RWE Clean Energy, Vattenfall, and Waterkant Energy has emerged as winners of the offshore wind tenders in an auction conducted by Bundesnetzagentur, a German federal network agency. As per the notification, the projects are worth $862.2 million and comprises four wind farms aggregating 1.8 GW in the North Sea of Germany. The federal maritime and hydrographic agency, Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH).
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The regulatory component of IRENA’s Clean Energy Corridor of Central America (CECCA) initiative focuses on assessing solar and wind PPAs to ensure a level playing field for renewables vis-à-vis conventional generation, given that current frameworks appear to offer limited investment incentives for variable renewable energy (VRE). To support this work, IRENA developed this report to provide an overview on the use of firm capacity across countries in the region and for contracting power generated by renewables.
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Deep decarbonisation of EU industry is possible without de-industrialisation. This study analyses two main mitigation pathways – the electrification and the hydrogen pathway, and assesses their potential impacts on the energy system. The study applies an EU-wide energy system model together with a dedicated industry sector simulation model to capture both the energy system effects and the industry-specific potentials and limitations for transition.
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Since the publication of its latest Power Development Plan (PDP) in 2020 (PDP 2018 Revision 1), Thailand has considerably increased its emissions reductions objectives, announcing a net zero greenhouse gas emissions target for 2065 and carbon neutrality for 2050. As the power sector is a large part of the country’s emissions, and because it has a key role to play in decarbonising other sectors, meeting these targets is possible only if the power sector is decarbonising too.
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SUSI Partners, a Swiss-based investment management firm, along with its joint venture partner SMT Energy, has signed a tax equity financing agreement for a 100 MW battery storage portfolio in Texas, US. SUSI secured the funding from Greenprint Capital on behalf of the SUSI Energy Transition Fund. The portfolio comprises ten utility-scale standalone battery energy storage projects.
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Swift Current Energy, a utility-based renewable developer in the US, has raised $779 million for its 800 MW DC (593 MW AC) solar project namely Double Black Diamond. The project is located 30 miles west of Springfield, Illinois. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Société Générale, and Truist provided the finance. An $84 million letter of credit facility and $695 million in construction and tax equity bridging loans are included in the package.
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PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A. has announced that it has received an investment approval for its 2.5 GW Baltica offshore wind project from European Investment Bank (EIB). The company will receive a financing of € 1.4 billion. The project is located in Poland. The project involves 2 stages: the 1.5 GW Baltica 2 and 1 GW Baltica 3, expected to be completed by 2027 and the end of the decade, respectively.
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SSE Renewables, a subsidiary of Scottish energy company SSE, has started construction of 31 MW solar project at the 77-acre site at Littleton Pastures in Worcestershire, in the UK. The project is situated at a site near Evesham. The company has appointed a Spain-based construction company, Grupotec, as the civil contractor for the project.
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The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has received applications from the developers for the construction of two offshore wind farms. The developers include Chicago-based Invenergy and New-York based energyRE, a partnership for development of 2.4 GW Leading Light Wind project, which is 40 miles off Long Beach Island. Other developers that submitted proposals include Atlantic Shores.
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Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust, a renewables investment company and an investment arm of Octopus Renewables, has announced an investment of up to $2.5 million to build solar and battery storage projects in the UK. With the initial goal is of developing more than 350 MW of capacity, BLC Energy will utilise its knowledge of the electricity grid and plans to build co-located battery storage and ground-mounted solar projects.
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BlueFloat Energy and Renantis have appointed Doris, a French consultant, to design two offshore floating wind farms in Scotland. One of the wind farms, Bellrock is located 50 km north of Fraserburgh, while Broadshore is located 130 km east of Aberdeen. The respective farms will supply 1.2 GW and 900 MW, totaling 2.1 GW. Doris will utilise its experience in the construction, design, and management – 2015 regulations as the main designer for the two projects, thus planning.
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The Northern Territory (NT) government has inked a two-year MoU with Larrakia Energy (a joint venture initiative between Larrakia Development Corporation and Perth-based resource and renewables company Progressive Green Solutions), and Korea Midland Power (Komipo) to set up a large-scale 300 MW solar power project on Darwin harbour near the Middle Arm precinct in Australia.
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Portugal’s Ministry of the Environment has awarded permits for 5 GW of grid-connected solar power projects. A permit of 5 GW has been issued for forthcoming power projects connected to a high voltage transmission network and an added 1 GW of projects which will be linked to E-grids running at lower voltage levels. Some of the developers involved in the project are Hyperion, Neoen, Iberdrola, Smartenergy, SolCarport, EDPR, and Nenuphar Frontier.
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India’s clean energy transition plans will demand significant quantities of critical minerals. The country lacks reserves of nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, rare earth elements, neodymium and indium. Moreover, its requirement of copper and silver is more than its current reserves. Even if new reserves have been discovered or are discovered in the future, ramping up mining and production will be time-consuming and complex, leading to a potential demand-supply mismatch, varying in intensity from mineral to mineral.
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To ensure smooth integration of the expected new renewable energy generation into the transmission grid, in May 2023, CAISO released the 2022-23 Transmission Plan as part of its annual 10-year transmission planning process (TPP). The plan has more than doubled the number and value of projects than that in the previous plan. The new plan identifies 45 system expansion and upgrade projects worth $7.3 billion for the next decade.
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This document offers insights into how states can design and launch community solar programs that benefit disadvantaged communities and low- and moderate-income (LMI) households using the $7 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) Solar for All competition (Solar for All) and take advantage of new tax credits features available under the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Across the UK’s electricity sector, burning wood is now the second largest CO2 emitter after fossil gas. Due to its lower energy density than fossil fuels, wood has to be burned in higher volumes to produce the same amount of energy. This means that burning wood emits more carbon dioxide per kWh of electricity than coal or gas.
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The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced the final three wind energy areas (WEAs) in the Central Atlantic that have the potential to support offshore wind capacity between 4 GW and 8 GW. The three WEAs covering 356,550 acres are situated in relatively shallow water, off the coasts of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. The first area called A-2, is 26 nautical miles from Delaware Bay and will cover 101,767 acres.
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A Canada-based solar module producer, Heliene is planning to produce 1 GW of solar modules and 1.5 GW of solar cells at a new facility in Minnesota, the US. The new factory, which is anticipated to be in the Minneapolis – St. Paul region, is expected to start manufacturing modules in 2024 and cells in 2025. The company intends to invest around $145 million in the new facility.
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During the 14th clean energy ministerial and 8th mission innovation meeting in Goa, India, the UK and Australian governments have announced a joint initiative for green hydrogen projects. The two countries will provide funding to Australian and British companies to collaborate on research, development, or demonstration initiatives involving green hydrogen.
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