RENEWABLE POWER Direct

XGS Energy and Meta Platforms announced announced an agreement to support development of 150 MW of next-generation geothermal energy in New Mexico. The groups on June 12 said XGS Energy’s proprietary geothermal technology, which enables geothermal power production with zero operating water use, will be deployed to the state’s PNM electric grid and support Meta’s […]

Resilience, sustainability, cost savings, and more are behind the increasing adoption of microgrids, as a variety of industries and enterprises seek greater control of their energy supply.

Power generators and transmission system engineers have to rethink their planning strategies, and must continue to develop tools to allow more solar, wind, and other forms of renewable energy to populate the power grid. Integrating renewable energy resources such as solar and wind into the electric power grid involves addressing challenges, starting with the intermittent […]

Energy Vault Holdings, a company that provides sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, on June 11 announced the successful completion and start of commercial operation of the 57-MW, two-hour Cross Trails battery energy storage system (BESS) in Scurry County, Texas. The project, which marks the first fully executed asset under Energy Vault’s “Own & Operate” growth strategy, was completed ahead of schedule and will be supported by a 10-year offtake agreement with Gridmatic, a leading AI-enabled power marketer.

Fervo Energy announced the successful drilling and logging of its Sugarloaf appraisal well, an operational achievement that the company said demonstrates the rapid advancement and scalability of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). The well was drilled to a true vertical depth of 15,765 feet and is projected to reach a bottomhole temperature of 520F after full thermal equilibration.

Agilitas Energy, a developer and operator of renewable energy and energy storage systems, announced the commissioning of a 9.96-MW/22.4-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Houston, Texas. The project marks the first distributed generation BESS interconnected to CenterPoint Energy’s distribution system and participating in Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)’s wholesale delivery market.

Microgrids have grown in importance as the need for a reliable and resilient supply of power has grown. The technology has proven itself for a variety of commercial and industrial (C&I) enterprises, in both urban and rural areas where a source of off-grid—or in some cases grid-connected—energy is needed, whether a backup power or as a primary source of electricity.

Energy equipment group GE Vernova said it has commissioned the first of four 250-MW variable speed units at THDC India Limited’s Tehri Pumped Storage Hydropower Plant, part of the Tehri Hydropower Complex. The 1-GW expansion will increase the facility’s power generation capacity to 2.4 GW, making it the country’s largest hydropower plant.

Telecom giant AT&T has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for generation from a new solar power project in Texas. Enbridge, a Canada-based energy group, on June 4 marked the start of operations for the 130-MW Orange Grove Solar installation near Corpus Christi. The array is Enbridge’s first in Texas. The company on Wednesday said AT&T has a long-term virtual PPA for the project.

The current state of play for tariffs is creating headwinds and challenges, along with complexity and uncertainty, for global economies and certainly the renewable energy industry. While the renewable energy sector is no stranger to tariffs and the “challenge” they present, knowing the current status of such tariffs is the first step to developing mechanisms for dealing with them in a way that can give your project the best chance at success.