Renewable energy
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Coal
Coal Continues to Lead China’s Record Levels of Power Generation
China’s thermal power generation reached a record high in 2024, primarily due to the country’s coal-fired power plants, even as the country continues to add renewable energy resources to its power grid. Data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics showed electricity production from the country’s coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power sectors increased 1.5% […]
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Trends
NextEra Eyes Restart of Shuttered Nuclear Plant, Partners with GE Vernova on Gas Power Expansion
Facing a projected surge in power demand across the country, NextEra Energy is taking steps to potentially restart its shuttered 615-MW Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa as early as 2028, while also signing a new partnership with GE Vernova to develop natural gas generation projects that could be paired with renewable energy and storage. […]
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Solar
UK IPP Acquires Two U.S. Solar Farms Built by Qcells
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 […]
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Renewables
Google Signs PPAs for Energy From Oklahoma Solar Projects
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 […]
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Hydrogen
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners Begins 800-MW Hydrogen Project in Germany
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. […]
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Hydrogen
Plug Power Gets $1.7 Billion Loan Guarantee From DOE to Produce Hydrogen Fuel
The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) has continued to announce billions of dollars of loan guarantees to energy companies in the final days of the Biden administration, including for upgrades to energy infrastructure. The DOE’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) on Jab. 16 said it had given a $1.66 billion loan guarantee to Plug Power’s subsidiary, […]
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Data Centers
Generational Shift—Data Centers Bring Change to Energy Landscape
Deals involving the data center sector are occurring regularly, as tech companies make moves to ensure they have a reliable supply of power for their energy-intensive operations. Several generation types, both thermal and renewable, are being touted and pursued by groups involved with artificial intelligence (AI), data management, and cloud computing. Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web […]
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Solar
EDP Brings 300 MW of Solar Power Online in Southern California
Renewable energy developer EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) said two solar farms with a combined 300 MW of generation capacity are now operating in Kern County, California. The two-phase solar energy park includes the 200-MW Sandrini I, which has a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Shell Energy North America. The project also includes […]
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Renewables
Amazon Supports Three New Wind Farms in Greece
U.S. tech giant Amazon will power operations in Greece with three new utility-scale wind farms that also will provide electricity for the grid in three parts of the country. Company officials in November
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Renewables
Study Finds 21 Regions with High Potential for the Development of Wind Farms in Cuba
Cuban researchers have identified 21 areas in the country with favorable conditions for the installation of wind farms. These areas are mainly located on the north-central-eastern coast, from the provinces of Camagüey to Holguín, in the south of the eastern region and in the westernmost southern portion of Pinar del Río province. Alfredo Rodríguez, coordinator […]
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Electrification
C&I Sector Must Diversify Power Sources to Lessen Costs, Supply Chain Risks
Surging demand for electricity, soaring electricity prices, and risks to supply chains are creating an imperative for innovative ways to control energy costs, and increase resilience by diversifying commercial and industrial power sources. U.S. electricity prices are soaring amid growing demand, extreme temperatures, gas price volatility, inflation, and the cost of new grid infrastructure and […]
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Renewables
GE Vernova Will Modernize Two Units at Dominion Hydropower Plant
GE Vernova said it has secured an order with Dominion Energy South Carolina to modernize two hydropower units at the Saluda Hydro facility on the Saluda River about 10 miles west of Columbia, South Carolina. The company on Dec. 2 said the project “will help extend the lifetime, reliability, performance, and operational flexibility of the […]
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Electrification
Renewable Energy Event Showcases Innovation in Energy Storage
Attendees of this year’s RE+ trade show saw several advanced designs for energy storage systems, with experts across utility-scale, commercial and industrial, and residential sectors providing insight into
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Renewables
Solar Power Leads Buildout of India’s Renewable Energy
India has long been dependent on coal-fired power for much of its electricity, and the country still gets about 70% of its energy from burning coal according to government data. The Institute for Energy
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Power
AI and Energy: A New Horizon for Powering Our Future
The energy industry finds itself in the midst of a transformative era. In 2023 alone, a record 31 GW of solar energy capacity were installed—a 55% increase from 2022—while battery energy storage systems
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Renewables
Leaders Weigh in on Cuba’s Renewable Energy Transformation
In the presence of Cuba’s Vice Prime Minister Ramiro Valdés and the Minister of Energy and Mines Vicente de la O Levy, the results of a study focused on the control and supervision of investments in photovoltaic parks and the maintenance of thermal power plants were analyzed in the Industry, Construction, and Energy Commission of […]
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Solar
Market Report Says 2024 a Record-Breaking Year for Solar
The American Clean Power Association (ACP) on Nov. 25 announced the release of the inaugural Solar Market Monitor, a market analysis of the domestic utility-scale solar industry produced by S&P Global Commodity Insights. The new report includes projections of a record-breaking year for solar, with more than 32 GW of installations for 2024. The new […]
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Data Centers
Powering the Future: How AI’s Energy Demands Could Push Power Grid to Its Limits
As artificial intelligence (AI) adoption skyrockets—and especially generative AI (genAI)—the underlying infrastructure powering these technologies faces unprecedented demands. Data centers, the nerve centers of AI operations, rely heavily on electricity, and their growth is reshaping how we think about energy. The current power consumption by data centers already accounts for about 3% of the world’s […]
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Solar
Ampion Expands Community Solar to Three More States
Ampion Renewable Energy announced it is expanding its community solar programs to Delaware, New Jersey, and Virginia, bringing the company’s portfolio under management to about 1.5 GW. Ampion notes that U.S. community solar installations are expected to exceed 14 GW in the next five years. The company is partnering with new developer and asset owner […]
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Wind
Oregon Customers Benefit as PGE’s Eastern Montana Wind Farm Helps Set Records
In its first 10 months serving Portland General Electric (PGE) customers, the Clearwater Wind Energy Center contributed to new records for PGE wind generation, including helping the company produce 1 GW of power from wind sources alone—a new milestone. 1 GW (or 1,000 MW) is enough electricity to power the equivalent of 830,000 homes, or about half […]
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Renewables
Vattenfall Investing $5 Billion in Germany for Renewable Energy
Swedish energy giant Vattenfall plans to invest more than $5 billion in Germany to increase the company’s renewable energy portfolio in that country. Robert Zurawski, Vattenfall’s chief financial officer in Germany, said the group will build more wind and solar farms in Germany, along with EV charging stations, over the next few years. Zurawski on […]
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Solar
Solar Leader Enphase Energy Cutting 500 Jobs
California-based Enphase Energy, a company known for its solar power and electric vehicle (EV) charging technology, announced it is laying off about 500 workers. The company in a Nov. 8 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said a challenging economy for the solar power industry requires reduced spending. The cuts come less […]
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Data Centers
Vistra in Talks to Expand Power for Data Centers Through Nuclear, Gas Options
Vistra is pursuing deals with data center developers in Texas and the PJM region to address the industry’s energy needs at multiple sites, executives revealed during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Nov. 7. The Texas-based competitive generator has entered discussions with some of the largest, unnamed data center operators to increase output at its […]
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Trends
Power Shift: Trump’s Energy Agenda Sparks Cautious Optimism, Climate Concerns
Tuesday’s election, which will return Donald Trump to the White House and grant the U.S. Senate a Republican majority, could have sizeable implications for the power industry. In reactions sent to POWER, industry groups expressed a combination of cautious optimism, resilience, and preparedness for potential changes. Industry leaders are bracing for a pro-fossil fuel agenda […]
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Commentary
Ratepayers First: The Economic Case Against Nuclear’s Data Center Dreams
As an energy professional in Georgia with a front row seat to the construction of Plant Vogtle, I found the October 23 Washington Post editorial endorsing nuclear energy as a tool for combating climate change astonishing. Georgia is the first state to build nuclear power in 30 years and the editorial board profoundly mischaracterized what […]
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Trends
Power and Data Center Sectors Join Forces to Resolve Mounting Electricity Demand Uncertainties
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has launched an ambitious new initiative alongside power companies, grid operators, and several tech giants to establish five to 10 “flexibility hubs” that will demonstrate how data centers can be leveraged as flexible grid resources starting in the first half of 2025. EPRI’s three-year Data Center Flexible Load Initiative […]
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Energy Security
A Breakdown of Cuba’s Grid Collapse and Recovery Efforts
Cuba is in the throes of a severe energy crisis, driven by fuel supply disruptions and compounded by obstacles in securing vital technologies and supplies needed to modernize and operate its aging power plants. The situation, exacerbated by U.S. sanctions, has left the nation’s energy system teetering. At the same time, the island nation is […]
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Solar
Major Texas Solar Project Will Power Google’s Data Centers, Cloud Operations
A company backed by Japan’s SoftBank Group and Ares Climate Infrastructure said three solar power of its projects are now online in Texas. SB Energy, a renewable energy group focused on utility-scale installations, said the solar farms—with about 900 MW of combined generation capacity—will support the state’s power grid and provide electricity for Google’s data […]
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Commentary
How the Presidential Election Could Impact Renewable Energy Tax Credits
President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law in 2022. The IRA is the largest public investments in renewable energy in American history and created more than 20 different tax incentives for renewable energy and related manufacturing. Certain Republic politicians have directed vitriol at the IRA. However, even if Republicans win the White […]
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Wind
Bill Gates-Backed Group Secures Funding for New Wind Energy Project
A startup company whose investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the group led by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, said it has received about $14 million in new funding in support of a pilot project in Wyoming. Airloom Energy has said its technology is prepared to “revolutionize” wind power through the company’s new design for wind turbines, […]