SUSTAINABILITY
OCI Solar Power | March 10, 2023
OCI Solar Power, a utility-scale solar developer, declared that it recently worked as the EPC to upgrade its Alamo 2 solar farm. This upgrade would enhance its performance and reliability.
It has maintained a solar farm for over eight years and has about 4.4 MWac solar energy projects on 45 acres of land which started operating in March 2014. It has strived for a solution to every mechanical failure and observed the working of advanced tracker technology. In addition, it supervised a second months-long upgrade, during which it performed the scope of EPC. It completed a renovation to its 39.2 MWac Alamo 1 solar facility in 2019 and a 6-month upgrade at Alamo 2 in 2022. These upgrades in projects at Alamo 1 and Alamo 2 happened in sections so that the solar farm remains partially energized. These adjustments ensured power supply to CPS Energy, a power, natural gas, and electric company in the public sector.
Construction Manager at OCI Solar Power, Jason Thompson said, "We found ourselves repairing trackers and then fixing them again days later because of mechanical issues. It was very similar to what our Alamo 1 solar farm located south of San Antonio was experiencing a few years ago. Now both solar farms have state-of-the-art trackers from Array Technologies, Inc. and increased production."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
President & CEO at OCI Solar Power, Charles Kim said, "Enhancing Alamo 2 is another example of our commitment to our customers and the solar industry." He added, "We are consistently working to ensure that the solar farms we own and operate are performing near or at capacity so electric customers receive clean energy. The construction project was also a way for us reiterate the importance of investing in a clean, reliable, sustainable fuel source."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About OCI Solar Power
Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, OCI Solar Power, a solar energy company, has been innovating and developing utility-scale solar power plants in the United States since 2011. It constructs, develops, operates and owns photovoltaic projects for sustainable green energy generation. It is creating job opportunities and energy independence. It has brought utility scaled solar projects to Texas. Among the solar plants installed in the ERCOT market, over 450 MW are from OCI Solar Power. Its three projects are 100% compliant with Buy American Act. Its Alamo 6 is a dual-axis solar farm in the US. Its parent company, OCI Company Ltd, manufactures polysilicon, a raw material for solar cells.
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ENERGY
Canadian Solar Inc. | March 16, 2023
Canadian Solar Inc., a solar technology and renewable energy company, has recently announced that its three solar power projects in Japan, particularly in Gunma Takasaki, Oita Kitsuki, and Yamaguchi Hofu, have reached their commercial operation in early 2023, totaling about 42 MWp.
Canadian Solar's bifacial BiHiKu modules powered these projects. The grid operators from the respective areas purchased the energy generated from the projects through Japan's feed-in-tariff program. This purchase would continue for about 19 years at the rates of JPY32 (US$0.24), JPY14.49 (US$0.11), and JPY14.25 (US$0.10) per kWh in approximation. The projects would produce about 53,000 MWh of renewable energy. This energy will power over 15,000 households and avoid approximately 24,000 tons of carbon emissions per year. It is delivering more clean, safe and affordable solar energy to the world. Of the total project pipeline, 2.9 GWp of projects are in late-stage development and have secured energy offtake agreements. In addition, it has a geographically diversified utility-scale solar power project pipeline of around 10 GWp.
Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar Inc., Dr. Shawn Qu said, "We are delighted to be part of the green transformation that Japan is going through with these additions to our portfolio. Our teams worked closely with the local communities and governments to bring these projects to fruition. Working closely with the local community to cultivate a sustainable long-term relationship is one of our ESG sustainable development goals. Canadian Solar's Sustainability Report provides a detailed discussion on our ESG goals, targets and approaches."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About Canadian Solar Inc.
Headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, Canadian Solar Inc., a renewable energy semiconductor manufacturing company, offers solutions for solar projects, solar panels, PV applications, bankability, solar modules, solar farms, renewable energy, and sustainability. It has been working as a global energy and solar energy solutions provider and solar PV modules manufacturer since 2001. It has conducted successful business subsidiaries in different countries and delivered about 55 GW of solar modules worldwide. It runs solar power projects and plants with the commercial operation, with a resale value of approximately US$1.2 billion. It was listed as Bloomberg New Energy Finance's Tier 1 Module Manufacturer in bankability for Q4 2018. GTM Research named it the Top 3 Global Utility-scale Solar PV Project Developer for 2017.
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SUSTAINABILITY
Octopus Energy | March 17, 2023
Octopus Energy, the UK’s third largest energy retailer, has announced plans to invest €1 billion in the French green energy market over the next two years.
The investment will be used to accelerate the energy transition in France and generate enough local green power to supply 300,000 households.
Building on its investments already made in France, the company is launching a new European tech hub in Paris through its subsidiary Kraken. The new hub will create hundreds of clean energy jobs and support millions of customers across the continent.
Octopus Energy first entered the French market in January 2022 with its acquisition of French energy supplier Plüm énergie. The company is now targeting 1 million customers by 2026 in France.
While offering better customer service and bringing down prices, Octopus Energy France is also helping and rewarding French households to lower their energy consumption through innovative products. The company's customers already use 10% less energy than the average French household, and Octopus is committed to continue innovating to help French consumers use less, but stay warm.
Announcing the plans at the 36th Franco-British Summit, chaired by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris today, Octopus Energy CEO and Founder, Greg Jackson, commented: “Octopus operates across 10 European countries, and today we’re delighted to announce a huge increase in our cooperation with France.
We’re planning to invest an extra billion Euros in French generation - but we’re also going to make Paris our EU technology hub. This is testament to the mutual commitment to investing in a clean energy system, and pioneering the digitisation which will drive costs down alongside carbon.”
Vincent Maillard, CEO of Octopus Energy France, commented: “We are very proud to see Octopus Energy's role in France's energy transition recognized at the highest level of the French government.
In doing so, the group combines retail energy expertise, major investments in renewable generation and cutting-edge technology to unlock innovative tariffs and deliver an outstanding customer experience to French households."
About Octopus Energy Group
Octopus Energy Group is a global energy tech pioneer, launched in 2016 to use technology to unlock a customer focused and affordable green energy revolution. It is part of Octopus Group, which is a certified BCorp. With operations in 14 countries, Octopus Energy Group's mission is going global.
Octopus’s domestic energy arm already serves 3.4 million customers with cheaper greener power, through Octopus Energy, Affect Energy, Ebico, London Power and Co-op Energy. In December 2022, it was announced that Octopus would also take on the 1.5 million customers of failed supplier Bulb Energy. Octopus Electric Vehicles is helping make clean transport cheaper and easier, and Octopus Energy Services is bringing smart products to thousands of homes. Octopus Energy Generation is one of Europe’s largest investors in renewable energy, managing a £4bn portfolio of renewable energy assets throughout the continent.
All of these are made possible by Octopus’s tech arm, Kraken Technologies, which offers a proprietary, in-house platform based on advanced data and machine learning capabilities, Kraken automates much of the energy supply chain to allow outstanding service and efficiency as the world transitions to a decentralized, decarbonized energy system. This technology has been licensed to support over 20 million customer accounts worldwide, through deals with EDF Energy, Good Energy, E.ON energy and Origin Energy.
In December 2021, Octopus Energy Group was valued at approximately $5 billion following a $600 million investment from Generation Investment Management and a $300 million investment from Canada Pensions Plan Investments Board. Both investors back businesses that drive sustainability, promote green energy and tackle climate change. It was the company’s third major investment round since launching to the market.
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