Here are some cleantech developments from around the world:

France-based independent power producer Neoen announced the start of the construction for its 200 MW/400 MWh Blyth Battery project in the Mid North region of South Australia. The company provided a notice to proceed with the consortium of Elecnor, the balance of plant contractor, and NHOA Energy, the battery storage specialist for the project. The Blyth Battery project is expected to be operational in 2025 and located next to the Blyth West substation. Blyth Battery will mainly be deployed to firm wind energy from Goyder South Stage 1 to deliver a 70 MW renewable energy baseload contract to BHP.

Spain-based multinational electric utility company Iberdrola announced plans to install its first floating solar photovoltaic project in Brazil with a 630 kW capacity. The company’s subsidiary, Neoenergia will build the project on the waterbed of the Xareu dam on the island of Fernando de Naronha in Brazil. Iberdrola will build the floating solar project with Companhia Pernambucana de Saneamento (Compesa), which operates the water and sewage distribution network across the island. The Energy Efficiency Program regulated by the Brazilian National Electric Energy Agency will also support the construction of the project. Once built, it will generate around 1,240 MWh of green energy annually, enough for over 50% of Compesa’s energy consumption on the island. The floating solar project will be built using 940 panels which will help mitigate over 1,660 tons of carbon every year.

Union Power Minister R K Singh outlined the various actions initiated by the government for the promotion of green hydrogen, a day after the launch of the National Green Hydrogen Mission. The policy initiatives include the green open access rules and various hydrogen policy initiatives by Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. The ministry is also putting together a working group to consolidate regulations and standards for hydrogen mobility. The minister also highlighted the long-term roadmap for research and innovation which is under development. The bidding guidelines for green hydrogen and ammonia procurement are also being formulated by the government. There have also been pilot project announcements by most public sector undertakings and private investors in the country. The government has signed international cooperation initiatives with countries like Germany, Japan, the U.S., the UAE, Australia, and the EU along with some multilateral institutions.

German energy company HH2E AG said it will purchase 120 MW of electrolyzer capacity from Norway-based NeI ASA, a global hydrogen solutions provider. HH2E has placed what it deemed to be the largest equipment order to produce green hydrogen projects in Germany to date. The German company has set plans to reach 4 GW of installed capacity in Germany by 2030, with the first project announced in Lumbin/Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the German Baltic coast, which is one of the largest green hydrogen production plants in Europe, with a capacity to produce around 6,000 tons of green hydrogen annually by 2025. HH2E has also planned a second-stage expansion to increase the capacity to over 1 GW, which will produce over 60,000 tons of green hydrogen per year and help avoid over 800,000 tons of direct carbon emissions annually.