Daily News Wrap-Up: Total Awarded 67 MW of Solar Projects in a Recent Tender in France
Singapore announces a $49 million low-carbon energy research funding initiative
October 28, 2020
Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:
Disneyland Paris announced the phased development of a solar canopy facility with France-based Urbasolar through a co-investment plan. The project will be located at the resort’s main guest parking lot, which will generate around 31 GWh of clean energy while reducing around 750 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The solar canopy facility’s construction is expected to be completed in 2023, with a first milestone for the first phase in spring 2021.
Solar developer ReneSola and Novergy, a subsidy-free solar platform in the United Kingdom, are entering into a strategic partnership agreement to co-develop utility-scale projects in the U.K. As part of the agreement, ReneSola Power and Novergy will create a joint venture company. The venture expects to continue developing the existing pipeline of 100 MW and intends to develop at least another 100 MW of utility-scale projects in the next couple of years.
Total Quadran, a wholly-owned Total affiliate in France, was awarded 67 MW of solar projects representing 20% of the recently awarded tenders. With this, Total said that it would be consolidating its position as France’s second-largest solar developer with 606 MW of projects awarded across all the sections of tenders. Most of the projects will be developed on repurposed sites such as quarries and former industrial locations. Three of these projects are part of the solarization program for Total Group sites.
The Government of New South Wales and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency have awarded funding to TransGrid for the installation of the first large-scale grid battery at TransGrid’s Wallgrove substation in Western Sydney, Australia. The Wallgrove grid battery project will trial the use of a 50 MW/75 MWh lithium-ion battery to provide fast frequency response and synthetic inertia services to the New South Wales transmission network. Tesla will design the battery by using the Tesla Megapacks, and the battery will be connected directly to TransGrid’s transmission network.
Yellow Door Energy, a UAE-based sustainable energy provider, has successfully commissioned a 2 MW solar facility for Future Pipe Industries. The solar facility, located in Dubai Industrial City, is expected to generate 3.2 GWh of clean energy in its first year of operation, equivalent to reducing 1,300 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The project will meet 40% of Future Pipe Industries’ facility’s electricity needs while reducing the electricity costs.
Azelio, a Sweden-based solar renewable energy company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Morocco-based JET Energy to explore energy storage projects with Azelio’s TES.POD in Francophone Africa. The collaboration targets around 45 MW capacity of TES.POD until 2025, with JET Energy as project developer. In addition, both companies anticipate an extended project pipeline once the first projects are initiated. The first project targets 5 kWe in 2021, followed by installations of large-scale storage projects with an expected total of 5 MWe in 2022, 10 MWe in 2023, 15 MWe in 2024, and 15 MWe in 2025.
Elkem, a Norway-based silicon producer, and FREYR have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the potential commercial supply of battery materials from Elkem to FREYR’s lithium-ion cell facility under development in Mo i Rana, Norway. Under the agreement, both companies will work together to establish a long-term anode material supply agreement, including battery graphite and high-content silicon battery materials for FREYR’s initial pilot production line, the 2-25 GWh fast-track facilities and the subsequent two-phase 32 GW giga-facility. The agreement also includes joint development and industrial-scale testing of new high-performance active anode material and new technologies to provide battery cells with higher energy density.
Snam, an Italy-based energy infrastructure company, has signed a partnership agreement with ITM Power, a U.K.-based electrolyzers producers. The agreement envisages the start of commercial and technological collaboration for the development of future joint initiatives and the concurrent energy of Snam into the shareholder structure of ITM Power with a minority stake and investment of £30 million (~$ 39.06 million) as part of the capital increase of £150 million (~$ 195.23 million) offered for subscriptions, and to Snam, to institutional investors, and shareholders.
Here is our previous daily news wrap-up.