Pedro Azagra Blázquez

Pedro Azagra Blázquez has officially assumed the role of CEO of AVANGRID Inc. He has served as a member of AVANGRID’s board of directors since 2019, and previously served as a member of the board of directors from 2014 to 2018. He also serves as a member of the executive committee of the board of directors and the special committee of the board of directors, which is responsible for, among other things, assisting the board of directors with oversight of the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) transmission line project.

“I’m honored to lead AVANGRID as we continue to accelerate the transformation to a clean energy future,” states Azagra. “AVANGRID is a true leader in ESG+F. I’ve had the privilege to be involved with the organization for many years, including leading the company into the offshore wind space, and I’m proud of AVANGRID’s leadership in the energy industry. I look forward to taking our company to the next level as we continue to raise the bar, be bold and think innovatively.”

Azagra serves as the chief development officer for Iberdrola S.A., where he has executed more than 100 transactions and led the international expansion of Iberdrola. In addition, he serves as a member of the board of directors of Neoenergia S.A., a member of the Iberdrola group of companies listed on the São Paulo Stock Exchange.

“Pedro’s substantial experience in the Iberdrola Group, globally and in the U.S., as well as the strong relationships he has built in the country over the years, make him a natural choice to lead the company and execute our long-term strategy,” says Ignacio Galán, chairman of AVANGRID. “Pedro knows the U.S. market well. I am very confident that under his leadership we will continue to build on AVANGRID’s strong reputation as a leading sustainable energy company in the U.S., both in networks and renewables.”

In addition to serving on AVANGRID’s board of directors, Azagra has advised the company in connection with the merger proceedings with PNM Resources and previously led the $4.7 billion acquisition and integration of Energy East Corp. in 2008 and the $17.9 billion merger and integration of AVANGRID (formerly known as Iberdrola USA) and UIL Holdings in 2015.  He also led AVANGRID’s entry into the U.S. offshore industry through the joint venture his team developed with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. In these and in other important AVANGRID matters, he led regulatory strategy and regularly provided testimony on governance commitments and customer benefits.

Formerly, Azagra led the U.S. businesses of Iberdrola Group and served as director of strategy. He previously served as a member of the board of directors of Energy East, Rochester Gas and Electric, and New York State Electric & Gas.

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Kristi Miller

NTE Energy has launched Vitis Energy as a new clean energy platform. Headquartered in Florida, it will develop electric generation facilities throughout North America, working on full lifecycle project development from initial market and site evaluations and permitting to financing, construction and operation.

NTE Energy, which develops, constructs and operates natural gas-powered electric generating facilities, announced last year that it had more than 4 GW of clean energy development pipeline which includes solar, battery energy storage and other renewable systems.

“This is just the latest step in our company’s evolution,” says CEO Stephanie Clarkson. “The new platform reflects our expanded focus from ‘natural, trusted and efficient’ generation projects to include the renewable energy pipeline. Together, our development portfolio and leadership team will help many more achieve their clean energy goals.”

Vitis has a large, diversified portfolio of renewable energy projects under development across the country. The initial 500 MW portfolio will benefit from an investment from Sunflower Sustainable Investments, a listed Israeli clean energy company.

Kristi Miller, vice president of development, is heading up the company’s development efforts. Her background includes development of renewable and conventional generating plants, commercial origination, and management of major power projects. Previously, Miller held leadership positions at Duke Energy, where she managed complex interconnection projects and oversaw the solar and distributed generation queue.

“Vitis has built part of its renewable energy pipeline on strong relationships created in the East Region,” Miller said. “We are currently focused on extending our reach to additional locations throughout the US.”

Kyle Wilbur, vice president of commercial and clean energy, is overseeing clean energy business development. He joined the company from Atlantic Power Corp., where he served as vice president of commercial development and was responsible for all new power generation asset acquisitions. Wilbur previously served as solar development director for ENGIE North America and as managing partner of the energy practice for Brownfields Development.

Michael Trobaugh, vice president of commercial, is leading the company’s origination efforts. His background includes executing long-term power purchase agreements and implementing creative energy solutions for municipalities, cooperatives and corporate customers across the U.S. markets. Previously, Trobaugh held leadership positions at The Energy Authority, where he was responsible for managing energy portfolio risk for municipalities throughout the country.

“This allows us to align our organization with the clean energy goals of our customers across the U.S. markets,” Trobaugh concludes.

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Windcharger, Alberta’s first grid-scale BESS project, went online in 2020. Image: TransAlta via Twitter.

Westbridge Energy Corporation has added another large-scale solar-plus-storage project to its development portfolio in Alberta, Canada.

The Vancouver-headquartered company was formed by a group of renewable and traditional energy, finance and legal professionals to develop greenfield solar sites.

Westbridge’s strategic view is that the combination of solar with battery storage, solar with hydrogen and the deployment of artificial intelligence and grid optimisation offers its projects the best futureproofing and resale value opportunities.

The company seeks out institutional or corporate buyers for its projects at or before construction begins.

As reported by Energy-Storage.news in March, its development projects include a 278MWp solar plant in Alberta’s Georgetown and Sunnynook, a 236MWp solar PV plant also in Alberta. Both projects are being planned with 100MW each of battery storage.

At that time, both projects were at different stages of applying for regulatory approval from the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) and obtaining grid connection agreements.

Last week, the company said it is now developing Dolcy, another solar PV plant with a battery energy storage system (BESS), this time combining 250MWp of solar with another 100MW BESS.

Dolcy will be located in the east-central Alberta Municipality of Provost. Westbridge has secured a long-term solar lease for about 1,025 acres of land with the private landowners. Environmental studies are underway and it is at Stage 1 of the grid interconnection process with TSO Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO).

Westbridge said in an update that Georgetown is now at Stage 3 of that process, while Sunnynook is at Stage 2.

Together with Accalia point, a 221MWp solar-only project the company is developing in Texas, the developer pointed out that its development portfolio now exceeds 1GW of solar PV.

If the projects go ahead they will add 300MW of BESS for the Canadian province, which only got its first large-scale BESS (pictured above) commissioned in late 2020. A few others have since been announced and are in various stages of development or construction, including GreenGate Power Corporation’s Jurassic Solar+, which would combine 216MWac solar PV with 80MW/80MWh of BESS, a couple of solar-paired flow battery demonstration projects and a 180MW BESS that developer TransAlta Renewables wants to charge from a hydroelectric plant.

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Seminoe Dam, Wyoming. Image: Brian Brameier, US Bureau of Reclamation via Flickr.

LG Energy Solution partners with German academics on next-gen batteries and greener manufacturing

LG Energy Solution will work to develop next-gen battery electrolytes and investigate greener battery manufacturing processes in partnership with two German academic institutions.

The South Korea-headquartered battery and battery storage technology company said today (7 June 2022) that it will work on the subject areas with Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology (MEET) at the University of Münster and Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS) at Forschungszentrum Jülich.

The joint battery research programmes are LG Energy Solution’s (LG ES) first in Europe and follow similar partnerships with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) on next-gen batteries and work on developing all solid-state batteries with University of California San Diego in the US. The collaborations and their research will be funded by LG ES’ own Frontier Research Laboratory programme, which the company said it will continue to expand globally. Its work with the two German institutions will focus in particular on ways to boost battery cell performance through key metrics including cycle life and energy density.

Siemens Energy collaborates with LDES Council founding member Corre Energy

Siemens Energy has signed an agreement to collaborate with Corre Energy, a European company focused on long-duration energy storage based on compressed air technology.

The energy arm of the Germany-headquartered tech and engineering company and Netherlands-headquartered Corre Energy have formed a ‘Global Collaboration Agreement,’ Corre said, which will help the energy storage company accelerate the buildout of its projects and systemise its overall approach to project delivery.

Corre Energy is one of the founding members of the international Long Duration Energy Storage Council (LDES Council). The trade group published a report authored by McKinsey late last year which forecasted a need for about a terawatt-hour of long-duration energy storage (LDES) worldwide by 2025 to keep in line with Paris Agreement commitments to decarbonising the economy.

In a Guest Blog published today on this site, Corre Energy chief strategy officer Patrick McClughan wrote about that report and said that REPowerEU, the European Union’s plan and strategy to transition away from dependence on Russian fossil fuels, offers a strong impetus to invest in and deploy LDES in the continent.

The company said yesterday that its collaboration with Siemens Energy will include a “strong joint advocacy approach” to demonstrate the benefits of compressed air energy storage in underground caverns. Corre Energy is currently developing projects in the Netherlands and Denmark and aims to have at least eight projects operational by 2030.

“Siemens Energy is a recognised leader in the development of cutting edge CAES technology such as their ground-breaking expansion and compression technology,” Corre Energy CEO Keith McGrane said.

“The Siemens Energy CAES system is designed to master the dynamic energy market environment with increasing renewables offering high efficiency, reliability, and flexibility.”

Draft License Application for US$2.5 billion Wyoming pumped hydro project

Developer rPlus Hydro has taken the next step in advancing a proposed 900MW pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) project in Wyoming, US.

rPlus Hydro said it has submitted Draft License Application documents to authorities including state and Federal agencies for its Seminoe Pumped Storage project, at Seminoe Reservoir near Rawlins, Wyoming.

In November last year, Energy-Storage.news reported that the project is proposed to enable 10 hours storage duration as the developer appointed infrastructure design, engineering and project services company Stantec to carry out a feasibility study.

Authorities will now begin a 90-day review of the application, before it can be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as a Final License Application.

rPlus Hydro estimated the project will cost about US$2.5 billion to build, creating up to 500 skilled jobs during the three to five years required for its construction and create about 35 permanent jobs as well as contributing around US$10 million in taxes to the local area.

“rPlus Hydro is thrilled to take this next step in advancing the Seminoe Pumped Storage project in Wyoming, a state that is a rich source of energy production – especially in wind generation. We are proud to be developing a project that will enable Wyoming to benefit from these emerging resources,” rPlus Hydro president Luigi Resta said, adding that the local area will also benefit from the taxes raised and jobs created while enhancing the reliability of the state’s electricity infrastructure.

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A nickel-hydrogen battery, based on the same technology as EnerVenue’s, installed on the Hubble Space Telescope in the late 20th century. Image: WikiCommons.

Nickel-hydrogen-based battery storage company EnerVenue has struck a supply MOU for up to 420MWh in Puerto Rico while liquid metal battery company Ambri is expanding its new facility in Massachusetts, US.

EnerVenue signs second supply MOU in space of a month

EnerVenue has struck a supply memorandum of understanding (MOU) totalling up to 420MWh by 2024/25 with a logistics company in Puerto Rico. Under the deal, logistics and travel company Sonnell Power Solutions will procure and deploy 40MWh of EnerVenue’s EnerStation battery energy storage systems (BESS) in 2023. The procured volume will then increase to 420MWh in 2024 and 2025.

EnerVenue launched two years ago to ‘disrupt’ energy storage with a 2-12 hour duration system with “virtually unlimited number of cycles”, its CEO told Energy-Storage.news when it launched. It is the company’s second large supply MOU in a short space of time, with a 4.5GWh agreement for the next five years signed with developer Pine Gate Renewables a few weeks ago.

Its nickel-hydrogen battery is based on technology that has been used on the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope for years and EnerVenue is aiming to commercialise it at scale in the stationary storage space.

The company’s technology does not have any fire or thermal runaway risk and can withstand extreme temperatures and environmental conditions, EnerVenue said. It claims zero operating cost and maintenance need, and a virtually unlimited lifecycle regardless of charging pattern. It raised US$100m in a Series A last September.

Sonnell Power Solutions’ is the vehicle for parent company Grupo Sonnell’s push into the energy sector following Puerto Rico’s rising demand for grid-resilient energy solutions after Hurricane Maria in 2017 devastated its power sector. Businesses are actively seeking transitions to renewable energy solutions, the company said.

José Rodríguez Varela, President, Sonnell Power Solutions said: “EnerVenue’s storage solutions enable us to reduce the critical midday demand on the grid – and significantly lower energy costs – for industrial customers. We anticipate that EnerVenue will become a cornerstone technology for us, where we are able to fulfill the market’s energy transformation needs now and going forward.”

Long-duration liquid metal battery energy storage system (BESS) company Ambri is expanding its manufacturing capacity at a new facility in Massachusetts.

The Innovation Hub will enable Ambri to broaden its manufacturing options and accelerate the commercialisation of its BESS solution. The facility will also be home to an expanded R&D lab and host an on-site Ambri pilot system.

The 140,000 square feet facility will triple Ambri’s current manufacturing footprint and allow for a production capacity of 200,000 battery cells per year starting in 2023. The new facility is expected to be at full volume production in 2024.

Ambri’s battery is comprised of a liquid calcium alloy anode, a molten salt electrolyte and a cathode comprised of solid particles of antimony, which allow for a unique set of operating characteristics that mean it avoids common degradation mechanisms of other battery chemistries, the company claims.

Adam Briggs, Chief Commercial Officer at Ambri commented: “Expanding our operations makes it possible for us to continue to innovate and produce with the speed and the scale needed to deliver quality, cutting-edge products that meet the growing demands for safe and affordable long-duration energy storage. It also further establishes the US — and Massachusetts more specifically — as the hub of our operations and innovation.”

The company raised US$144 million funding in a round which closed in August last year, with investors including Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures and India’s Reliance Industries. At the same time a 13GWh multi-year supply deal for the antimony to be used in its cathodes was signed with mining company Perpetua Resources, which is a subsidiary of another investor in Ambri, Paulson & Co.

In November 2020, Ambri claimed its batteries had been selected for use at a vast data centre development in Nevada, US. Data centre developer TerraScale will combine 250MWh of liquid metal batteries with more than 500MW of renewables in a microgrid at the site, Ambri CCO Adam Briggs said at the time.

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Compressed air sites on the northern coast of Europe could provide large amounts of storage capacity, Corre Energy believes. Image: Corre Energy.

If Europe is to meet its goals on decarbonisation and gaining independence from Russian imports of fossil fuels, it will need energy storage and lots of it. Some have regarded the European Union’s ambitions on energy storage as lagging behind its commitments on supporting wind, solar, hydrogen and natural gas. However, there’s a lot to like about the REPowerEU plan, argues Patrick McClughan, Chief Strategy Officer at Corre Energy, a company developing large-scale compressed air energy storage for long-duration applications.

Energy is in the news in a way it has never been before. Events in Europe have exacerbated an already strained energy situation, with worries about security of supply, spiralling costs and the sheer technological and infrastructural complexity of reaching renewable energy targets now front and centre in the minds of politicians, economists and the public.

Throughout Europe, as country after country signed up to producing at least 70% of their energy from sustainable sources, energy policy makers and regulators, suppliers and consumers have been grappling with a new energy reality.

Costs are rising, security of supply is in question, and there’s a technological revolution required to ensure that renewables can be integrated at scale and that their intermittency can be addressed.

Renewable energy – whether from wind, solar or other – is the chosen form of generation to make the transition work but its impact is curtailed by its supply variability. When the wind blows and the sun shines, supply of renewables soars and can easily meet domestic demand.

However, during periods of low wind and little to no sun, renewable energy supply tails off sharply and fossil fuel generation is called upon to meet customer demand.

We’re being wasteful with energy. We switch off solar parks and wind turbines when there is excess production, but we use fossil fuel generation to balance the peak demand for electricity and as system operators integrate more renewables, they experience more balancing issues.

It’s difficult to guarantee supply when the method of generating power can be intermittent and as a result, 2022 is now being referred to as a ‘breakout year’ for energy storage. That ‘breakout’ recently came to fruition with the publication of the REPowerEU plan.

The REPowerEU strategy is aimed at boosting green energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and gas imports, and cutting energy use — the latter goals feeding into the EU’s long-term ambition to become climate neutral by 2050.

The final REPowerEU plan marks a material positive shift in the public policy and regulatory environment, providing increased certainty for markets and a more supportive operating environment for project development, financing and operation of electricity storage solutions.

It’s a major leap forward for the energy storage sector given the EU’s encouragement that Member States should consider electricity storage assets as being ‘in the overriding public interest and facilitate permitting for their deployment’.

Compressed air: a perfect pairing for renewables or hydrogen

One technology solution that can help answer the EU’s critical need for storage is compressed air, particularly when paired with renewables or hydrogen. Long-duration energy storage (LDES) projects and products, accelerate the transition to net zero and enhancing the security and flexibility of energy systems.

LDES is generally defined as any technology which can output stored energy at full capacity for longer than four hours. However compressed air energy storage schemes can provide hundreds of megawatts for over 84 hours as we time shift renewables to avoid grid congestion and provide a range of grid services such as inertia, fast frequency and black start to grid operators who are experiencing a deficit of zero carbon synchronous generation across Europe.

LDES solutions — some of which can store energy for weeks or months — are now officially seen as essential to decarbonisation.

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is a cost-effective solution using proven technology which offers to balance supply and demand. Electricity produced by wind turbines or solar panels is stored in underground salt caverns in the form of compressed air or green hydrogen for up to 84 hours.

At times of peak supply, Corre Energy’s fleet will integrate gigawatts of renewables onto grids by returning some of the highest discharge and energy storage capacity outputs of all the key storage technologies for use at times of low supply.

There is a strong overall interest from utilities and multinational energy companies for long term offtake agreements, and the expectation is that interest will intensify following the announcement of the final REPowerEU plan.

As an anchor member of the LDES Council, Corre Energy welcomed the recent study carried out by McKinsey, ‘Net zero power: Long duration energy storage for a renewable grid’. The study highlights how between 25GW and 35GW of LDES will be installed globally worldwide by 2025, amounting to about 1TWh of energy capacity and US$50 billion of investment.

The study finds that the lowest cost pathway to net zero power will be by deploying LDES technology. The report sums up the importance of LDES going forward very succinctly: “Short-term funding can also be seen as a long-term investment that will pay off in the form of a lower-cost power system and a de-risked energy transition.”

Clearly, the EU agrees.

Corre Energy sees REPowerEU as an implicit endorsement of the company’s strategy to help future-proof energy systems in the EU.

As a direct result of REPowerEU announcements, the company will accelerate and expand our portfolio’s ambition to have at least 8 projects operational by 2030, with four to five more in construction or development so that we are optimally positioned to meet rising customer demand. Our strategic partnerships with Geostock and Siemens Energy will play a critical role in delivering these ambitious targets.

About the Author

Patrick McClughan is chief strategy officer at Corre Energy, a developer of long-duration energy storage projects and products, headquartered in the Netherlands. McClughan has previously held senior management roles with a focus on development, project financing, strategic advisory and fund management at groups including Irish transmission system operator EirGrid.

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The 6MW ground mount solar PV array. Image: GPM / Mahindra Susten.

Modhera in the Indian state of Gujarat is the country’s first fully solar powered town, demonstrating that battery storage can enable 24/7 clean energy and rural access to electricity.  

GreenPowerMonitor, which supplied the project with power plant controller and energy management system (EMS) said the smart combination of solar with battery storage with intelligent controls can solve the very complex challenge of creating a community’s entire energy network.

Modhera has only 1,400 inhabitants and is home to the Sun Temple dedicated to Hindu solar deity Surya.

It was picked out as the ideal place to demonstrate that access to electricity can be made fair, universal and completely renewable, in a project supported by the national government Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

MNRE issued the scheme’s tender in March 2020, citing that the “Scheme for Solarisation” of Modhera had the objective of bringing forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s own vision for the historic town, this being “so that the domestic and agricultural electricity needs of all the households of Modhera are fully fulfilled with solar energy, thereby setting up a pilot demonstration project for a village/town running completely on solar energy”.

As sought out through the tender, a 6MW solar PV power plant, 6MW/15MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), 271 rooftop solar arrays of 1kW each, smart meters and electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment were installed.

GreenPowerMonitor, which is a renewable energy digital services company owned by certification and standards group DNV, was appointed by engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Mahindra Susten to supply integrated onsite control, monitoring, data management and display solutions for the hybrid power plant.

FIMER provided six 1MVA bi-directional power conversion system (PCS) units including solar inverters, which Energy-Storage.news reported in early May. The project was brought online in just a year, with commissioning in August 2021.

This week, GreenPowerMonitor (GPM) offered more details on its involvement in the project and the company’s manager for the region said its successful operation so far indicated the huge potential of hybrid renewables-plus-energy storage.

“Combining solar PV and batteries in a hybrid project is challenging, but opens a wide range of possibilities to provide 100% renewable and clean energy to local communities,” Sergi Bosque Garcia said, adding that the flagship project “can be replicated in other regions with similar needs”.

“…we hope that this becomes a standard solution and a benchmark in the renewable energy industry.”

GPM’s power plant controller (PPC) and energy management system (EMS) are used as the system’s master controllers, allowing the batteries and other components to manage black start / grid-forming (islanding), energy shifting, state-of-charge (SoC) management and balancing of batteries in addition to frequency and voltage support.

GPM has created its digital platforms to maximise the production and integration of renewable energy and monitors 54GW of renewable energy assets worldwide, the company’s CEO Juan Carlos Alevaro told Energy-Storage.news in a recent interview.

“As you can imagine when we talk about renewables, we talk about storage as well, because we foresee the future as a combination of all the technologies, plus storage,” Alevaro said.

“Storage is an enabler, it’s not a source of production, it’s an enabler to other technologies, to maximise how to get the most out of them, and what we want is to offer through our power plant control and energy management system is flexibility.”

The R650 million (US$8.37 million) cost of the Modhera 24/7 solar project was shared 50:50 by the state government of Gujarat and the national Union Government. Both will hope the project can truly serve as the replicable example for other regions that it has so far proven to be.

A  different kind of 24/7 renewables supply was contracted for in August 2021 by the government-owned Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), which signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with independent power producer (IPP) ReNew Power for a 400MW ‘Round-the-Clock’ (RTC) electricity supply deal. That involves the use of a combined 1,300MW of wind and solar, together with BESS technology.

Don’t miss our free webinar, “Learn about India’s current and future business models for energy storage,” with Clean Horizon and guest speakers from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and Customized Energy Solutions. It takes place on Wednesday 22 June and you can register to attend here.

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Dale A. Vander Woude Luminia

Luminia and Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) have signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the development of an 11.6 MW AC solar plus 32 MWh battery storage project in Sonoma, Calif. Construction of the 75-acre project is expected in the second half of 2023 in southern Sonoma County, tying into a nearby electrical substation.

“Deploying reliable solar and storage projects with community choice aggregators like Sonoma Clean Power reinforces renewable energy as the new standard in our daily energy lives,” states Dale A. Vander Woude, chief investment officer of Luminia. “We formed an excellent team with Kenwood Investments to provide Sonoma Clean Power with a solution for its resource adequacy demand, which is what brought this important project to fruition in Sonoma County.”

In addition to the PPA, Luminia and Kenwood Investments LLC are managing the late-stage development of the project. Once completed, SCP will dispatch the 100% renewable, locally generated electricity to its EverGreen premium service customers throughout Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The 11.6 MW AC solar PV system also includes 32 MWh of lithium-ion battery storage that can distribute stored solar power across the grid during peak evening hours.

“Our mission is to make cleaner electricity accessible to our customers by putting the power to procure energy in the hands of local communities,” says Deb Emerson, managing director of procurement for Sonoma Clean Power. “With this solar and storage project we can provide renewable energy on-demand, regardless of the time of day, and promote 100 percent carbon-free energy generated right here in Sonoma County.”

EverGreen utilizes solar and geothermal power from facilities located exclusively in Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

“It is an honor to work with Sonoma Clean Power, County stakeholders and Luminia on this important solar project for the Sonoma community,” comments Darius Anderson, managing member of Kenwood Investments.

SCP issued a request for proposals in June 2021 in response to the board’s request to procure more local renewable resources for EverGreen. The companies then entered into an exclusivity agreement for the project in November 2021.

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Luke Marchiori

Digihost Technology Inc. has entered into a long-term deal to purchase community solar credits from a nearby community solar farm. The project, located in National Grid territory, is being managed by the EnergyMark. The community solar project is 5 MW in size and will produce roughly 9,500,000 kWh’s of clean electricity annually.

Digihost’s current East Delavan, N.Y. facility will be the anchor subscriber to the project. This facility is located in New York’s Zone-A region, where more than 90% of the power consumed is from zero-emissions generation. The long-term agreement will further reduce Digihost’s already low carbon footprint for its BTC mining operations and allow the company to apply the community solar credits received pursuant to the Agreement against future utility bills. The solar farm is expected to begin generating renewable electricity by Q4 2022.

The agreement was entered into by the company in accordance with its DigiGreen Initiative, whereby Digihost is committed to achieving net zero emissions from its BTC mining operations by 2030. In addition to nearly emission free electricity at its East Delavan facility, Digihost currently participates in several Demand Response programs, which aid in grid reliability during times of heightened volatility, and further reduces carbon emissions. The company is currently mining with greater than 90% zero emissions from its power consumption.

“Continued investment and support from the Blockchain industry will accelerate the growth of renewable electricity in the United States,” says Luke Marchiori, Digihost’s chief renewable energy officer. “This long-term community solar agreement with EnergyMark demonstrates our continued commitment to sustainable mining and renewable energy development. As we grow and increase electricity consumption, we will align with additional distributed energy resources that can further reduce our carbon footprint and continue to provide essential grid reliability.”

At an operational level, Digihost increased its current hashing capacity from 450 PH/s to 650 PH/s.

Regarding its infrastructure buildout in North Tonawanda for its proposed power plant acquisition, the company is still awaiting approval from the Public Service Commission to finalize that acquisition. The company believes that the New York State Senate Bill S6486D passed by the New York State Senate on June 3, 2022 will not impact the company’s proposed acquisition or its operations at the North Tonawanda plant. The bill proposes a two-year moratorium on new or renewed permits filed in the future for proof of work cryptocurrency mining operations at fossil fuel plants in New York State. The bill awaits the approval of New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who could sign or veto the legislation.

Based on the language of the bill, in particular Section 7, which states that the bill is intended to “take effect immediately and shall apply to all permits or renewal applications filed after such date,” the company believes that, should the legislation be signed into law by the governor, it will not apply to the proposed operations in North Tonawanda, as the company filed renewal applications for that plant in 2021. In addition, the bill also would not prohibit continued operation or expansion of several grid-powered cryptocurrency mining operations scattered across upstate New York, including the Company’s East Delavan facility.

“The passage of the moratorium in the New York State Senate signals New York State’s (NYS) continued desire to be a leader in developing technology for a clean future,” states Nick Williams, in-house counsel for the company. “Based on the language of the bill and the legislative record, it is our understanding that we would be exempt from the bill based on the filing of our renewal application with the PSC in April of 2021 and our filing with the DEC in November of 2021, in each case. In addition, the company is not using a retired plant but, rather, adding use to a plant currently in operation, not only preserving high-paying jobs in the North Tonawanda region but adding new jobs as well. We continue to work with NYS officials to confirm this understanding and to ensure we are in compliance with all rules and regulations.”

Additionally, the company is currently evaluating opportunities for operational expansion in North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Maryland.

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Burgenland Energie CEO Stephan Sharma (left) and CMBLu Energy CEO Dr Peter Geigle next to one of the latter’s 200kWh battery modules. Image: CMBlu Energy.

Flow battery companies CMBlu Energy and Redflow, both of whom have developed solutions using alternatives to vanadium, have struck commercial deals in Austria and the US, respectively.

CMBlu partners with Austrian utility and UK consortium

Germany-based flow battery company CMBlu Energy has struck a long-term research and pilot project agreement with an Austrian utility to test its technology.

CMBlu has struck the deal with Burgenland Energie AG, an electricity and gas utility serving around 200,000 customers, to cooperate on large-scale energy storage in the ‘multi-megawatt range’.

The companies said that CMBlu’s flow battery technology could help make Burgenland, the easternmost region of the country, energy self-sufficient and climate neutral by 2030. The utility’s CEO Stephan Sharma said the region needs 100MW/300MWh of energy storage to integrate its renewable resource potential, and that CMBlu was one partner that could help it get there.

However, the first phase of the project is much smaller in scale, comprising an energy storage system attached to a 650kW solar PV farm at a winery.

Dr. Peter Geigle, founder and CEO of CMBlu Energy, said: “This new project is intended to show what is technologically possible with organic solid flow storage. Our organic solid flow energy storage systems can solve a fundamental problem of renewable energies, namely the divergence between generation and demand.”

He added that the project would demonstrate its technology’s potential to smooth out intermittency of renewable generation, generating business models in energy trading and ultimately reduce costs for consumers in the region. CMBlu has in the past said its technology comprises a flow battery system using lignin, an organic polymer, though does not mention it in recent press releases and its website mentions only that the electrolyte stored in its systems’ tanks is carbon-based.

The company is supplying the flow battery technology for Bluestor, a consortium project which was recently awarded funding to pilot its long duration technology in the UK market by the government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The project in Portsmouth will test its potential to displace diesel generators by providing power for boats while docked and also enable port-based energy storage to help the grid.

Phase one of Bluestor’s project, set to conclude this month, has shown that flow batteries suit large-scale storage needs in environmentally sensitive areas like the sea, the company said. It is now going to apply for phase two funding which will allow it to build and operate a pre-commercial prototype organic flow battery on a floating barge to supply power to two visiting cruise ships while docked in Portsmouth. See the design below.

You can read more about other recipients of BEIS’ funding for long duration storage in a separate Energy-Storage.news piece published earlier today.

Redflow’s zinc flow battery

Australia-based zinc bromine electrolyte-based flow battery company Redflow said its solution can now be used with solar and storage technology company Sol-Ark’s hybrid inverters.

Texas-based Sol-Ark builds inverters that manage solar panels and attached battery storage for on and off-grid applications and its products are certified for the California grid operated by CAISO. The partnership should help Redflow build on its presence in the state, which includes a 2MWh system at a waste-to-energy plant, its largest project to-date.

The integration testing was completed at the Redflow Integration and Testing facility in Australia. The company said it demonstrates a complete compatibility between Redflow’s ZBM3 zinc-bromine flow battery and Sol-Ark’s product line of advanced hybrid inverters for solar PV and energy storage.

“Integration with Sol-Ark’s well established product line enables Redflow to deploy its zinc-bromine flow batteries in the United States SME and C&I markets, creating exciting opportunities for Redflow and Sol-Ark to work together to deploy new smaller scale systems across the US, and deliver sustainable and environmentally friendly renewable energy storage solutions,” said Redflow CEO Tim Harris.

The company has to-date mostly deployed systems for off-grid applications in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia but has recently been making a push into the US market.

Redflow is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). In its financial results for the half-year ending 31 December 2021, the company said revenues for the period were AU$1,174,242 (US$853,000), a 172.3% increase on the same period for 2020. It also recently struck a deal with global safety certification company Underwriters Laboratories Inc (UL) for the latter to test its battery technology for six months.

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