Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:

Green hydrogen company Ohmium International is collaborating with Shell India to evaluate hydrogen applications, markets, and project opportunities in India and globally. As part of the collaboration, both parties intend to launch joint working groups to assess opportunities from the technical, commercial, and safety perspectives. Ohmium maintains its interlocking modular PEM electrolyzers will provide a safer, modular, flexible, easy to install, and maintain alternative to customized electrolyzers. The collaboration is positioned to elevate Shell’s ambition further to help build a global hydrogen economy by developing the most competitive opportunities in producing, storing, transporting, and delivering hydrogen to end customers.

Renewable energy company Vena Energy commenced commercial operation of the 100 MW/ 150 MWh Wandoan South Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Queensland. The Wandoan South BESS is located approximately 400 km northwest of Brisbane in the Darling Downs region and is connected to Powerlink’s Wandoan South Substation. The project can store enough energy to power approximately 57,000 average-sized Australian households annually. The project was shortlisted as a finalist in the 2022 Clean Energy Council Innovation Awards. Full operational dispatch rights of the Wandoan South BESS have now been handed over to Australia’s largest electricity provider, AGL, on a fixed long-term contract for 15 years.

QatarEnergy awarded the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract for its industrial cities solar power project (IC Solar) to Samsung C&T, a construction and trading arm of Samsung. The project includes two large-scale photovoltaic solar power plants to be built in Mesaieed Industrial City (MIC) and Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC). MIC will have a 417 MW plant, and RLIC will have a 458 MW plant. The two plants will occupy a combined area of 10 square kilometers. It is expected to start electricity production by the end of 2024. The project will utilize high-efficiency bifacial modules mounted on single-axis trackers and cleaning robots that will operate daily to minimize losses due to soiling by removing dust from the PV modules. The project’s power generation capacity is strategically distributed between Qatar’s leading industrial cities, MIC and RLIC. The approximately QAR2.3 billion (~$631.69 million) IC Solar project will result in a direct emissions reduction of more than 28 million tons of CO2 over its lifetime.

ABB, a global technology company, signed an agreement with Canadian technology innovator Hydrogen Optimized Inc. (HOI) to expand the partnership and include investment in HOI’s parent company Key DH Technologies. ABB and Canadian green hydrogen technology company Hydrogen Optimized will seek to advance the deployment of economic large-scale green hydrogen production systems to decarbonize hard-to-abate industries. The companies will leverage their respective capabilities and resources to rapidly commercialize Hydrogen Optimized’s patented RuggedCell high-power water electrolysis technology for green hydrogen plants. RuggedCell technology converts renewable electricity such as hydro, solar, and wind power into green hydrogen for the industry. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Octopus Energy Group launched its new €220 million (~$218.28 million) renewables fund Octopus Energy Development Partnership (OEDP). The fund makes its debut investment in renewables developer Exagen to build new green energy and rapidly grow the UK’s energy storage capacity. OEDP focuses on investing in the early stages of building new green energy, which is vital to help reduce Europe’s dependence on gas imports and lower future energy bills. Managed by Octopus Energy Generation, OEDP targets solar, onshore wind, and energy storage projects in the UK and the rest of Europe. This latest multi-million-pound deal sees OEDP take a 24% stake in Exagen. Exagen is working on large-scale solar and battery facilities, partnering with farmers, landowners, and local communities to build projects that help bring energy security. This deal includes the option to purchase one of the UK’s largest batteries at 500 MW/ 1 GWh located in the Midlands, England, scheduled to be operational by 2027.

Volkswagen AG and the Government of Canada inked an agreement to promote e-mobility in the country and to explore opportunities across Canada’s automotive and battery supply chain. Both parties will investigate opportunities for Canada to contribute to Volkswagen’s global and regional battery supply chains. PowerCo, the newly founded battery company of the Group, has a central role in these efforts and will drive forward the planned cooperation in battery value creation, raw materials supply chains, and cathode material production in the North American region. For the development of sustainable battery production, both parties intend to boost cooperation based on recognized Environment, Social, and Governance criteria between PowerCo and the Canadian mining sector, which is seen as a world leader in terms of responsibility and transparency. For this purpose, PowerCo is planning to establish a new, dedicated liaison office in Canada. A key focus of cooperation is the supply of critical raw materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt.