Daily News Wrap-Up: Enel to Set Up a 1 GW Solar Tracker Manufacturing Facility in Italy
US has a 30.7 GW pipeline of offshore wind projects
February 21, 2022
Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:
Enel, an Italian gas and power utility company, and Comal, a photovoltaic projects developer, have signed an agreement to develop a 1 GW solar tracker manufacturing facility at Montalto di Castro power plant in Italy. The facility is a part of the Enel Group’s commitment to the new development of the sites of its disused plants, following a redevelopment strategy that prioritizes the leveraging of existing structures and the integration of new renewable production plants and storage systems.
According to an S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis, the United States has a 30.7 GW pipeline of offshore wind projects. If all projects are developed on time, the U.S. will have 4,733 MW of operating offshore wind capacity by 2025. Another 16,218 MW capacity is scheduled for completion between 2025 and 2030 when the U.S. will have 20,951 MW of operating capacity. According to the report, European companies have maintained dominance in the U.S. market. The top ten largest developers by project size have a collective 26,454 MW under development, and the U.S. companies own just over 4,500 MW of that capacity.
Iberdrola, a Spanish electric utility company, announced that it inaugurated the largest ultra-fast charging hub for electric vehicles in southern Europe. The facility located in Elche (Alicante) consists of two charging stations with a total nominal power of 4 MW. The charging hub, carried out in cooperation with Porsche, comprises four 400 kW charges and twelve 200 kW chargers, which can charge up to 16 vehicles simultaneously and recharge an electric car battery in less than five minutes. The company has partnered with Porsche to install 35 ultra-fast charging stations in Spain.
British bus manufacturing company Alexander Dennis Limited and BYD UK announced that they would supply over 130 zero-emission double-deck buses to electric vehicle fleet and battery storage specialist Zenobe and bus operator National Express. The deal would see over 130 double-deck electric buses enter service in Coventry, England, from early 2023 as a part of the city’s successful bid to become the country’s first all-electric bus city. It aims to replace around 300 diesel vehicles with electric vehicles by 2025.
The Government of Western Australia introduced distributed photovoltaic (DPV) management capability to assist the Australian Energy Market Operator in maintaining power system security during extreme low load events. The government said the speed and scale of solar uptake are presenting challenges to the grid. Therefore, all new and upgraded installations of distribution-connected solar systems in the South West Interconnected System from February 14, 2022, should be capable of being remotely turned down or off in extreme operating conditions. DPV Management is expected to help facilitate the connection of greater levels of low-cost, low-emission renewable energy generation and allow more renewable energy generation overall while managing emerging risks to the power system.