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In addition to our electric vehicle news roundup, here’s a new roundup on clean energy and energy storage stories. From solar roofs to EV battery reuse for stationary storage in Spain to community solar and virtual power plants — there’s a lot to share. Read on for all the fun!
Solar Energy
GAF Energy launches Timberline Solar™ roof for Minnesota residents
“GAF Energy, a Standard Industries company and the leading provider of solar roofing in North America, today announced the launch of its innovative Timberline Solar™ roof for sale in Minnesota. Timberline Solar™, the only system on the market to directly integrate solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials, will initially be available in the Twin Cities metro area for purchase and installation by local roofers. The award-winning solar roofing system incorporates the world’s first nailable solar shingle, the Timberline Solar™ Energy Shingle (ES) and is assembled at GAF Energy’s U.S. manufacturing facilities.”
Illuminate USA celebrates 1,000 Illuminators and one million solar panels in less than one year
“Illuminate USA, an American leader in advanced solar panel manufacturing, this week announced the hiring of its one thousandth Ohioan associate (or ‘Illuminator’) and the production of its one millionth solar panel at its state-of-the-art facility in Pataskala, Ohio. These dual milestones were achieved less than six months since the start of production—a testament to the quality of the Ohio workforce and the speed with which Illuminate USA is onshoring American solar manufacturing.”
“Illuminate USA is doing exactly what the federal government intended when it passed legislation to advance American manufacturing, onshore solar supply chains, and create thousands of new, good-paying jobs,” said Invenergy President and Illuminate USA Board Chair Jim Murphy. “In standing up a world-class manufacturing facility in Ohio, Illuminate USA is making huge strides in reclaiming American solar leadership. Going forward, consistent policy and a level playing field for all American manufacturers, especially new entrants bringing new capacity, will ensure lasting American solar independence.”
Clayton expands focus on renewable energy in its operations
“National homebuilder increases reliance on renewable energy, installing 1.94 MW of solar at headquarters and facilities to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.”
“Leading national renewable energy provider Pivot Energy, announced today a 5-year framework agreement with Microsoft to develop up to 500 megawatts (MWac) of community-scale solar energy projects across the United States between 2025 and 2029.”
MCE and partners unveil virtual power plant, bringing the “Home of The Future” to life
“On August 6, 2024, MCE unveiled a newly built all-electric clean energy home which will be sold to a lower-income first-time home buyer in Richmond, California. The innovative approach is intended to serve as a model to help homebuyers at every income level access clean, all-electric technology for their homes.”
130,000 acres of land in the Central Valley to be used for California’s clean energy future
“The master-planned development program known as the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan aims to repurpose up to 130,000 acres of drainage-impaired or water-challenged lands within Westlands Water District in Fresno County to develop transmission infrastructure, solar generation, and storage. At full buildout the plan will include up to 20,000 megawatts of solar and 20,000 megawatts of energy storage, potentially providing up to one-sixth of California’s electricity requirements in 2035.”
Energy Storage, Batteries
Beyond lithium: TWAICE introduces simulation model for emerging sodium-ion batteries
“TWAICE, the leading provider of battery analytics software, today introduced an aging model for sodium-ion batteries, the first time a simulation model for battery aging is compatible with non-lithium batteries. This expansion will give battery operators a valuable tool in understanding how to best deploy emerging sodium-ion batteries.”
“Electrified Thermal Solutions (ETS), a Boston-based pioneer of innovative thermal energy storage solutions, receives Technology-to-Market Plus Up extension funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). ETS’ Joule Hive Thermal Battery (JHTB) successfully completed the final milestones required for this significant Supporting Entrepreneurial Energy Discoveries (SEED) funding by cycling its E-Brick heated circuit to a temperature of 1,700°C (3,092°F) in ambient air operating conditions. The JHTB achieved a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 by blowing air across the bricks’ surface, demonstrating the system can deliver the heat to industrial processes. Following a $5M award selection from the DOE Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office and a $35M award selection from the DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, ETS expects to achieve TRL 8 in 2025 with a megawatt-scale Joule Hive Thermal Battery commercial demonstration. This will enable ETS to decarbonize the heat processes of its industrial partners in the cement, chemicals, food and beverage, and consumer goods manufacturing sectors.”
Galp launches pioneering project to reuse electric vehicle batteries in Madrid
- “Second Life Batteries” repurposes used batteries to create fast-charging systems for electric vehicles without overloading the power grid.
- Project demonstrates Galp’s pioneering role in the development of the Iberian electric mobility network, which has just surpassed 5,000 charging points.
“Galp, in partnership with BeePlanet and BMW, has launched a pioneering energy storage system that uses batteries from end-of-life electric vehicles to power ultra-fast chargers at a company station in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid.
“The ‘Second Life Batteries’ project aims to reduce emissions associated with the battery cycle of electric vehicles, extending their useful life, and reducing the power required from the electrical grid by ultra-fast charging hubs, facilitating the development of these infrastructures.”
“We believe that mobility will increasingly be electrified and that its large-scale adoption is essential to reduce emissions. Galp is at the forefront of the transformation of mobility, with innovative projects that guarantee access to increasingly sustainable energy and fuels for an increasing number of people,” says João Diogo Marques da Silva, Galp’s executive director responsible for the commercial area.
Aypa Power secures $323 million in financing for major energy storage project in Idaho
“A Blackstone portfolio company that builds, owns, and operates utility-scale energy storage and hybrid renewable energy projects across North America, has secured $323 million in financing commitments for its Kuna project. The 150-megawatt (MW) / 600 megawatt-hour (MWh) facility, located in the City of Kuna just outside of Boise, will be the largest battery energy storage project in Idaho when it comes online in mid-2025.”
Aypa Power secures $650M in upsized corporate facility, the largest in the energy storage industry
“Aypa Power (Aypa), a Blackstone portfolio company that builds, owns, and operates utility-scale energy storage and hybrid renewable energy projects, has successfully closed a $650 million corporate credit facility, which includes access to letters of credit, a revolver and a term loan, replacing the company’s existing $320 million facility. The transaction, led on the lender side by Apterra Infrastructure Capital LLC, Banco Santander S.A., ING Capital LLC, Nomura Securities International, Inc., Société Générale, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, as Coordinating Lead Arrangers, Bookrunners, and Green Loan Coordinators, underscores the market’s confidence in Aypa’s momentum as an industry leader.”
Environmental
Gulf “dead zone” is larger than average this year, the size of New Jersey
“Due largely to lagging runoff prevention efforts in the Midwest, the low-oxygen area in the Gulf of Mexico is bigger than expected this year, imperiling marine life across nearly 4 million.
“This year’s area of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Thursday.
“The ‘dead zone’ is approximately 6,705 square miles, as measured last week. Within NOAA’s 38 years of measuring the dead zone, this year’s assessment marks the 12th-largest area of low- to no oxygen, which can kill fish and marine life.
“NOAA had forecast at the beginning of the summer that the dead zone would be above average. But the measurement announced this week is even larger than anticipated.”
NOAA forecasts above-average summer ‘dead zone’ in Gulf of Mexico
High tide flooding may lessen across the U.S., NOAA scientists predict
“NOAA’s 2024-25 Annual High Tide Flooding Outlook predicts fewer high-tide flood days than last year. The outlook documents high-tide flooding events from May 2023 to April 2024 at 97 NOAA tide gauges along the U.S. coast. It also provides a flooding outlook for these locations through April 2025 accompanied by decadal projections and sea level rise scenarios out to 2050.”
“GHGSat is the world leader in detecting and measuring facility-level greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources on the Earth’s surface from space. Decision-makers across government and industries, including oil and gas, power generation, mining, waste management, and agriculture, rely on GHGSat emissions data to drive emissions reduction and accelerate the decarbonization of the planet. In 2023 alone, its satellite constellation made more than three million measurements across 85 countries, enabling the mitigation of more than six million metric tonnes of CO2e of methane emissions, equivalent to removing more than 1.4 million cars from the road for a year.”
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