Author: Anela Dokso

The Rise Fund, a global impact investing fund managed by alternative asset firm TPG, has acquired approximately 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar PV projects from China-based Trina Solar. The solar PV projects included in the transaction are currently operational, under construction or in late stage development nearing ready-to-build status across Spain, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, and will serve as the first solar PV projects within the portfolio of newly created, Madrid-based Matrix Renewables. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. TPG and The Rise Fund are assembling a management team for Matrix Renewables and will leverage the firm’s investing and…

CS Energy has completed a portfolio of solar projects in Texas. At 32.7 MWdc, the portfolio will generate enough renewable energy to power more than 5,000 homes each year. The Texas portfolio is comprised of three separate properties: a 14.5 MW project located in Brooks County; a 7.3 MW site in McLennan County; and a 10.9 MW project in Menard County. 500 miles separate the three sites, which were developed simultaneously. The Brooks County project utilizes Sunfolding racking and the other two sites utilize Array Technologies trackers. CS Energy provided engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for all three sites and managed the project schedules to ensure the…

Equinor is leading a project to develop one of the first at-scale facilities to produce hydrogen from natural gas in combination with carbon capture and storage (CCS). The project, called Hydrogen to Humber Saltend (H2H Saltend), provides the beginnings of a decarbonized industrial cluster in the Humber region, the UK’s largest by emissions. H2H Saltend supports the UK government’s aim to establish at least one low carbon industrial cluster by 2030 and the world’s first net zero cluster by 2040. It also paves the way for the vision set out by the Zero Carbon Humber alliance, which Equinor and its…

RP Construction Services (RPCS) and RECON Corporation have partnered to build 8MW of solar tracker projects in Illinois. RECON Corporation, a solar photovoltaic EPC contractor based in Michigan, will be building three ground mount solar tracker projects, utilizing the DuraTrack HZ v3 single-axis solar tracker from solar tracker manufacturer Array Technologies. The trackers will be supplied by RPCS, a partner of Array and turnkey design, supply, and build subcontractor. Array trackers keep the solar PV modules following the sun on its course throughout the day, optimizing energy gains and ensuring up to a 20 to 25% increase in energy production…

Green Lantern Solar and Bee the Change have joined forces on a second New Haven solar project to plant and maintain pollinator-friendly ground cover.  The roughly 4.5 acre site will feature dozens of species of plants designed to attract species of pollinator insects and other beneficial bird species. “The accelerating rate of species loss is a crisis that threatens our future food security. The most forward-thinking solar developers, like the team at Green Lantern, are seizing the opportunity to make their land doubly useful, addressing pollinator habitat loss and climate change.”Dr. Mike Kiernan, who started Bee the Change. Green Lantern…

Bank of America has partnered with Duke Energy to expand its renewable energy commitment by powering its headquarters and other Charlotte, North Carolina operations with solar energy. Through a renewable energy-sleeved power purchase agreement (PPA), the company is participating in Duke Energy’s Green Source Advantage (GSA) program. The bank is the first company and financial institution to sign a 10-year agreement for electricity and Green-e-certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) through this program.   The purchase of a 25 megawatt (MW) solar project’s electricity output and RECs will cover 45% of Bank of America’s electricity load in the state. “These unique…

13 Tesla community batteries have been installed on the Western Power network in Western Australia. Premier Mark McGowan and Minister for Energy Bill Johnston visited one of the newly installed batteries at Salamanca Reserve in Port Kennedy. The 464kWh community battery will provide immediate benefit in that part of the network by balancing demand, maintaining the power quality to local homes and businesses, and allowing more homes in the area to install solar panels. The battery also provides the foundation for unlocking future benefits for individual customers such as the solar storage PowerBank product being trialed by Western Power and…

ASCO has marked the launch of a transformative industrial waste disposal service by announcing a contract award for its Waste Division from Serica Energy. The contract represents a milestone in ASCO’s Zero Waste to Landfill initiative, which has been created to support clients in the reduction of waste production by implementing locally-assisted sustainable solutions for the onshore management of offshore waste. Designed in response to Scottish regulatory requirements which will ban the disposal of general waste to landfill by 2025, the initiative aims to divert industrial waste, currently bound for landfill sites, to sustainable facilities in North East Scotland where ‘waste-to-energy’…

Ocean Power Technologies has launched its newest product, the hybrid PowerBuoy. The hybrid PowerBuoy utilizes solar panels and a clean-burning Stirling backup engine to power topside or subsea payloads. Power is generated independent of wave activity. The hybrid PowerBuoy can be utilized across many industries and applications, including emergency and short-term power and communications support for maintenance, testing and repair services. It can be configured with OPT’s marine surveillance solution for security monitoring of offshore areas. Customized solutions are also available, including the addition of subsea sensors to monitor for acoustic signatures, tsunami, and other environmental conditions. Data from the hybrid PowerBuoy is…

Minesto and SEV’s joint tidal energy demonstration project in Vestmannasund, Faroe Islands, is moving forward with the installation work at full speed to connect Minesto’s DG100 kite system to the electricity grid. Earlier Minesto completed the first offshore installation phase of the project, when the gravity-based foundation for the power plant was installed at the site. In 2018, Minesto signed an agreement with SEV to install two DG100 units in Vestmannasund. The agreement also included a power purchase agreement through which SEV committed to purchase the electricity generated by the tidal energy converters. “The team is doing a terrific job and…