Author: Anela Dokso

TenneT has, together with its partners Statnett and KfW, put NordLink, the Green Cable for the exchange of Norwegian hydropower and German wind energy into trial operation. This is associated with the entry of the interconnector into the European electricity market. “NordLink is a beacon project of the energy transition and an important step in the integration of renewable energies into the electricity market. Today, we have directly connected the electricity markets of Norway and Germany for the first time. The Green Cable is calculated to be able to supply around 3.6 million households with climate-neutral energy. Norwegian hydropower and…

In 2020, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the U.S. energy sector could be 11% lower than in 2019, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data through August and EIA estimates for September through December. According to values published in EIA’s December Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA expects CO2 emissions in 2020 to fall by 19% for coal, by 13% for petroleum, and by 2% for natural gas. Many of this year’s changes in energy-related CO2 emissions are attributable to the economic and behavioral effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on energy consumption. EIA calculates energy-related CO2 emissions by multiplying…

Clearway Energy Group has started construction on six of its Illinois community solar projects, totaling 18 MW of Clearway’s 60 MW Illinois community solar portfolio. The projects are part of an 18-project, 54 MW portfolio sold to Clearway in 2019 under a master purchase agreement with Cypress Creek Renewables, which acted as the originator and early-stage developer for the majority of Clearway’s Illinois community solar portfolio. Clearway recently announced that four other Illinois community solar projects from this master purchase agreement have broken ground on construction as well. “Community solar is uniquely positioned to give everyone access to clean, cost-saving…

SSEN Transmission has awarded a contract to GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business to manufacture, deliver and commission a 420 kilovolt (kV) Green Gas for Grid (g³) gas-insulated substation (GIS) at its new Kintore 400 kV substation in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This will support SSEN Transmission in moving a step closer to reaching its carbon reduction targets by building the transmission infrastructure necessary to connect and transport renewable energy, while avoiding the addition of about 350,000 tons of CO₂ equivalent to the grid. The 420 kV g³ circuit breaker at the core of the substation is being co-funded over a two-year…

The Timken Company plans more than $75 million in capital investments through early 2022 to increase the company’s renewable energy capabilities across its global footprint. To serve Timken’s global renewable energy customers, the company has developed an extensive network of engineering and innovation centers and manufacturing facilities located throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. “This has been a breakout year for us in renewable energy markets. Through both innovation and acquisitions over the last several years, we’ve become a leading supplier and technology partner in wind and solar energy and it’s resulting in record sales and a robust pipeline of…

McDonald’s has completed three new virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) as it’s continuing its commitment to take climate action through an increased investment in renewable energy generation. In 2019, McDonald’s USA signed two long-term VPPA transactions, one wind and one solar, located in Texas. Now, with the addition of three more deals, McDonald’s is positioned to add more renewable energy to the nation’s power supply than most U.S. corporations to date. The three new projects, two wind farms and one portfolio of solar projects, are slated to be built in Illinois, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Ohio. “The COVID 19 pandemic…

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has revealed the winners of the American-Made Solar Prize Round 3 and the 20 semifinalist teams selected to advance to the next phase of Round 4. Through the Solar Prize, DOE works to bring hardware technology innovations to market faster and to bolster American competitiveness in solar hardware manufacturing. “Since its launch in 2018, the Solar Prize has awarded $11 million to 80 teams to solve problems that transform the solar industry. We are excited to see what these winners will do.”Assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel Simmons. The two Round 3…

Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has contracted SeaTrepid International to deploy a turnkey PB3 PowerBuoy and oceanographic monitoring system off the coast of Chile. Using remote collaboration tools, the Louisiana-based company’s personnel are virtually training on technical procedures and installation requirements with the OPT project engineering team to advance a planned December deployment. “The global pandemic has caused us to rethink our approach to deployments in distant locations by using remote collaboration tool. Remotely managed system deployments and recoveries that leverage local contractors and dovetail with existing marine operations can reduce cost and increase flexibility for our customers. SeaTrepid’s reputation for…

Finnish developer Ilmatar Energy has placed an order with Vestas for 74 MW for the Voimamylly and Rasakangas wind projects, set to be located in Southwest and Central Finland. The contracts include supply, installation and commissioning of the wind turbines, as well as a VestasOnline Business SCADA solution, lowering turbine downtime and thus optimizing the energy output. Comprised of six V150-4.2 MW turbines from Vestas’ versatile 4 MW platform, the Voimamylly wind project will be optimized for 4.3 MW, with 135 meter towers. Combined with a 30-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement, the customized site layout will…

Cross border connections have been strengthened as Scottish and Welsh ocean energy test centres progress the development of the UK’s test centre network. EMEC has provided on the ground operational support to the Marine Energy Test Area (META) in Pembrokeshire, Wales, following an agreement signing between Marine Energy Wales and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC). META consists of eight pre-consented test sites located in and around the Milford Haven Waterway. The centre aims to de-risk the development of marine energy projects by providing the opportunity to test scale and full-scale devices, sub-assemblies and components in sites that are accessible…