Month: February 2023

               US solar developer Pristine Sun Corporation has secured financing to develop up to 5GW of PV projects. The US$250m (€232.6m) capital commitment from comes from strategic private equity and family office investors. The equity commitment will allow Pristine Sun to develop, finance, and build solar projects, depending on the capital stack structure. The capital commitment will support Pristine Sun on proposed and active renewable-energy projects in Texas, California, and Louisiana, and allow the company to explore additional opportunities in the continental US.  Since 1996, Pristine Sun and affiliates have developed solar and wind farms totalling over 25GW (including projects sold to other parties), with another 20GW of projects in the pipeline. Founder and chairman of Pristine Sun Corporation Troy Helming said: “We’re thrilled to have this capital commitment.

               “We have an aggressive plan to rapidly develop significant solar projects in California, Texas, and Louisiana. “Three projects will exceed 1GW, making them some of the largest in the world. 1GW is about the capacity of two to three large coal or natural gas plants. “US$250m will allow us to develop, construct, and operate these projects to power hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses with clean energy. “The demand for low-cost renewable energy has never been greater, and we’re delighted to continue as a leader in the clean power revolution.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Red Zeppelin UVGE/Unsplash ]

               MPC Energy Solutions has announced the start of operations for its Santa Rosa and Villa Sol solar photovoltaic plants in El Salvador, which have a combined installed capacity of 21.3MW. Santa Rosa and Villa Sol are the third and fourth projects in the company’s portfolio to start operations, following Los Santos I (Mexico), which was acquired in February 2022, and Neol CHP (Puerto Rico), which started delivering energy in January this year. The plants commenced operations and MPC Energy Solutions is now selling the generated energy through a 20-year USD-denominated PPA with CAESS, the local subsidiary of US-based energy company AES Corporation.

Credits: renews.biz [Image: MPC Energy Solutions ]

               Iberdrola has been awarded its first floating solar power project in France, with a total capacity of 25MW, following a call for tenders issued in 2022 by Kurtzenhouse municipality, in Alsace. The floating solar power plant will be developed, built and operated by Iberdrola on the basin of the Bischwiller gravel pit, part of which is owned by the municipality of Kurtzenhouse. The site is operated by Eqiom Granulats, which extracts and markets sand and gravel of alluvial origin. During the construction and operation phase of the plant, Iberdrola will consider the presence of these activities and ensure their continued operation.

               The floating solar power plant will occupy an area of approximately 13.5 hectares of the 28 hectares available on the site. In January, Iberdrola began environmental and technical studies to determine and choose the most suitable technological solution for the project and the site, which will be completed in early 2024. The application for a building permit is expected to be submitted in spring 2024 and commissioning in late summer 2026.

Credits: renews.biz [Image: DNV]

               Plenitude has begun production at its 263MW Golden Buckle solar project in Brazoria County, Texas, in the US. The plant was built in just over a year, in an area of over 600 hectares located 80km south of Houston. It will produce a yearly average of 400GWh-500GWh of solar energy. Most of the energy will be sold through a long-term power purchase agreement to US retailer Target. The plant’s development was carried out with the support of Novis Renewables, a partnership between Eni New Energy US and Renantis North America. Stefano Goberti, CEO of Plenitude, said: “We have inaugurated the largest photovoltaic plant ever built by Plenitude in our short but successful history of renewable energy development. We are very proud of this achievement, with the project completed in time and on budget. “It is a further step towards growing our renewable generation capacity, which exceeded 2GW at the end of 2022, in line with our goal to achieve over 6GW globally by 2025.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Eni]

               JBM Solar has submitted proposals for a solar farm and battery energy storage system (BESS) to Wychavon District Council. The Roundhill solar farm, located to the south of Earls Common Road in Inkberrow, would produce the equivalent annual electricity needs of over 18,000 Wychavon homes. The submission follows an extensive period of community engagement and consultation. The site will be opened up to the local community through the provision of green infrastructure including picnic areas, permissive paths, a visitor car park, a community orchard, enhanced public rights of way, an educational trail and outdoor classroom.

               A small number of residents have raised questions about the site’s historic link to the author JRR Tolkien. Whilst Tolkien would have known the surrounding countryside, there are no references in consulted sources of any specific connection with the site. Due to the nature of the development, the site would be preserved as greenfield before, during and after it is decommissioned, unlike other developments, and would provide around £7.6m in local business rates. A spokesperson for JBM Solar said: “The Roundhill Solar Farm is a great opportunity to provide sustainable and renewable energy for years to come. Increasing the proportion of renewable energy is key in supporting Wychavon District Council’s net zero carbon goals.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: JBM Solar]

               Amberside Energy and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), on behalf of its Flagship Funds, have partnered to develop 2GW of solar and battery storage projects in the UK. Under the terms of the partnership, CIP’s Flagship Funds will provide the capital for project development with the ambition of creating a portfolio of scale that, over time, will have projects in operation, in construction as well as under development. Subject to investment decisions at the time, CIP intends to provide the capital required for the construction of the projects in this portfolio.  Amberside Energy will continue to lead origination and development activities for the solar and battery storage projects while CIP will contribute its expertise in procurement, structuring and financing renewable energy projects. “We look forward to a successful partnership with Amberside Energy for the development of a significant pipeline of clean-energy projects that will help accelerate the UK’s energy transition to ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” said Radu Gruescu, Partner at CIP.

               “UK solar and battery storage have become increasingly competitive in recent years and are now some of the most cost-efficient technologies, contributing to enhancing grid flexibility, resilience and increasing the overall security of supply.” Marc Scambler, Co-Founder and CEO of Amberside Energy, added: “We are delighted to form a partnership with CIP. Together, we will be able to accelerate the energy transition in the UK at scale. “Our origination and development efforts are well underway, and our proprietary grid model combined with experience gained from auditing and asset managing such schemes helps maximise the efficiency of the development process. “We expect our first projects to be ready to begin construction in the next two years and to deliver significant benefits to the communities who host them as well as generating sustainable green power for many years ahead.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Pixabay]

              Duke Energy has placed into commercial operation a 120MW solar farm in Idaho, US. Jackpot Solar in Twin Falls County, Idaho, is Duke Energy’s first utility-scale renewable energy project in the state and is the largest solar facility in operation in Idaho. It will provide energy to Idaho Power through a 20-year power purchase agreement. SOLV Energy completed the engineering and construction of the project, while Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions will own and operate the project. The project employed about 200 workers at peak construction. The Jackpot Solar facility will provide tax revenues for the Filer Consolidated School District.

               Additionally, the Duke Energy Foundation awarded a $15,000 grant to the Shoshone Basin Rangeland Fire Protection Association to support the organization’s efforts to enhance the safety of the citizens in rural areas of Twin Falls County, Idaho. “Entering the Idaho solar market with such a major renewable project is very exciting for Duke Energy,” said Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions. “Jackpot Solar will help strengthen the energy diversity in the state, and bring additional economic benefits to the state and Twin Falls County, while also supporting Idaho Power’s clean energy goals.” Idaho Power chief operating office Adam Richins added: “This project continues our commitment to clean energy while also helping us address the rapidly growing need for new resources to ensure we can provide reliable, affordable electricity to our customers.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Duke Energy]

               Sonnedix has acquired a 136MW solar portfolio in Spain, from Qualitas Energy, a global investment and management platform. The portfolio consists of 169 solar plants located across the country, which became operational between 2007 and 2014 and are under the Spanish regulatory regime. Sonnedix CEO Axel Thiemann said: “This acquisition demonstrates our capacity and dedication to powering the energy transition in the country – where we started our journey in 2009, and where today we have a total capacity of over 1.4GW – expanding our portfolio of projects and building relationships with partners like Qualitas Energy, who share our vision of a future where renewable energy leads, improving the lives of our communities.” Sonnedix’s global platform spans 10 countries and exceeds 8GW of total capacity.

              In Spain, operational capacity stands at just over 770MW, with more than 850MW under construction or in various phases of development. Qualitas Energy recently announced the launch of its fifth flagship fund, Q-Energy V (QE V), with which it will primarily invest across Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy and Poland, targeting renewable energy assets in operation and under development. In November 2022, the vehicle held a first close of more than €1.1bn.

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Sonnedix]

               RWE and Greek developer PPC have reached a final investment decision to build 175MW (210MW peak) of solar capacity in Greece. The companies’ joint venture will build five projects in Western Macedonia, with construction scheduled to begin this spring, followed by commissioning in early 2024. The 200MW of capacity will require a total investment of €180m, with €90m co-financed by EU funds. The projects have long-term power purchase agreements signed with various customers, with terms ranging between 10 and 15 years.

               The solar parks are to be built in the northern Greek region of Western Macedonia on the site of the former Amyntaio lignite mine. RWE holds a 51% share in the joint venture company, Meton Energy, with PPC Renewables holding the remaining 49%. Georgios Stassis, Chairman and CEO of PPC, said: “Clean energy is at the heart of PPC’s strategic planning. “These include the development of renewable energy projects, storage technologies and green hydrogen. “I am convinced that renewable energies in combination with storage technologies will form the backbone of the electricity system worldwide in the next decade. “We continue to invest in renewable energy projects – alone and in cooperation with strong partners such as RWE. The development of the major solar projects in Western Macedonia shows our commitment to the energy transition. “We are also strengthening Western Macedonia’s role as the country’s energy centre.” Through Meton Energy, RWE Renewables and PPC Renewables are developing solar projects with a total capacity of up to 2GW (peak) in Greece. PPC Renewables has contributed nine solar projects with a total capacity of up to 870MW (940MWp) to the joint venture and RWE Renewables has a solar development pipeline in Greece of a similar size.

Credits: renews.biz [Image: RWE]

               Solar developer Soltec has obtained favourable environmental authorisations (EIS) for sixteen photovoltaic plants located in the Spanish provinces of Murcia and Alicante, with a combined capacity of 401MW.  Of this, 352MW of sites will be developed with its JV with TotalEnergies, in which Soltec has a 35% stake. Soltec chief executive Raúl Morales said: “The authorizations obtained for the development of the projects are a reflection of the relevant advances we are making in the development of our projects, following our roadmap.

               “Our commitment to the development of the Levante area as a renewable energy pole is firm and we are convinced of its potential to contribute to the Energy transition at European level. “From Soltec we firmly believe in a just transition that benefits all sectors of the area through ecovoltaics, with measures such as respect for the biodiversity of the area or the application of the circular economy in all our plants.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Soltec]