Ideematec, a provider of utility-scale solar tracking systems, has signed an agreement to support Solar Proponent’s approximate 7 GW pipeline of projects in Texas using Ideematec’s Horizon L:TEC 1P tracker. Ideematec and Solar Proponent are working together with an EPC contractor to finalize the delivery schedules for the first approximate 650 MW project in Texas.

“Solar Proponent recognizes that our superior tracking technology is not only ideal for hurricane zones around the Texas Gulf Coast but also has a long track record of zero wind damage in areas with up to 105 mph wind speeds,” says Philipp Klemm, CEO of Ideematec Inc.

“We look forward to delivering the first project and working with Solar Proponent to supply GW of our L:TEC product into the Texas region,” continues Klemm. “Ideematec’s team is proud to reach this milestone in our North American expansion strategy.”

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As part of the pilot phase of its solar roof tile, Meyer Burger Technology AG has signed its first distribution partner from the roofing trade. Dachdecker-Einkauf Süd eG (DE Süd), a specialist roofing distributor in Germany, will supervise the first pilot projects and implement these together with their customers from the roofing sector. The solar roof tiles come from the pilot production of Meyer Burger and contain high-performance solar cells from the production plant in Thalheim (town of Bitterfeld-Wolfen).

“We are delighted to be able to provide the trade with such an innovative product for the product launch, together with Meyer Burger,” says Björn Augustin, an executive board member of DE Süd. The solar roof tiles have already been presented this year at the trade shows Intersolar as well as Dach+Holz, where they met with a high level of interest among installers, roofers and end customers.

After the completion of the current pilot phase, the market launch of the Meyer Burger Tile is planned for the second half of 2023. For mass production of the solar roof tile, Meyer Burger is planning to work with a specialized European contract manufacturing company. The solar cells and the connection technology are to come from Meyer Burger’s own production. The company will also select and procure all materials and components. As a result, Meyer Burger not only ensures that the product conforms with the company’s high-quality standards, but can also leverage its existing supply chains and protect its intellectual property.

“The design of our Meyer Burger Tile enables a uniform and aesthetic appearance across the entire roof area and is therefore ideal for demanding architectural applications,” says Moritz Borgmann, chief commercial officer of Meyer Burger.

The tile is intended for use in private rooftop systems in new construction or roof replacement scenarios, property in redevelopment areas and listed buildings, as well as on buildings with limited roof load. The solar roof tiles will provide a conversion efficiency of up to 17%, with further improvements planned. The solar roof tiles are hailstorm-proof up to 55 millimeters hailstone size and are classified as rigid roofing, which enables installation up to the roof edge without additional safety clearance. Meyer Burger offers a product and performance guarantee of 30 years.

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Raptor Maps, a provider of solar lifecycle management software, has partnered with renewable monitoring provider GreenPowerMonitor to enable a new domain of data and insights for managing solar assets. The integration of the Raptor Maps and GreenPowerMonitor software platforms will be launched on a portfolio overseen by EV Solar, a full-service engineering, EPC, and O&M firm.

With this offering, Raptor Maps and GreenPowerMonitor are able to localize inverter, combiner and pyranometer data to the correct geospatial position on a solar farm, making it accessible via a digital twin. Asset owners and operators will have immediate assessments into how the physical conditions of modules impact power production, all ready for analysis alongside maintenance and inspection data.

“We’re pleased to be bringing together two critical data sources that we use to run our assets and we look forward to doing more with GreenPowerMonitor and Raptor Maps,” says Manuel Folgado, CEO of EV Solar.

“We are proud of our customer-centric approach,” explains Juan Carlos Arévalo, CEO and co-founder of GreenPowerMonitor, a DNV company. “EV Solar is a forward-looking organization that is scaling quickly, and we are partnering with Raptor Maps to enable this solution for them and the other 60GW of solar and wind customers in our portfolio.”

“The integration of sensor data in the GreenPowerMonitor platform with inspection analytics in the Raptor Maps platform creates tighter correlation between maintenance and performance,” notes Raptor Maps CEO and cofounder Nikhil Vadhavkar, adding that aerial inspection data for 40 EV Solar sites are stored within the Raptor Solar platform. “By incorporating and learning from this data, EV Solar is showing us what the future of solar asset management will look like.”

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Invinity and Everdura executives marking the agreement. Image: Invinity Energy Systems.

Vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) firm Invinity Energy Systems has secured a 15MWh order from industrial technology company Everdura in Taiwan, its largest to date.

The deal is a reseller agreement whereby Everdura Technology will promote Invinity’s products across the market segments in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. A deposit is due shortly and first deliveries will commence in 2023 with revenues expected to be mostly recognised in 2024.

The announcement today (1 December) is Invinity’s second order in Taiwan in quick succession, after it agreed to sell 10 systems totalling 2.2MWh to Bei Ying International Corporation, an industrial equipment wholesaler.

The deal with Everdura also includes a follow-on order giving it the ability to purchase a further 255MWh of Invinity products over the next three years.

The order is Invinity’s largest to date, displacing its recent 10MWh order for a renewables microgrid in California.

A deposit for the initial order is due shortly. First battery deliveries are expected to commence in late 2023 with the majority of revenue associated with the project expected to be recognised during 2024.

Darren Yen, chairman at Everdura said: “Long-duration energy storage has a key role to play in decarbonising Taiwan’s energy future and through close cooperation, we look forward to furthering the deployment of Invinity’s technology in the years to come.”

Matt Harper, Invinity CEO added: “With renewable generation delivering an ever-larger portion of Taiwan’s energy needs, Invinity and Everdura together are ideally positioned to provide energy storage to deliver renewable power on demand, speeding Taiwan’s path to net zero.”

Everdura Technology was established in July this year as a JV between Everbrite Technology and Pronergy, with a focus on construction, system integration and technology distribution within the energy, smart buildings and public EV charging infrastructure sectors.

Taiwan has been a strong early mover within Asia-Pacific when it comes to battery energy storage deployments. In just the last few months, Fluence bagged a 100MW order with a power electronics group while the Taiwan Cement Corporation has been growing its order pipeline to subsidiary NHOA, the France-based EV and energy storage group.

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Sitework for the Rabbitbrush solar project

Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) has completed construction and commenced operations of its 100 MW Rabbitbrush Solar Facility located in Kern County, Calif., which also includes a 20 MW, 50 MWh battery energy storage system. As previously announced, the energy generated by the project will serve two not-for-profit, community-owned electricity providers, Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), through two 15-year power purchase agreements (PPA).

LRE, CCCE and SVCE hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Rabbitbrush Solar Facility earlier today to celebrate the start of operations at the facility. The event featured comments from Chief Executive Officer of LRE, Jason Allen; Chief Operating Officer of CCCE, Rob Shaw; Chief Operating Officer & Director of Power Supply at SVCE, Monica Padilla; Director of Kern County Planning and Natural Resources, Lorelei Oviatt; Executive Director of CalCCA, Beth Vaughn; and Kern County Supervisor, Zack Scrivner.

“LRE is proud to partner with CCCE and SVCE on a monumental project that will provide significant economic and environmental benefits,” says Jason Allen, LRE’s CEO. “Bringing this project online is another example of how we manage our projects in alignment with our core values of protecting and respecting the environment in the communities where we operate. Our focus is on providing continuous value to local communities, while building and maintaining strong, long-term relationships.”

As part of LRE’s continued commitment to preserving and protecting the environment, the company has signed an agreement with the National Audubon Society and Kern Audubon Society to contribute $150,000 to a fund for the study and conservation of the Swainson’s Hawk in the Antelope Valley.

“Responsible renewable energy development and wildlife conservation go hand in hand, and LRE’s contribution to the very important Swainson’s Hawk Conservation Fund will help hawks in the Antelope Valley of California survive and thrive,” states Garry George, director of the National Audubon Society’s Clean Energy Initiative. “We are pleased to collaborate with LRE as we advance habitat conservation and clean energy in Kern and Los Angeles Counties, and we look forward to partnering with other companies in the region to ensure renewable energy facilities avoid, minimize, and mitigate the impacts on birds and other wildlife.”

The Rabbitbrush Solar Facility features ultra-low carbon, thin-film photovoltaic solar modules that use less energy, water, and semiconductor material. Additionally, the project’s 20 MW, 50MWh battery energy storage system is designed to support the resiliency and reliability of the California electrical grid.

“The Rabbitbrush project is Central Coast Community Energy’s second solar-plus-storage power purchase agreement to come online this year,” adds Rob Shaw, COO of Central Coast Community Energy. “Coupling solar generation with battery storage allows us to move closer to a decarbonized energy grid and statewide emission-reduction goals. CCCE is committed to investing in innovation while delivering reliable energy to our customers.”

LRE closed construction financing and secured tax equity commitment for the Rabbitbrush Solar Facility in June 2022, and closed on the tax equity funding in October 2022. “Rabbitbrush helps Silicon Valley Clean Energy deliver on its commitment to provide clean, affordable, and reliable electricity,” concludes Monica Padilla, SVCE’s COO and director of power resources. “As SVCE communities shift away from fossil fuels to electrify homes and buildings, new projects like Rabbitbrush that add carbon-free capacity and reliability to the grid are key.”

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Martin McDermut

Solar Integrated Roofing Corp. (SIRC), an integrated, single-source solar power, roofing systems installation and EV charging company, has named Martin McDermut as its CFO. He brings more than 30 years of financial leadership to SIRC, with a track record in strategic and financial planning, business development, mergers and acquisitions, and SEC reporting for NASDAQ-listed technology companies.

Prior to joining SIRC, McDermut was CFO of Resonant Inc., a Nasdaq-listed provider of radio frequency (RF) filter solutions for the mobile device industry, before being acquired by Murata Manufacturing. Prior to Resonant, he served as vice president and CFO of Applied Micro Circuits Corp., a publicly traded semiconductor company, which was acquired by MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings.

In addition, McDermut previously served as senior vice president of finance and CFO of Vitesse Semiconductor Corp., a publicly traded semiconductor company, which was acquired by Microsemi Corp. He also previously served as CFO for other publicly traded companies including Iris International Inc. and Superconductor Technologies Inc.

“On behalf of our board and management team, I would like to welcome Marty to the position of chief financial officer,” says George B. Holmes, CEO of SIRC. “I have had the privilege of working with Marty at Resonant – where he served as chief financial officer – and believe his experience in growing technology companies, SEC reporting as well as his invaluable experience with mergers and acquisitions will be instrumental for us here at SIRC. I firmly believe that Marty will prove invaluable as a member of the SIRC executive team as we begin our journey as a fully reporting company and plans for a 2023 Nasdaq uplisting.”

“It is an honor to join SIRC at such a critical point in its growth trajectory,” states McDermut. “I am eager to transform and improve our controls, reporting and finance functions to better position SIRC for growth and to deliver upon its obligations as a fully reporting company. As we work towards achieving a Nasdaq listing, building up our finance capabilities is paramount. I look forward to working closely with George and the broader team in the quarters ahead as we strive to create long-term value for our shareholders.”

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NREL’s benchmarking uses a four-hour system for utility-scale, which has quickly become the norm in the largest market, California. Projects like Terra-Gen’s 560MWh Valley Center Battery Storage Project, San Diego, which came online in March, have four-hour durations to participate in Resource Adequacy, the state’s capacity market. Image: Terra-Gen.

Energy storage costs in the US grew 13% from Q1 2021 to Q1 2022, said the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in a cost benchmarking analysis.

The research laboratory has revealed the results of its ‘U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmarks, With Minimum Sustainable Price Analysis: Q1 2022‘ report.

For standalone energy storage, NREL said that the costs benchmark grew 2% year-on-year for residential systems to US$1,503/kWh and 13% for utility-scale to US$446/kWh.

Both figures are modelled market price (MMP) which it uses alongside a new, minimum sustainable price (MSP). MMP is simply the sales price that a developer would charge while MSP is a theoretical construct meant to capture the long-term cost impacts of technological evolution while muting the impact of policy and short-term market fluctuations.

It uses a 5kW/12.5kWh benchmark for residential and a 60MW/240MWh benchmark for utility-scale, clearly modelled along the lines of the California market where four-hour durations have become the norm.

For residential, commercial and utility-scale the MSP is around 10% lower than the MSP. The commercial MMP benchmark in Q1 2022 was US$672/kWh, in between the two other sectors, but a change in methodology between 2021 and 2022 means the years cannot be compared directly, it added.

For solar-plus-storage, the MMP benchmark for residential systems grew 6% year-on-year to US$38,295 while utility-scale costs grew 11% to a benchmark of US$195 million. Commercial was US$1.44 million.

Within solar-plus-storage, the MMP benchmark is 13-15% higher than the MSP for all three segments.

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A rendering of KORE’s US gigafactory. Image: KORE Power.

KORE Power, a company developing a lithium-ion gigafactory project in the US, has closed the initial US$75 million tranche of a US$150 million fundraising round.

Siemens Financial Services led the first part of the round, which was supported by power engineering firm Quanta Services, Japanese automotive OEM Nidec Motor Corporation, investors Honeywell Ventures and Trog Hawley Capital, and an unnamed ‘leading utility scale energy storage provider’.

KORE will use the financing proceeds to start building its KOREPlex lithium-ion battery gigafactory in Phoenix, Arizona, and purchase long lead-time items. The firm completed site acquisition for the project in April as reported by Energy-Storage.news and expects to break ground on it by the end of the year.

The facility will become operational in 2024 with an initial annual production capacity of 6GWh, rising to 12GWh which, combined with a ramp-up of its China facility, will bring its total capacity to 18GWh.

KORE claims the US factory will be one of the first US battery cell gigafactories built independently of an automotive OEM, which will give it the flexibility to supply batteries to both the EV and energy storage markets.

Gigafactories in the US will benefit from tax credits of US$35/kWh for battery cell production and another US$10/kWh for battery pack production under the terms of the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act.

As Energy-Storage.news reported this week, Turkish firm Kontrolmatik expects these to total a cumulative US$900 million by 2032 for its gigafactory in the US, which is also set to start operating in 2024. But that gigafactory will only be a quarter the size of KORE’s eventual 12GWh, indicating a much larger benefit to the latter.

“Strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities for battery cells will be critical to the transformation and build out of energy infrastructure in the United States,” said Andrew Schwaitzberg, leader of energy transition initiatives at Quanta Services.

Lindsay Gorrill, CEO and co-founder of KORE Power, added: “In the coming months, we expect to announce additional agreements demonstrating our commitment to building a domestic supply chain for the KOREPlex and embracing a circular lifecycle for our products.”

While KORE did not reveal the energy storage provider that participated in the fundraise, it may be worth noting that Nidec Corporation also owns Nidec ASI, which made it into IHS Markit’s top 10 energy storage system integrators ranking for 2021.

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Pre-construction artist rendering of Fluence BESS equipment at the site. Image: National Grid Renewables.

PV plant developer National Grid Renewables has commenced operations at its Noble solar-plus-storage project in Denton County, Texas.

The installation consists of a 275MW solar PV farm and 125MWh energy storage system.

The Noble project will utilise series 6 First Solar thin-film modules as part of the ongoing relationship between the manufacturer and National Grid Renewables, which saw a 2GW supply deal signed earlier this year for modules to be delivered in 2024-25.

Located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region, the project already has three power purchase agreements (PPAs) in place. The Home Depot and NRG Energy have each signed 100MW PPAs for Noble, and The Hershey Company has accounted for a further 50MW of capacity.  

To read the full version of this story, visit PV Tech.

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A 50MW short-duration battery storage project in County Meath, Ireland. Image: Iberdrola.

The Irish government has launched a consultation to help direct the development of a policy framework for energy storage.

As the renewable energy generation market continues to grow in Ireland there is an increasing urgency to develop energy storage solutions in a bid to provide flexibility to the energy market.

In a bid to incentivise the creation of energy storage in Ireland, the government is developing a policy framework to help deliver their objectives in this area of its Climate Action Plan which is targeting a proportion of renewable electricity to up to 80% by 2030.

These objectives include supporting the integration of high volumes of renewable generation by providing additional energy storage to raise its overall capacity for the national energy system.

To read the full version of this story visit Current±.

Energy-Storage.news’ publisher Solar Media will host the 8th annual Energy Storage Summit EU in London, 22-23 February 2023. This year it is moving to a larger venue, bringing together Europe’s leading investors, policymakers, developers, utilities, energy buyers and service providers all in one place. Visit the official site for more info.

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