Sarcos Making Strides with Solar Installation Robotics
Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corp., a provider of advanced robotic systems, has completed the final validation of its Outdoor Autonomous Manipulation of Photovoltaic Panels (O-AMPP) project. Sarcos collaborated with Mortenson, JLG Industries, Array Technologies and Pratt Miller to validate the project through a field trial at a Mortenson project site. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), annual solar installations will need to increase by 60 percent between now and 2030 in order to meet the Biden administration’s climate targets of solar energy reaching 30% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030. To meet this solar installation goal, SEIA estimates that an anticipated workforce expansion of nearly 900,000 new workers will be required. Given current labor force limitations—the U.S. solar industry employed approximately 230,000 workers in 2020—and a labor-intensive solar installation process, the solar field construction market represents a potentially massive addressable market for robotic technology, according to Sarcos. The…
Sunnova Energy, David Energy Form Partnership
John Berger Sunnova Energy International Inc. has partnered with David Energy, a software-driven retail energy provider in Texas, to bring its Adaptive Retail energy plan to the Texas marketplace. The Adaptive Retail energy plan uses Sunnova SunSafe solar and battery storage systems to create a virtual power plant (VPP) that optimizes the interactions of the fleet with the electric grid. By aggregating the battery storage and generation capacity of its customers, Sunnova can provide a more reliable and flexible source of energy that can respond to changes in demand and market conditions, the company says. Sunnova and David Energy will use their distributed energy resource management software to optimize their customers’ distributed energy resources (DERs) and create a VPP in Texas. Sunnova’s fleet of batteries will react in real time to David Energy’s platform, which dispatches the fleet based on the price of energy in…
Sol Systems, Google Putting Funding to Work Through Electric Co-Ops
Yuri Horwitz Solar power developer and operator Sol Systems is launching a renewable energy procurement and investment strategy with Google that enables the development of new solar energy projects and supports local communities where the projects are built. The companies have structured an integrated clean energy investment and procurement strategy for solar projects being developed by Pine Gate Renewables in North Carolina and South Carolina. This strategy provides capital to enable 225 MW DC of new solar energy projects and 18 MW of battery storage resources. These assets are being developed in a region with relatively low renewable energy penetration and of specific focus for Google and its 24/7 carbon-free energy goal. Alongside this investment, Google and Sol Systems will deploy capital to seed critical investments into regional community organizations that serve under-resourced and minority communities. The investment will focus on reducing energy burden by enabling critical home pre-weatherization and…
Origis Energy Secures Additional $750 Million for Solar, Storage Projects
Jamie Edwards Origis Energy has closed an upsizing amendment to its development finance facility that doubles the company’s capacity to $750 million. With enhanced flexibility and increased capacity, the credit facility will support further expansion of Origis Energy’s utility-scale solar and energy storage project pipeline. This financing round follows a $375 million facility announced in May 2022. CIT, a division of First Citizens Bank, was the lead arranger. Lenders supporting the amendment and increasing their commitments included Santander, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Rabobank and Nomura. New entrants joining the syndicate include Truist Securities, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), KeyBank, Natixis and Société Générale. “The recent passing of the Inflation Reduction Act invoking incentive stability, market demand for high-quality clean energy generation and the strong Origis track record drove high interest in this financing round,” says Origis Energy’s Jamie Edwards. “The offering upsizes our 2022 facility by…
Our Next Energy Chooses Site for Battery Storage System Manufacturing
Mujeeb Ijaz Our Next Energy (ONE) has entered into an agreement with the State of West Virginia to locate its Aries Grid battery storage system manufacturing facility in Millwood, at the Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables microgrid business site. ONE will use a 40,000 sq. ft. industrial building already located on the Ravenswood site to assemble Aries Grid, a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) utility-scale battery system that can serve as long-duration energy storage. BHE Renewables had previously selected ONE as its partner for utility-scale battery storage at its microgrid business site. “The BHE Renewables microgrid project, estimated at 420 MWh, in Jackson County represents a historic transition to renewable energy-based manufacturing in the U.S. and establishes a standard for others to follow,” says Mujeeb Ijaz, CEO and founder of ONE. “Building upon BHE Renewables’ commitment to this site and the State of West Virginia, ONE’s first…
Pivot Energy Adds Credit Enhancement Product to Solar Portfolio
Bret Labadie kWh Analytics has formed a partnership with Pivot Energy LLC to provide its Solar Revenue Put production insurance for multiple distributed solar projects totaling 70 MW across six states. kWh Analytics says the Solar Revenue Put was added post-financial-close to improve leverage from lenders Silicon Valley Bank, Cadence Bank and Bank United. Everest is the main carrier for the production coverage. “Our partnership kWh Analytics will be a game-changer for our portfolio of community solar assets,” says Bret Labadie, CFO of Pivot Energy. “This insurance product reduces the risk of the portfolio, which enables stronger project returns and ultimately allows us to more effectively finance more clean energy projects in the future.” The Solar Revenue Put is a credit enhancement product designed to help investors improve leverage by mitigating solar production risk. Although the financing closed in April 2022, the post-financing addition of…
Generation Bridge Planning Solar Power for New York Brownfield Site
Dan Revers Generation Bridge LLC, an owner of several electric power generation facilities in California, Connecticut and New York, is initiating a multi-year solar project in Oswego, N.Y., that will utilize land that currently contains several fuel oil storage tanks with a total capacity of nearly 130 million gallons. The project, which is planned to total 25 MW by 2027, will be built at the South Oswego Terminal and developed by asset manager Eastern Generation LLC. Generation Bridge and Eastern Generation are affiliates of ArcLight Capital Partners, a power infrastructure investor with an existing portfolio containing over 25 GW of installed generating capacity. “ArcLight is proud to support Generation Bridge’s investment in Oswego and help New York meet its renewable energy goals by replacing fossil fuel infrastructure with clean energy generation,” says Dan Revers, managing partner at ArcLight. “We look forward to working with the State of New York, the…
Solis Introduces New Solar PV Inverters
Solar inverter producer Solis Technologies has debuted the 100K-5G-PRO series, for higher powered commercial and industrial applications, and the 255kW-EHV three-phase inverter for large-area utility-scale systems. The Solis 100K-5G-PRO inverter includes component and manufacturing upgrades that enable full compatibility with today’s high-power 182mm and 210mm PV modules, allowing for greater capacity and a lower levelized cost of energy from a smaller footprint. This comprehensive re-engineering of the PRO series has also helped overcome escalating supply-chain bottlenecks for a number of hard-to-source components, the company says. “5G PRO has an increased power rating, of more than 600 W, greater current capacity, up to 18 A per string, and maximum power point tracking of eight, each with access to two groups of strings,” says Travis Snyder, product manager at Solis Europe. The 255kW-EHV comes storage-ready and offers a large single power capacity (up to 1500 V and 255 kW) with high maximum…
Louisiana Utility Seeking Approval on Pair of Solar Projects
Phillip May Entergy Louisiana has filed a request with the Louisiana Public Service Commission to approve the purchase, construction and operation of nearly 225 MW of new solar power resources. Entergy Louisiana has selected two projects to source additional solar energy, including one in Iberville Parish that would account for approximately 175 MW and another in Ouachita Parish (~49 MW). If approved by the commission, Entergy Louisiana will be able to increase its renewable portfolio and help meet the growing demand for clean generation. “This is another step toward not only reaching our own sustainability goals, but also toward helping our customers reach their sustainability goals,” says Phillip May, Entergy Louisiana’s president and CEO. “The desire for clean power is increasing and, at Entergy, we intend to meet that desire in a way that balances our ability to continue providing reliable and affordable power. We’re excited about the potential addition…
AVANGRID to Use Array Technologies DuraTrack for 321 MW Installation
Kevin Hostettler AVANGRID Inc. has selected DuraTrack solar trackers from Array Technologies to construct its 321 MW True North solar farm in Falls County, Texas, one of the company’s biggest solar facilities under development in the U.S. Array Technologies is a long-standing supplier of AVANGRID and the Iberdrola Group, and this purchase is an additional step in a partnership that is expected to continue to grow. This agreement was vital to the final investment decision for the construction of the True North project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. “Our durable and low maintenance trackers will help provide clean renewable energy for the Texas grid, ensuring the local community has reliable power for years to come,” says Kevin Hostettler, CEO of Array Technologies. With the purchase of solar trackers from Array Technologies and with the development of projects like the…