RENEWABLE POWER Direct

From the Midwest to the South, the U.S. has experienced dangerous cold snaps this winter that challenge grid operators to meet rising heating demands. These temperature extremes are driven in part by climate change, which is why the past decade has had the highest temperature extremes in recorded history, as well as why temperature extremes […]

Jon De Martin, CEO of Australia-based SCE Energy Solutions, talks with POWER about his company’s work with solar power technology for commercial and industrial enterprises.

As 2025 kicks off with new leadership, the U.S. faces new challenges like a rapidly growing demand of electricity driven in large part by data center expansion, electric vehicle adoption, bitcoin mining operations, and continued industrial growth. Electricity supply and security remains a critical concern, particularly as aging infrastructure and supply chain disruptions complicate efforts […]

Energy storage solutions group Quidnet Energy said the company has successfully completed demonstration and testing of its Geomechanical Energy Storage (GES) technology at a megawatt-hour (MWh) scale.

GridBeyond said it has signed a contract with Gore Street Energy Storage Fund to provide scheduling coordinator, trading, and energy optimization services for the 200-MW Big Rock energy storage system (ESS) in Southern California.

Clearloop, a carbon solutions platform for Silicon Ranch that partners with companies in support of decarbonization, on Feb. 25 announced a new multi-year agreement with Microsoft to deploy up to 100 MW of renewable energy projects over the next three years in historically underinvested communities. The new agreement accelerates decarbonization and drives capital investment in […]

Energy major Invenergy and telecom company Verizon are moving forward with power purchase agreements (PPAs) involving 640 MW of solar energy from projects across four states. The deals announced Feb. 19 mean that Verizon now has procured more than 1 GW of power from Invenergy, the Chicago, Illinois-based renewable energy group considered the largest privately […]

Between plummeting temperatures and surging demand, the record-breaking Arctic blast that swept across the Northeast in January put power suppliers to the test. Their success in managing the volatility traces back to decisions made days and weeks earlier. Those with accurate forecasting models navigated the cold spell successfully. Others faced stark choices between absorbing massive […]

U.S.-based Energy Vault has announced an agreement with the State Electricity Commission (SEC) of Victoria in Australia for the delivery and integration of a 100-MW/200-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at the SEC Renewable Energy Park-Horsham in Victoria. The groups on Feb. 13 said the hybrid solar and BESS project “represents a significant step forward […]

Technology giant Microsoft is buying nearly 400 MW of power from three new utility-scale solar projects in Illinois and Texas. EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) on Feb. 10 said the installations have come online with long-term virtual power purchase agreements (PPAs), through which Microsoft will take 389 MW of electricity and renewable energy credits. […]

Solar builds are becoming more complex. “Perfect” sites with the ideal topography and terrain profile are less available, and sites that remain pose additional challenges for developers and EPCs alike. Selecting the right foundation is key to mitigating risks, overcoming hurdles, and constructing a project that delivers reliable solar power on budget and on time. […]

Enel North America announced it has a power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 115-MW portion of the Rockhaven wind farm in Murray and Carter counties, Oklahoma. “As power demand increases due to electrification, data centers and AI, with nearly 25 years of clean energy leadership, Enel is ready to meet this opportunity with a portfolio […]

Kinematics, an Arizona-headquartered global group focused on intelligent motion control, said it has completed its acquisition of P4Q. Kinematics on Feb. 4 said it will now integrate P4Q’s high-performance electronics portfolio—which includes more than 1 million solar controllers deployed across 2,400 solar sites globally—with Kinematics’ installed base of 2.9 million solar actuators (Figure 1). The […]

The U.S. Senate in a 59-38 vote has confirmed Colorado-based oil and gas executive Chris Wright as secretary of the Dept. of Energy (DOE). Seven Democrats, including both Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper from Wright’s home state, crossed party lines and voted with Republicans on Feb. 3 to confirm Wright. Angus King, the independent from […]

Lightsource bp announced two solar power projects in Texas with a combined 288 MW of generation capacity are now online, pushing the company’s operational fleet in that state to more than 1 GW of power production. The company on Jan. 31 said the 163-MW Starr Solar project in Starr County, along with the 125-MW Second […]

In the face of escalating climate challenges, renewable energy asset owners come to a critical crossroads: invest in resilient, hardened assets or opt for standard equipment to minimize upfront costs. In the context of solar energy, resilience refers to an asset’s ability to withstand, adapt to, and quickly recover from disruptions caused by extreme weather […]

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) published a white paper outlining the industry group’s vision for U.S. energy storage, setting a target to install 10 million distributed energy storage sites and reach 700 kWh of installed storage capacity the end of the decade. The white paper, released Jan. 28 along with a guide to energy […]

Analysis of the levelized cost of energy shows how renewables have become more cost-efficient every year. Today, the least-expensive way to meet energy needs is with renewable resources. For industries at risk of power outages or those requiring always-on power, clean energy projects can offer a lifeline. Fundamentally, distributed energy resources (DERs) can give organizations […]

A UK-based independent power producer (IPP) has acquired solar power projects in Virginia and Colorado, both secured with utility power purchase agreements. ContourGlobal, headquartered in London, on Jan. 21 announced the acquisition of the two solar farms, one nearing commercial operation and the other still under construction. ContourGlobal acquired the projects from Qcells, a South […]

Lightshift Energy, a developer, owner, and operator of energy storage projects, has partnered with Basis Climate to complete the sale of nearly $10 million of investment tax credits (ITCs) tied to four utility-scale battery energy storage (BESS) projects in Massachusetts. The projects range from 9,000 kWh to 22,000 kWh. The systems are designed to charge […]

United Power, an electric cooperative serving Colorado’s northern front range, on Jan. 21 said the company had a power purchase agreement for its latest solar power project, the 150-MW Byers Solar Farm in Adams County. The installation, located 10 miles northeast of Byers and about 50 miles east of Denver, is being developed in partnership […]

2025 will test the progress of the world’s energy transition and could forecast its direction for the next decade. With major economies pursuing budget cuts, it will be a year that challenges the economic viability of any publicly funded projects, with growing pressures to deliver faster and cheaper. For emerging technologies in particular, such as […]

Renewable Properties, a developer and investor in small-scale utility, community solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure projects, added 50 MW of completed projects to its portfolio in 2024, the company announced on Jan. 21. The projects, located in four states, consist of traditional community solar projects, utility-administered community solar serving low-income communities, and […]

Google has entered into long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Texas-based Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) to support more than 700 MW of solar power projects in Oklahoma. Google on Jan. 16 said, “the projects are strategically located to support our data center operations,” noting that one installation is “located less than one mile from our […]

Denmark-headquartered Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its Energy Transition Fund (CI ETF I), and Friesen Elektra Green Energy AG have initiated project Anker, a green hydrogen production facility in Sande, Germany. The project is scheduled to have an electrolysis capacity of 400 MW with plans to expand capacity to 800 MW at a later stage. […]

As a significant final move before the incoming Trump administration takes office, the Biden administration has announced conditional loan commitments totaling $22.92 billion to support projects by eight utility companies across the U.S. The investments will seek to modernize infrastructure, expand clean energy generation, and improve grid reliability, impacting millions of customers, the Department of […]

A Florida-based battery energy storage provider is teaming with Idaho’s largest electric utility for a 200-MW/800-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project designed to support grid resiliency. Prevalon Energy, a Mitsubishi Power Americas and EES joint venture, on Jan. 14 announced it had secured a contract with Idaho Power for the project, which will feature […]

A 111-MW solar power facility built on reclaimed land at a former coal mine site in Kentucky has entered commercial operation. The Martin County Solar Project (MCSP), developed, built, owned and operated by Savion—a Shell Group portfolio company—is now among the largest solar farms in the state and also one of the first U.S. solar […]

Global electrical technology company ABB said it has acquired Lumin, a U.S.-based group that provides responsive energy management systems, to expand its home energy management capabilities in the North American residential sector. The acquisition announced Jan. 14 follows a strategic minority investment by ABB into Lumin in 2023. Financial terms of the transaction were not […]

GE Vernova’s Onshore Wind business said it has signed an order to provide 14 of the company’s model 4.2 MW-117m turbines for the Iwaya and Shitsukari wind farms being developed by Eurus near Higashidori, Aomori Japan. The order announced Jan. 9 was secured in the fourth quarter of 2024 and the projects are expected to […]