Government Clown Finally Admits Energy Storage Exists

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Almost exactly one year ago today, US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told television audiences that energy storage is not a thing that exists. Perhaps he fooled some members of the viewing public, perhaps not. Be that as it may, earlier this week Secretary Burgum finally, firmly, and publicly admitted the truth about energy storage.

What If There Was A World Without Energy Storage

What a difference a year makes. Here’s Burgum in August of 2025:

“And of course, when the sun goes down, you have a catastrophic failure called sunset and there’s no solar energy produced, and yet we’re subsidizing these things that are intermittent, unreliable, and expensive,” Burgum said during his appearance on Fox Business Thursday, blithely skipping over the part where modern BESS (battery energy storage systems) can store up solar energy for later use.

“We’ve had times where, in the last couple of days, in spite of the hundreds of billions of dollars this country has spent on wind, we only had like 1 percent, or 2 percent of electricity being generated by wind,” Burgum added somewhat gratuitously.

Unlike the sun, the wind generally keeps working at night. Sunset is not an everyday “catastrophic” event for wind producers, energy storage or not. More to the point, Burgum’s own home state of North Dakota produces far more wind power than Burgum imagines. Earlier this year the US Energy Information Agency ran the numbers and calculated that wind energy produced 35% of North Dakota’s in-state electricity generation in 2025.

Perhaps Burgum himself exists in a different multiverse where the timeline has been circling the drain for twenty years. Twenty years ago, his remarks about the percentage of electricity contributed by wind and solar would have been supported by facts on the ground. Today, not so much.

“Over the past 20 years, electricity from wind power and utility-scale solar power has increased to 17% of generation in the United States compared to less than 1% in 2005,” EIA notes.

Never Mind, Says Govenment Clown

In what can best be described as an Emily Litella-worthy about-face, on August 18, 2026, Burgum suddenly acknowledging that energy storage occupies the same spatiotemporality enjoyed by most, if not all, of the planet Earth.

The occasion for the rather startling change-up was the official opening of a new battery factory in Lansing, Michigan, under the umbrella of the leading South Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution, through its US offices.

“Domestic battery production is foundational to America’s energy future – reducing dependence on foreign adversaries, driving good-paying American jobs and advancing the American Energy Dominance Agenda,” Burgum enthused in a press release posted by LG Energy.

Go ahead, pick your lower jaw up off the floor. Suddenly, batteries not only exist, they exist foundationally.

Of course, after Election Day 2026 Burgum may scurry back to back to his original timeline. However, for now US President Donald Trump is anxious to preserve the Republican majority in Congress, Michigan is a swing state, and the new LG Energy facility is expected to create up to 1,700 new jobs.

“The Trump administration is thrilled to see these vital manufacturing jobs returning to the U.S. and remains committed to ensuring we have the capabilities to build the technologies of the future here at home,” Burgum elaborated in LG’s press release.

“Michigan is uniquely positioned to help lead this effort with its skilled workforce, manufacturing expertise and the industrial capabilities needed to strengthen America’s domestic battery supply chain,” he added again for good measure.

More Energy Storage For More EVs, Too

Regardless of Burgum’s grip on reality, LG Energy will manufacture at least two types of battery cells at the new facility. One is the now-familiar LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) battery formula, which is particularly suitable for BESS applications. “The cells are integrated by LG Energy Solution Vertech, the company’s U.S. energy storage division, into complete systems for utility, grid-scale storage, and other commercial and industrial applications,” LG Energy notes.

That pretty much explains Burgum’s interest in the project. Batteries are generally source-agnostic, meaning they can be applied to support fossil fuel scenarios as well as wind, solar, and other renewables.

On the other hand, the EV side of the project does not particularly support the Trump administration’s singular focus on fossil fuels. “LG Energy Solution Michigan-Lansing also will produce more energy dense nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cells for Toyota,” LG Energy explains.

“These cells will power battery electric vehicles like the 2027 Toyota Highlander EV, which will be assembled at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) in Georgetown, KY, strengthening the automaker’s U.S. supply chain for its next generation vehicles,” the company adds. Of note, Toyota is also working on a new battery formula while stepping up its EV activity in the US market.

What’s All This About South Korea?

Speaking of South Korean ventures in the US, what’s up between Trump and South Korea? LG Energy is not the only South Korean firm to make an appearance on the US energy storage field in recent days. The leading South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI also shows up as a partner in support of the California startup Forge Nano, which just officially broke ground on a major expansion of its lithium-ion battery operations in North Carolina. The new factory is focused on the heavy-duty truck market along with military and aerospace applications. is supported by a $100 million grant from the US Department of Energy.

The new factory is also supported by a $100 million grant from the US Department of Energy. The grant was awarded during the Biden administration in 2024, and it was among the many clean tech grants to face the Trump chopper last year. However, it remained intact after the courts stepped in. Trump is evidently happy to take credit for the happy ending. He sent the Energy Department’s Assistant Secretary overseeing the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, Audrey Robertson, to attend a groundbreaking ceremony marking the official start of construction.

Meanwhile, last week the President suddenly decided to cut the last six days off the 11-day “Ulchi Freedom Shield” joint military exercise with South Korea, raising serious questions about the President’s overall intentions towards South Korea, including economic ties.

“From a South Korean perspective, the most troubling aspect of Trump’s decision is not simply the reduction of combined military exercises, but the way the decision was made,” explains Atlantic Council nonresident fellow and 22-year Korean military veteran Dokyoung Koo.

“Announcing such a major change on the very day the exercise began, without adequate prior consultation with Seoul, falls short of the respect allies should expect from one another,” Koo adds.

Considering that South Korea is now playing a foundational role in America’s energy future, it’s a mystery why Trump went out of his way to antagonize the country, which also happens to be a key US military partner. However, it’s all on brand for Trump, who has been making good use of his Commander-in-Chief powers to distract attention from the Epstein files every which way he can.

If you have any thoughts about that, drop a note in the comment thread.

Photo: The new LG Energy Solution factory in Michigan will produce battery cells for stationary energy storage systems and EVs, too (cropped, courtesy of LG Energy).