Geothermal drilling company GA Drilling has partnered with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in an effort to commercialize a high-temperature downhole generator designed to enhance geothermal drilling applications, the company said in a news release Feb. 13.
As part of the partnership, GA Drilling said it will further progress an NREL-developed generator by integrating it into GA Drilling’s PLASMABIT Hybrid drilling solution. Targeting hard crystalline rock, the drilling technology allows drillers to destroy rock and remove particles thousands of feet belowground quickly, which cuts costs.
NREL’s downhole generator is capable of producing electricity directly at the drillbit, eliminating the need for external power cables, reducing operational delays and enhancing drilling efficiency, according to the release. It is designed to operate in temperatures up to 250°C. NREL and GA Drilling aim to progress the technology to full-scale field testing in commercial drilling systems.
“Geothermal energy has the potential to revolutionize clean energy production, and this collaboration with NREL marks a significant step toward making deep geothermal drilling more viable and efficient,” said GA Drilling CEO Igor Kocis. “By leveraging NREL’s cutting-edge downhole power generation technology along with their research bench, we aim to overcome key technical barriers and accelerate the commercialization of our PLASMABIT Hybrid drilling system.”
GA Drilling is backed by Nabors and MOL Group, among others.
Here’s a roundup of some other renewable energy news.
Energy storage
Australia Taps Energy Vault for Battery Energy Storage Systems
California-headquartered Energy Vault on Feb. 13 said it has secured an agreement to supply a 100-megawatt (MW) battery energy storage system (BESS) to the Victoria-owned State Electricity Commission (SEC) in Australia.
The system will be located at the SEC Renewable Energy Park-Horsham as part of a project that includes more than 212,000 photovoltaic solar panels generating 119 MW of solar power.
Energy Vault said its BESS will provide firm, dispatchable power to meet peak demand periods with a two-hour storage duration. The company will use its X-VAULT integration platform with its proprietary B-VAULT product and VaultOS Energy Management System to control, manage and optimize the Hybrid BESS operations, according to the release.
“As our first government collaboration, this publicly-owned project is well-aligned with our mission to accelerate the clean energy transition through sustainable and efficient energy storage solutions and will play a pivotal role in ensuring the availability of renewable energy,” Energy Vault CEO Robert Piconi.
The SEC Renewable Energy Park is expected to become fully operational by late 2027.
Lyten Lines Up US Sourced Sulfur for Battery Facilities
![sulfur pile](/sites/default/files/inline-images/sulfur_pile.jpg)
Lithium-sulfur battery manufacturer Lyten has sealed a sulfur supply deal with U.S.-based California Sulphur Co. and a Port of Stockton company, Lyten said Feb. 12.
The industrial-grade sulfur will be used at Lyten’s manufacturing facilities in San Jose, California; San Leandro, California; and the Reno, Nevada, gigafactory.
The company uses sulfur in its batteries, replacing mined minerals such as nickel, manganese, cobalt and iron. Sulfur, the company said, is abundantly available and less reliant on global supply chains that are dominated by China.
“The use of low-cost sulfur creates a battery cathode that is 40% lighter weight than lithium-ion, which requires nickel, manganese and cobalt (NMC), and 70% lighter weight than Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP), which currently lead the market,” Lyten said.
The company currently produces lithium-sulfur batteries cells at its plant in San Jose.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners Selects Canadian Solar for Energy Storage Systems
Canadian Solar’s e-STORAGE has landed a contract from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners for 240-MW battery energy storage systems for one of South Australia’s biggest battery energy storage (BESS) projects, a Feb. 10 news release states.
The subsidiary of Canadian Solar’s CSI Solar will provide more than 200 SolBank 3.0 battery containers for the project in Summerfield, South Australia. As part of a long-term service agreement, the company will also provide performance and operational management services.
“This project will make a significant contribution to South Australia’s target of 100% renewable electricity generation by 2027,” said e-STORAGE President Colin Parkin. “With over 1.5 GWh of BESS under construction in Australia, e-STORAGE continues to establish itself as a leading product and service supplier in the region.”
Construction on the Summerfield project is expected to start in 2025, Canadian Solar said.
China’s Ganfeng Starts Lithium Production at Argentina’s Mariana Project
(Reuters) China’s Ganfeng Lithium mining company has begun producing lithium at its Mariana project in northern Argentina, it said Feb. 12, kicking off one of several of its new lithium projects under way in the South American country.
Ganfeng is one of the world’s biggest producers of the white metal that is mainly used to make rechargeable batteries.
The Mariana plant, in the province of Salta, represents a $790 million investment and has the capacity to produce 20,000 metric tons of lithium chloride per year from extraction at the Llullaillaco salt flat.
Ganfeng also spent $190 million to build a solar park to support the plant's energy needs.
Wang Xiaoshen, president of Ganfeng Lithium Group, said the company's other Argentina lithium projects are advancing. Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes is scheduled to start construction this year, while the Incahuasi–Arizaro project is in the advanced exploration phase, he said in a statement.
Ganfeng is also a co-owner with Lithium Argentina LAR of the Cauchari-Olaroz project, which is already in operation, and the Pastos Grandes project, in the feasibility stage.
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Black & Veatch to Build Two Battery Storage Projects in UK
![Geothermal MoU](/sites/default/files/inline-images/geothermal-mou-saudi-arabia.jpg)
Geothermal
EDF, TAQA Sign Geothermal Agreement in Saudi Arabia
EDF Saudi Arabia and TAQA Geothermal Energy Co. have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on geothermal energy technologies, according to a Feb. 13 news release.
The technologies will include power generation and HVAC applications as well as compressed air energy storage in Saudi Arabia.
“Geothermal energy utilization, whether via direct heat use or electricity generation, is a critical and untapped resource to drive the global transition to clean energy, as it is a reliable, renewable base load resource,” TAQA Geothermal CEO Meshary Alayed said. “The partnership between EDF and TAQA Geothermal in the field of geothermal solutions redefining space cooling, will have tremendous positive impacts on efficiency and carbon footprint reduction.”
The partnership is in support of Saudia Arabia’s Vision 2030—a government program that aims to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy, society and culture.
Hydrogen
PE Firm Hy24 Commits $50MM to StormFisher Hydrogen
Hydrogen private equity manager Hy24 has entered the U.S. market with a $50 million investment commitment into StormFisher Hydrogen, a low-carbon fuels developer, according to a Feb. 11 news release.
The funding, made via Hy24’s Clean Hydrogen Infrastructure Fund, will go toward the hydrogen company’s efforts to produce clean fuel in the U.S. and Canada. StormFisher Hydrogen aims to have enough capacity to convert up to 1.8 gigawatts (GW) of solar and wind energy into renewable fuels such as green hydrogen, e-methanol, green ammonia and e-methane.
The company’s most advanced project is an e-methanol production facility in North Texas, the news release states.
StormFisher said it anticipates reaching a final investment decision in 2026 for the project that will have a production capacity of more than 120,000 tonnes per year of e-methanol.
“This collaboration with Hy24 enables us to advance projects in our pipeline and reinforces our role as a leader in project development,” said StormFisher Hydrogen CEO Judson Whiteside. “We bring a lot of value and long-term jobs to the communities we are developing in, while increasing molecule exports to Europe and Asia.”
France-based Hy24 is a joint venture between private investment house Ardian and hydrogen investment platform FiveT Hydrogen. Its Clean Hydrogen Infrastructure Fund is backed by companies that include Air Liquide, Baker Hughes, Plug Power and TotalEnergies.
“The company can leverage its energy platform approach, strong offtaker strategy, and a favorable international regulatory landscape to deploy its robust pipeline of e-Fuels projects and drive its export ambitions to European and Asian markets,” Hy24 CEO Pierre-Etienne Franc said of StormFisher Hydrogen. “These clean energy solutions present a significant opportunity for North America in its pursuit of energy security, economic growth, and its trade and continued leadership in the sector.”
Finland’s First Green Hydrogen Plant Starts Commercial Production
(Reuters) Finnish company P2X Solutions has started commercial green hydrogen production at its facility that is first-of-a-kind in Finland and one of the first in Europe, it said Feb. 12.
A number of European companies, such as oil majors BP and Repsol or Norway’s aluminum and energy company Norsk Hydro, have either cancelled or put their green hydrogen projects on hold due to spiraling costs and regulatory hurdles, among other reasons.
"We are among the first in Europe to start production of this scale," P2X Solutions' CEO Herkko Plit told Reuters.
P2X, majority-owned by Swiss energy group Alpiq since last year, said its new production plant in Harjavalta, Western Finland, has a production capacity of 20 MW and will also include a methanation facility that will launch its operations at a later stage.
It uses renewable electricity, such as wind power that is abundantly available in Finland, which enables it to call the hydrogen it produces “green.”
The facility received a 26-million-euro investment grant from the Finnish Ministry of economic affairs and employment, as well as a 10 million-euro capital loan from the Finnish Climate Fund, Plit said.
Plit said the investment decision had been made prior to the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which caused inflation to soar and demand for fossil fuels to increase again, hampering market development for clean fuels, such as green hydrogen.
“Our company strategy has been to scale up, bearing market and technological risks in mind,” he said, adding it was easier to find sufficient customers for a smaller facility and scale up production gradually in the changed demand environment.
The company has plans to build two other similar facilities in Finland, with 40 MW and 100 MW of capacity.
Solar
Microsoft Taps EPDR for Solar Power in Illinois, Texas
EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) has completed three utility-scale solar projects in Illinois and Texas that will provide power for tech company Microsoft, the renewable energy company said Feb. 10.
The projects are the 140-MW Wolf Run Solar near Jacksonville, Illinois; the 110-MW Hickory Solar near Jerseyville, Illinois; and the 150-MW Cattlemen II Solar near Austin, Texas. All three projects went online last year.
Microsoft agreed to purchase 389 MW of electricity and renewable energy credits from the projects through long-term virtual power purchase agreements (PPA), EDPR NA said. Hickory uses an Environmental Justice PPA developed by Microsoft and Volt Energy Utility, which makes clean energy investments in rural and urban communities.
“Through these three additional projects, we’re keeping our promise—and indeed the industry’s promise—to contribute to the nation’s growing energy demand and in that process invest in long-lasting economic growth of our communities,” EDP Renewables North America CEO Sandhya Ganapathy said.
With the latest agreement, EDPR NA has five operational projects providing power to Microsoft, which aims to become carbon negative by 2030.
Lightsource BP Enters Japan Renewable Market with Solar Project
(Reuters) Lightsource BP, a unit of British oil giant BP, announced on Feb. 13 its entry into the Japanese renewable market with the acquisition of a 15-MW peak solar project in northern island of Hokkaido.
The move marks an important expansion of the company’s operations in the Asia-Pacific region, leveraging its global expertise to help support Japan's energy transition, Lightsource BP said in a statement.
With its entry into Japan, Lightsource BP now operates in 20 global markets, up from 19. The company has a global solar development. pipeline exceeding 58 GW, including nearly 8 GW of projects in the Asia-Pacific region, the company added.
Wind
New York Approves Power Line for Equinor Offshore Wind Farm
![offshore wind](/sites/default/files/inline-images/offshore%20wind%20shutterstock.jpg)
(Reuters) New York’s utility regulator on Feb. 13 granted a unit of Norwegian energy firm Equinor permission to build and operate transmission facilities for the company’s Empire Wind 1 offshore wind farm under construction off the state coast.
The transmission line for the project runs about 17.5 miles (28.2 km) from the boundary of New York State waters to a point of interconnection in Brooklyn, the New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) said in a release.
Empire Offshore Wind 1 is an 816-MW wind project that will produce enough renewable power for more than 388,000 homes.
The offshore wind farm is expected to be constructed by the end of 2026, and fully operational by the end of 2027, the NYPSC said.
Britain Launches Offshore Wind Farm Incentives Scheme
(Reuters) Britain opened an incentive scheme on Feb. 13 for offshore wind projects, seeking to persuade developers to provide the investment to meet an ambitious goal of decarbonizing the country's energy system by 2030.
The scheme, called the Clean Industry Bonus, will provide successful bidders with an initial 27 million pounds (US$33.5 million) in funding for every GW of capacity from offshore wind projects.
Britain has put offshore wind at the heart of its 2030 clean energy plan, setting out in December that it hopes to boost capacity from around 15 GW at present to 43 GW to 50 GW by the end of the decade.
The country’s grid operator last year described the government's ambition to generate power from 95% clean sources as a huge, but achievable, challenge.
The bonus scheme aims to address some of the challenges Britain is likely to face in meeting that goal by rewarding developers who also commit to building the supply chain infrastructure their projects need.
Britain is due to hold a fresh round of renewable auctions, in which developers bid for government-backed price guarantees for the electricity produced, later this year. The new funding will be delivered through the contracts awarded in that auction.
Hart Energy Staff and Reuters contributed to this report.
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