battery packs directly beneath solar panels. This close-proximity co-location is unfeasible with traditional lithium-ion batteries, which pose serious fire risks and require complex and costly engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) infrastructure, including thermal management, specialized enclosures, and comprehensive fire safety mitigation.
UNIGRID's technology is inherently safer and operates over a wide temperature range without the need for active thermal management, offering the right solution to overcome this problem.
"This technology is a game changer for us," said Gabriel Lim, Founder and CEO of Blue Whale Energy. "With UNIGRID's sodium-ion platform, we can deploy energy storage directly where energy is needed - on commercial and industrial rooftops throughout urban cities where space constraints previously made installations unfeasible. This allows us to turn every roof into a dispatchable grid asset."
"We're proud to support Blue Whale in building Southeast Asia's virtual power plant network, powered by distributed renewable energy and safe storage," said Darren H. S. Tan, CEO of UNIGRID Battery. "Such an approach allows us to open up new and untapped market opportunities in the BESS world."
Blue Whale Energy plans to deploy an initial 8 MWh of sodium-ion solar-plus-storage systems by the end of 2025. From 2026 onward, the partnership will expand across Southeast Asia, accelerating the region's energy transition with flexible, fire-safe, and space-efficient solutions.
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Blue Whale Energy partners UNIGRID to deploy urban C&I Battery storage across Southeast Asia
SHANGHAI, April 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Orka, a pioneer in hearing health technology, officially launched the Orka O1 Pro at the 2026 Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE). The Orka O1 Pro is the world's first Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aid to feature Powered by Bose QuietControl Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology.
The launch took place at the Eastern Hub International Business Cooperation Zone during AWE 2026's inaugural international showcase. As a new gateway designed to support global exchange and cross-border collaboration, the Eastern Hub provided a fitting stage for Orka's global debut. Orka was the only hearing health company featured alongside leading technology brands including Sony, LG, and Lenovo, a placement that reflects the international ambition of the Orka × Bose partnership and Orka's broader mission to bring hearing health into the mainstream of global consumer technology innovation.
Bringing Premium Audio Innovations to Hearing Health
As recently noted by Hearing Tracker, while Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is familiar to millions of consumers from premium headphones, the Orka O1 Pro answers the highly anticipated question of its future in hearing aids.
The device achieves this through the seamless integration of two powerhouse features, heavily supported by Bose's decade of research. First, Bose QuietControl ANC technology acts as the foundation, effectively neutralizing steady-state environmental noises before they reach the ear. Working in perfect tandem, Bose SpeechClarity Voice technology precisely isolates and enhances human speech, ensuring that once the background noise is silenced, essential conversations remain crystal clear.
This collaboration brings powerful, premium audio experiences to users without the battery and processing tradeoffs typically associated with such features, helping make the O1 Pro a true all-day wearable device.
A Milestone in Hearing Health
"For years, we've been focused on the real-world challenges of hearing loss, especially how background noise can make conversations more difficult," said Nicholas Smith, President of the Audio Technology Business and Chief Strategy Officer at Bose. "We saw the potential for our noise cancellation technology to improve this experience, and we knew we needed a partner capable of bringing this kind of breakthrough to the hearing industry. That's why we partnered with Orka."
Smith further emphasized the impact: "Orka integrated our core technology into a complete hearing aid experience engineered for reliable performance in real-world environments. The result is clearer conversations and less effort required to hear — so people can stay in the conversation and stay connected."
Restoring Control and Energy
The Orka O1 Pro hardware is designed for maximum comfort and durability. Weighing just 3.5g per earpiece, it features Bluetooth 5.3 dual-mode connectivity, IP68 durability, and provides over 35 hours of continuous battery life.
In Icelandic, "Orka" translates to "energy." The core philosophy behind the Orka O1 Pro is to significantly reduce the cognitive load and energy drain required to focus in noisy environments. By lowering the effort required to hear, the device returns a sense of control and confidence to the user.
About Orka
Founded in Silicon Valley in 2018, Orka is a premium audiology technology company developing AI-driven products for the future of hearing and wearable listening. Backed by top-tier investors including Tencent, HongShan (formerly Sequoia Capital China), Primavera Capital, and Atypical Ventures, Orka integrates advanced acoustic hardware with proprietary on-device AI to create beautifully designed, all-day wearables. Recognized globally by the CES Innovation and Red Dot Design Awards, the company's mission is rooted in its Icelandic name, meaning "energy": to significantly reduce the cognitive load required to hear in noise, returning a sense of control and confidence to every user.
For more information about Orka and the O1 Pro, please email contact@hiorka.com.
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Orka O1 Pro Makes Global Debut at AWE 2026: The World's First Hearing Aid with Powered by Bose QuietControl ANC Technology
Orka O1 Pro Makes Global Debut at AWE 2026: The World's First Hearing Aid with Powered by Bose QuietControl ANC Technology
Orka O1 Pro Makes Global Debut at AWE 2026: The World's First Hearing Aid with Powered by Bose QuietControl ANC Technology
