Author: Arnes Biogradlija

Iberdrola has completed the acquisition of French renewable energy firm Aalto Power, previously owned by Aiolos y Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, for €100 million. Established in 2005 and based in Marseilles, Aalto Power currently has 118 megawatts (MW) of onshore wind wind generation operating in France and a portfolio of onshore wind projects in the country totaling an additional 636 MW, at different stages of development. Aalto Power’s acquisition would not only provide Iberdrola with the first operational megawatts on French soil, but will also improve the ambitions in the renewable generation sector, thanks to the projects of the company and its…

Vestas has received a 49 MW order for two Italian projects located in the Campania region. The project will include six V110-2.0 MW wind turbines to be installed in 2.2 MW Optimized Power Mode, and ten V117-3.45 MW wind turbines in 3.6 MW operating mode. The contract for the supply and installation also includes a service agreement for 5 years of Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000). “This order showcases how our diverse portfolio continues to offer the winning solutions to our customers’ different business cases in Italy.” Rainer Karan, Vestas vice president of sales region Southern Europe and Turkey. Delivery and…

Atlas Renewable Energy signed a large-scale solar energy contract in Brazil. The clean energy supply will be through the Jacaranda photovoltaic solar plant, located in Juazeiro, the State of Bahía, and is expected to supply over 440GWh per year that will mostly be used to serve Dow under a 15-year duration contract, with offtake starting in the first half of 2021. The Jacaranda solar plant will have an installed capacity of 187MWp with more than 450,000 modules. The plant will generate enough energy to supply a sizable part of Dow’s Aratu Site’s energy needs. According to the average consumption of…

WindEurope signed a ‘Request to Adapt European Energy Planning Scenarios’ initiated by the Renewable Grids Initiative (RGI), together with 40 other organizations including transmission system operators. Renewables-based electrification is a key driver for the decarbonization of Europe. To integrate the rapidly growing shares of wind energy and other renewables, Europe needs to optimize and expand its grid infrastructure. Network development should be based on comprehensive and target-oriented scenarios for the future expansion of renewable energies. To plan future investments in grid infrastructure ENTSO-E and ENTSO-G presented the ‘Ten Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) 2020 Scenario Report’ that describes possible European…

European drivers burn 100 times more palm oil in their tanks than is in the 40 billion Oreo cookies consumed worldwide every year. That’s according to new data that shows the amount of forest-ravaging palm oil used to make EU ‘bio’-diesel increased 7% last year, reaching an all-time high of 4.5 million tonnes. In contrast, the use of palm oil to make everyday products such as bread, ice cream, hazelnut spread, chocolate, margarine, shampoo and detergent dropped to an all-time low of 2.8 million tonnes. This is because of the European biofuels policy enacted in 2009, which mandates oil corporations…

A research study commissioned by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) into the opportunities the offshore wind sector presents for economic growth and employment in the North East, has found that there is potential for significant growth in the number of jobs in both the direct and indirect supply chains servicing the sector and that GVA in the sector could grow between 150% and 190%. The study, undertaken by Cambridge Economics and Element Energy, sought to provide a better understanding of how the North East LEP and other regional stakeholders can support the local supply chain and…

Maersk Training has reached an agreement with Babcock Marine Training, part of the Babcock International Group, to develop a custom-built wind energy training facility in Paisley. The facility that will launch Maersk Training into Scotland’s Central Belt is the seventh facility that the company has opened across the UK, enabling the delivery of certified courses for the renewables industry through its market leading GWO (Global Wind Organization). The modular training unit, designed using recycled and highly adapted freight containers, provides quick delivery and a solution to take customer training capabilities away from the need for delegated travel to provide a…

Origis Energy has completed the GA Solar 3 – Tanglewood Solar, a 57.5 MWac solar project located in Mitchell County, Georgia. Origis Energy has developed the solar site as one of the Georgia Power Renewable Energy Development Initiative (REDI) facilities serving customers of the utilities involved in the Commercial and Industrial REDI (C&I REDI) program. Global Atlantic financial group is the owner, and Origis Energy is the solar facility operator / manager, selling the facility ‘s energy and renewable attributes to Georgia Power through the REDI program. “Origis is once again pleased to work with the Georgia Power team to…

Siemens Gamesa has decided to shut down its Aoiz factory, which is not competitive in the market environment to produce blades for large turbine models. The Navarre plant manufactures the SG 3.4-132 for projects primarily located in Spain. Its higher costs and geographic location, more than 200 kilometers from the nearest port, render it uncompetitive for world markets. The company will start a collective dismissal procedure for a maximum of 239 employees. In compliance with relevant laws and regulations, talks with local employees council are expected to begin in the coming days. Once negotiations are concluded, information on the final…

Germany’s federal government and the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria will fund battery cell production for use in cars and industry by company VARTA with 300 million euros. Energy minister Peter Altmaier said that new battery cells should have a better CO2 footprint and use raw materials more sustainably. Germany and the EU want to strengthen domestic battery technology innovation and production to ensure the success and competitiveness of the automobile industry and other related technologies. The Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi) is funding two major projects for battery cell innovation. They are implemented as so-called “Important Projects…