Total has acquired Fonroche Biogaz, a company that designs, builds and operates anaerobic digestion units in France. With close to 500 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of installed capacity, which doubled between 2019 and 2020, Fonroche Biogaz is the French market leader in the production of renewable gas with more than 10% market share thanks to a portfolio of seven units in operation and a pipeline of four imminent projects. Courtesy of Fonroche Biogaz
Drawing on the expertise of its 85 employees, Fonroche Biogaz has developed industrial and technological expertise across the entire renewable gas value chain. Its integration marks a significant step in Total’s development on the renewable gas market, with prospects for rapid growth on the French market and for international deployment.
Monday, 11 January 2021 The US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a statement in response to the publication, last week, of a story in the New York Times claiming that some of the world s largest solar energy companies, working with the Chinese government, use workers from the Chinese solar industry who have been red-flagged as victims of forced labour. Uyghurs held in detention centre. Courtesy of Valerie Peay/Vimeo.
The New York Times isn t the only publication that has published such claims. Michael Copley authored a similar story published on the SP Global website which went into great detail on this subject and is more accessible, given that the NYT article is covered by a paywall.
Courtesy of ARC Power
Building on an already strong presence in the country, ARC is set to facilitate 20,000 connections in Rwanda by the end of the year and will begin a rollout into Malawi under a soon to be launched pilot scheme. The forward-thinking company is aiming to be operating in at least four countries in East Africa by 2023.
The plans laid out by ARC Power are testament to the significant strides made by the startup since operations in Rwanda began in 2017. At the forefront of Rwanda’s solar energy revolution, ARC’s team on the ground - comprised of 95 percent Rwandan nationals - has helped countless rural communities gain access to first time power. ARC Power’s impact will continue to widen this year when pioneering a first pilot in Rwanda of battery swapping units for electric motorbikes in partnership with sister company ARC Ride.
Monday, 11 January 2021
Vistra Energy today has connected the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility to the power grid and began operating on Dec. 11, 2020. At 300 megawatts/1,200 megawatt-hours, the lithium-ion battery storage system, located on-site at Vistra s Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey County, California, will be the largest of its kind in the world. Furthermore, construction is already underway on Phase II, which will add an additional 100 MW/400 MWh to the facility by August 2021, bringing its total capacity to 400 MW/1,600 MWh. Courtesy of Vistra This is a keystone project and it is important in so many ways – it revitalizes an existing power plant site and utilizes active transmission lines, enhances grid stability, fills the reliability gap created by intermittent renewables, provides emission-free electricity, supports California s sustainability goals and mandates, significantly benefits the local community, and ultimately provides affordable electricity
Monday, 11 January 2021
Capstone Infrastructure Corporation has acquired 29 MW of operating wind projects, known as the Springwood, Whittington, Napier and Sumac Ridge wind facilities from wpd Europe GmbH (“wpd”).
Capstone acquired the projects with a combination of equity and non-recourse project debt with MUFG Bank, Ltd., Canada Branch and Associated Bank, N.A. The four facilities average 14 years remaining on their power purchase agreements and will be operated and maintained by Capstone’s in-house operations and maintenance team.
“These projects are an excellent addition to Capstone’s portfolio, with long-life contracts, located in close proximity to several of our existing wind farms which utilize the same Senvion MM92 wind turbines. This acquisition furthers our strategy of leveraging Capstone’s operational and financing capabilities to responsibly grow the business,” David Eva, Chief Executive Officer, Capstone.