SOLAR+STORAGE
businesswire | May 17, 2023
AVANGRID, a leading sustainable energy company and part of the Iberdrola Group, today announced a meaningful contribution to Yale University to support innovative research projects focused on advancing the clean energy transition.
This collaboration, which began in 2019, supports research into topics such as solar energy, battery storage, electric vehicles, energy policy, clean energy leadership, market development, corporate net-zero commitments, and others related to accelerating the growth of clean energy.
“At AVANGRID, we are convinced that innovation is key to developing the solutions that we need to advance the clean energy transition,” said Pedro Azagra, AVANGRID CEO. “Strong collaborations with academic institutions, like the one we have with Yale, allow different sectors to engage in meaningful dialogue and collaborate to build a cleaner, more sustainable world for generations to come.”
“I am grateful that AVANGRID and Yale will continue to work together to advance research that addresses the climate crisis,” said Yale University President Peter Salovey. “We will support a range of ongoing sustainability and energy related studies and engage student leaders at Yale who are committed to addressing systemic environmental challenges. Our endeavors stand to accelerate the development and implementation of clean energy solutions.”
The collaboration between AVANGRID and Yale has allowed researchers to work on actionable projects with the potential to be implemented. Some of these projects include a data analysis of the company’s customers in Connecticut to study the feasibility of using solar power in AVANGRID’s circuits, the use of blockchain and IoT to track and report climate action commitments, a tailored program on “purpose-driven leadership” for executives at AVANGRID, and a study of network effect benefits from electricity grid connections.
Collaborations like this are an example of the company’s constant efforts to build strong relationships with the academic sector that promote research and innovation to allow the development of clean energy projects.
About AVANGRID
AVANGRID, Incaspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $40 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs more than 7,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2023, AVANGRID ranked first within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2022 for the fourth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. AVANGRID is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A.
Read More
SOLAR+STORAGE
businesswire | April 04, 2023
Enviva Inc. welcomes today’s news that the European Union’s trilogue negotiations concluded with an agreement on the Renewable Energy Directive III (“REDIII” or the “Directive”) and is pleased to hear that woody biomass will continue to be recognized as a renewable energy source in the EU.
Although the final text of the agreement has yet to be released publicly, the Company also understands that, encouragingly, the agreement does not impose restrictions on “primary woody biomass,” which will be counted as 100 percent renewable and zero-rated in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), provided sustainability criteria are fulfilled. As the world’s leading producer of sustainably sourced woody biomass, Enviva is confident that it will be able to meet all updated sustainability criteria, thereby enabling its customers to continue to make an important contribution to achieving global climate goals.
Today’s agreement is also expected to include: assurances that electricity-only plants already receiving subsidies will continue to do so, meaning Enviva’s existing off-take contracts are not expected to be impacted; continuing availability of financial support to electricity-only installations where Bioenergy Energy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is used (this is a pivotal technology for reaching Net Zero and a key focus for many of Europe’s power generators); and the availability of financial support for all other end uses of woody biomass, which should provide further tailwinds to Enviva’s continued growth in combined heat and power, hard-to-abate sectors, and biofuels.
“Today’s REDIII agreement is the last major step towards the end of an 18-month process that is now drawing to a favorable conclusion for the environment,” said Thomas Meth, President and CEO of Enviva. “While there will be some conjecture over the coming weeks, based on information that we have received thus far, I am fully confident that the final text will enable our business to continue to support the EU's journey to Net Zero and will strengthen the platform for Enviva’s growth, especially in light of current high carbon prices. Reputable scientific organizations, including The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), show that bioenergy is integral to achieving global climate goals, and I am delighted to hear that this was acknowledged and reflected in the REDIII agreement,” concluded Meth.
Enviva anticipates that the agreed final text of the Directive will not be available for a number of weeks and looks forward to sharing further information with its stakeholders in due course. The next step is for this agreement to be formally endorsed by the Council and Parliament before entering into law.
About Enviva
Enviva Inc. is the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, a renewable and sustainable energy source produced by aggregating a natural resource, wood fiber, and processing it into a transportable form, wood pellets. Enviva owns and operates ten plants with a combined production capacity of approximately 6.2 million metric tons per year in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi, and is constructing its 11th plant in Epes, Alabama. Additionally, Enviva is planning to commence construction of its 12th plant near Bond, Mississippi. Enviva sells most of its wood pellets through long-term, take-or-pay off-take contracts with primarily creditworthy customers in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Japan, helping to accelerate the energy transition and to defossilize hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement, lime, chemicals, and aviation. Enviva exports its wood pellets to global markets through its deep-water marine terminals at the Port of Chesapeake, Virginia, the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina, and the Port of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and from third-party deep-water marine terminals in Savannah, Georgia, Mobile, Alabama, and Panama City, Florida.
Read More
SOLAR+STORAGE
prnewswire | May 26, 2023
Scout Clean Energy (Scout), a Colorado based renewable energy developer-owner-operator, and its joint venture partner Elawan Energy, a global operator in the renewable energy industry, today announced they have completed the sale of the 199-megawatt (MW) Persimmon Creek Wind Farm (Persimmon) in western Oklahoma to Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVRG).
Michael Rucker, CEO and founder of Scout Clean Energy, said, "The Persimmon Creek Wind Farm has proven to be a reliable source of renewable energy over the last five years making it a solid investment for Scout. We are excited to finalize the sale to Evergy as it seeks to deliver carbon-free wind energy directly to their customers."
Persimmon achieved commercial operation in 2018 with 80 General Electric turbines across 17,000 acres in Dewey, Ellis and Woodward counties in Oklahoma. The renewable energy generated from Persimmon will serve customers in Evergy's service area.
"The completion of the Persimmon Creek sale positions Scout to provide a significant return on the capital invested," explained Rucker. "As a part of the existing operations agreement, Scout will continue servicing the project through the end of this year."
Scout, now a portfolio company of Brookfield Renewable, is approaching six months under Brookfield's ownership and continues to execute on its significant growth plans. Since the beginning of the year, Scout has finalized the sale of Persimmon Creek with the proceeds being deployed back into new development projects, started construction on the 200MW Sweetland Wind Farm in South Dakota, and is raising financing for its 209MW Markum Solar project in Texas, which will start construction later this year. Scout remains focused on the construction and development of its pipeline of 16.5 GW of Wind, Solar, and Battery Storage projects across 22 states.
Scout's legal advisor was McDermott Will & Emery LLP and Evergy's legal advisor on the transaction was Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.
Persimmon Creek Wind Farm Photo -- Credit: Kipp Schorr – Wagon Productions
About Scout Clean Energy
Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, Scout Clean Energy, a renewable energy semiconductor manufacturing company, provides services for wind project development, energy resource assessment, transmission interconnection, project finance, wind energy real estate and title, solar project development, and wind facility operation. It is a renewable energy developer and owner-operator with approximately 1,200 MW operating wind assets, of which about 400 MW for third parties and over 22,000 MW wind, solar and energy storage projects with almost 2,500 MW projects which are under construction and advanced-stage. In addition, it assists in various aspects of renewables like project development, permitting, power marketing, asset management, operations, and finance.
Read More