Author: Anela Dokso

8minute Solar Energy (8minute) has executed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Clean Power Alliance (CPA). The 400-megawatt (300 MWac) Rexford 1 Solar & Storage Center in Tulare County includes 180 MW/540 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy storage, which means it will reliably deliver renewable energy to the grid day or night or on cloudy days. When it becomes operational in 2023, Rexford will provide enough energy for over 370,000 Californians, making it not only the largest solar-plus-storage project for CPA, but also the largest for any community choice aggregator (CCA) to date. The plant will offset about 600,000 tonnes…

D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) has signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the Rocket and Horseshoe Solar projects in Utah. The projects, expected to total 155 MWac, will support Facebook’s Eagle Mountain Data Center, through PPAs with Rocky Mountain Power. Both projects are owned and being developed by DESRI. Rocket Solar is an 80 MWac solar facility to be built outside of Corinne in Box Elder County, Utah. Horseshoe Solar is a 75 MWac solar facility to be built outside of Grantsville in Tooele County, Utah. Both projects are scheduled to begin operations in 2022 to supply clean solar…

Ørsted has appointed Mads Nipper as CEO and group president as of 1 January 2021. Mads Nipper is currently CEO and group president at Grundfos. The appointment follows the decision by Henrik Poulsen to resign from his position and step down as CEO of Ørsted no later than 31 January 2021. “On behalf of the board, I’m very pleased to announce Mads Nipper as Ørsted’s next CEO. Anchored in a clear sustainability vision, Mads has led a highly successful transformation of Grundfos over the past six years that has reinforced the company’s position in an increasingly competitive market, while also…

BayWa r.e. has acquired Enable Energy (EEI), a U.S.-based commercial and industrial (C&I) solar and energy storage solutions provider. With 750 megawatts (MW) of solar and wind projects under construction in California, North Carolina, Texas and Mexico, BayWa r.e. will pass 1 gigawatt (GW) of utility-scale installations in the Americas by the end of 2020. The addition of EEI’s pipeline will push BayWa r.e.’s total pipeline of solar and wind projects to more than 5 GW in the region. “Enable Energy is one of the fastest-growing solar and energy storage solutions providers in the U.S., with a significant installation base,…

EDF Renewables and Mitsui & Co. have started the construction work of the first phase of the Taza wind farm, located around 15 km north-west of Taza in northern Morocco. This first phase of the wind farm, consisting of 27 wind turbines, will have a total capacity of 87 MW. The project benefits from a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) and the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN). This follows the establishment of the financing provided by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI),…

REV Ocean and the World Maritime University (WMU) have virtually signed a new agreement that will focus on tackling marine debris, IUU fishing, and climate change through various education initiatives, and may also address the other priority areas of REV Ocean. Specifically, REV Ocean and WMU will develop the concept of a ‘floating university’ to provide new ocean science learning opportunities in developing coastal and small island States globally. The collaboration will enable young and unestablished scientists from all over the world to become stewards of the ocean and undertake important science in areas such as marine debris, IUU fishing…

Boralex and Auchan Retail France have signed a corporate PPA through which Auchan Retail France will locally consume green energy produced by two wind farms owned and operated by Boralex in the Hauts-de-France region for a period of three years, starting January 1, 2021. The Chépy and Nibas wind farms, respectively commissioned by the Somme department between 2003 and 2004, and producing a combined total power of 16 MW, will have their production revived by directly supplying Auchan Retail France’s outlets and warehouses in northern France, including the Mers-les-Bains shopping centre less than 20 km away from the wind farms.…

Siemens Gamesa has chosen Green Hydrogen Systems (GHS) as the electrolysis partner for its pioneering wind-to-hydrogen project in Denmark. The project will involve a 3 MW Siemens Gamesa wind turbine that feeds electricity into a GHS electrolyzer, which then uses the electricity to split water into its constituent parts, hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen will be released into the atmosphere, and the hydrogen will be stored for subsequent distribution and use as a fuel for hydrogen-powered buses, taxis and cars. Demand for hydrogen produced from renewable energy is seeing explosive growth, with the global project pipeline skyrocketing from 3.2 to…

Uber has committed to become a fully zero-emission platform by 2040, with 100% of rides taking place in zero-emission vehicles, on public transit, or with micromobility. The company has also earlier set a goal to have 100% of rides take place in electric vehicles (EVs) in US, Canadian and European cities by 2030. In addition to the platform goals, Uber has also committed to reaching net-zero emissions from corporate operations by 2030. The company is working with the World Resources Institute, Transport & Environment (T&E), and others to become a stronger partner in the fight against climate change by leveraging…

The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has secured a new 4-year financial contribution to its work on biodiversity science and policy by the H&M Group. The Swedish-based global fashion retailer has committed significant, non-earmarked support to IPBES, in addition to a wider engagement with biodiversity issues. “Biodiversity loss and the climate crisis are two of the most pressing issues of our time. As the global fashion retailer that we are, and with the ambition that we have – to become climate positive by 2040 – we have a big role to play by leading by example and…