Energy Transition in Motion (Week of Oct. 11, 2024)

Companies wanting to explore and develop geothermal energy placed bids on more than 217,860 acres, bringing in nearly $7.9 million during the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) latest geothermal lease sale in Nevada.

The online lease sale, which offered 66 parcels Oct. 8, took place amid ongoing efforts by the Biden-Harris administration to add more renewable energy to electricity grids targeting a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.

“Geothermal leases are one component of the dynamic energy portfolio in Nevada,” Justin Abernathy, deputy state director for energy and minerals at BLM Nevada, said in a statement. “These parcels were carefully analyzed through the NEPA process, and this successful sale takes the nation another step closer to achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035,” the statement said.

Geothermal energy harnesses heat below ground using wells drilled into hot reservoirs. Conventional geothermal captures heat closer to the surface in areas with naturally occurring fractures and fluid such as in volcanic areas. In areas with hot rock, but not enough for natural permeability or fluids, drillers are using oil and gas technologies to help capture heat and unlock geothermal using enhanced geothermal systems.

Of the 66 parcels offered, 64 received bids from 18 of the sale’s 36 registered bidders. High bids totaled about $7.4 million, BLM sales data show.

Ormat Nevada placed the highest winning bid per acre at $202 for a 2,080-acre parcel in Pershing County, according to data from BLM and EnergyNet.com, where the online competitive lease sale took place.

Besides Ormat, companies with winning bids included Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals, Buffalo River Minerals, Ivenergy Energy Transition, TLS Geothermics Corp., Norte Geothermal, Keith Thomas Elliott and FLHN 1.

The leases are for an initial 10-year period but may be extended if the lessee is producing or provides proof of diligent exploration, with additional environmental review. The parcels are located in Nevada’s Churchill, Esmeralda, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing and Washoe counties.

Nevada BLM said it has 23 operating geothermal power plants with federal interest, capable of together generating 750 megawatts (MW). Nearly 400 MW of additional geothermal projects are in the permitting, exploration, development and construction phases.

Here’s a look at other renewable energy news.

Bioenergy

Montauk Renewables, Emvolon Partner on Biogas-to-Methanol Pilot

Massachusetts Institute of Technology spinoff Emvolon and RNG producer Montauk Renewables will work together on a pilot project to recover and convert methane in biogas into green methanol, the companies said in a joint news release Oct. 7.

Emvolon’s technology transforms feed gas that contains methane into syngas, which is then turned into methanol. “This system offers a way for Montauk to monetize otherwise flared tail gas resources at low cost and without expensive pipeline infrastructure, while also eliminating the greenhouse gas emissions these incinerated resources would otherwise generate,” the release states.

The commercial-scale demonstration will take place at Pittsburgh-headquartered Montauk’s renewable gas production site in Humble, Texas. The project is designed to produce up to 15,300 gallons (gal) of green methanol per year and could be scaled to a commercial system capable of producing up to 2.4 MMgal of methanol annually, according to the release.

Montauk specializes in converting biogas from waste into renewable natural gas.

“For more than three decades, we’ve specialized in the recovery and processing of biogas from landfills and other non-fossil fuel sources,” said Montauk CEO Sean McClain. “Working with Emvolon, we’re excited to leverage our expertise as one of the largest U.S. producers of renewable natural gas and, together, continue to enhance the suite of beneficial use products sourced from biogas, and the economic vitality of these environmental stewardship projects.”

India’s GAIL, AM Green Form Renewable Energy, E-methanol Partnership

GAIL (India) Ltd. and AM Green (AMG) agreed to jointly explore development of up to 2 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy projects and e-methanol production in India, according to a news release Oct. 4.

The renewable energy projects will target solar and wind and focus will be on lining up long-term supplies of CO₂ to produce e-methanol.

“The hybrid solar/wind projects combined with Greenko’s upcoming pump storage projects are poised to supply round-the-clock power to the end users, including the proposed eMethanol project,” the companies said in a news release. “Both [of] the parties envisage to undertake studies for long-term supply of around 350 kta [kilotons per annum of] CO₂ generated by GAIL in its gas processing plants to produce e-methanol, an environmentally friendly fuel that can reduce carbon emissions and promote a circular economy.”

The projects are expected to help India move closer toward its net-zero emissions targets.

Energy storage

Battery Maker Fortescue Zero Names First Product for Detroit Center

Fortescue Zero on Oct. 7 said it plans to start operations at its Detroit manufacturing facility with the production of its high-voltage marine battery pack.

The Australia-based company said EVOA, an advanced propulsion expert, is the launch customer and plans to use the battery pack as part of its marine powertrain. The product will deliver from 30 kWh to 34 kWh and is engineered for fast-charging capability in under 30 minutes, according to a news release.

Production at Fortescue’s Piquette Avenue facility is expected to begin in fourth-quarter 2025. The company said its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Center is preparing to become a major production hub of automotive, marine and heavy industry batteries, fast chargers and other green technologies.

Adionics Opens DLE Demonstration Plant in Argentina

Paris-based Adionics has opened its new demonstration plant in Güemes, Argentina, the company said Oct. 9.

Looking to maximize efficiency, the company is testing brines from Argentina, Bolivia and Chile at the plant.

“We will now be able to accelerate our development and gather information to launch basic engineering work for our plants,” Adionics CEO Gabriel Toffani said in a news release. “This project allows us to contribute to local employment and to the local economy.”

In September, the company said it developed technology that extracts high-purity lithium from black mass, a mixture of cathode and anode materials from shredded lithium-ion batteries. Adionics said its liquid-liquid process, which operates without acids, achieved lithium recoveries of up to 98% across a range of brine concentrations. The lithium can be extracted at the early, mid and late stages of the recycling process and is suitable for immediate reuse in new batteries.

The Argentina plant is Adionic’s third demo plant.

Sweco to Design Large Battery Energy Storage System in Belgium

(Reuters) Swedish engineering consultancy company Sweco on Oct. 7 said it would design one of Europe’s largest battery energy storage systems, called Green Turtle, in Belgium.

Sweco is designing the battery park on behalf of the company GIGA Storage Belgium. Sweco said the park would make a significant contribution to the energy grid by providing stored renewable energy during periods of low solar and wind energy production—thereby reducing Belgium’s reliance on gas power plants.

“The agreement concluded with our contractors, including Sweco, to be GIGA Storage Belgium’s partner for the design of the Green Turtle battery park comprises an important milestone,” said Joeri Siborgs, general manager of GIGA Storage Belgium.

The planned Green Turtle battery park will have a capacity of 700 MW, resulting in a storage capacity of 2,800 megawatt hours (MWh) equivalent to the average annual energy consumption of 385,000 households.

Construction on the project is due to begin in 2025, with the new battery park expected to be completed by 2028.

“This is a flagship project for us in Belgium and an important project in realizing the energy transition in Europe, where access to large-scale electricity storage plays a vital role,” Siborgs added.

Hydrogen

Denmark Postpones Green Hydrogen Transmission Roll-out to Germany to 2031

(Reuters) Denmark will postpone the roll-out of a green hydrogen transmission pipeline between western Denmark and northern Germany by three years to 2031 from 2028, the country’s energy ministry said Oct 8.

Denmark has worked with transmission system operator Energinet to make the timeline more reliable and to limit delays, Energy Minister Lars Aagaard said in a statement.

“This is to ensure interaction between the large amounts of green power from the offshore wind supply, the production of green hydrogen and German demand,” Aagaard said.

Work on the transnational pipeline is ongoing in cooperation with the German government, Denmark's energy ministry said.

Solar

Ørsted Turns on Solar Plus Battery Farm in Arizona

Ørsted commissioned its 300-MW Eleven Mile solar farm near Phoenix, Arizona, the company said Oct. 11.

The solar center, which has a 300-MW battery energy storage system, has enough capacity to to power 65,000 homes and store 1,200 MWh of power daily. Energy produced at Eleven Mile will provide electricity to homes and businesses, including Meta’s planned data center in Mesa, Arizona, Ørsted said.

“Solar energy paired with battery energy storage will be critical to the reliable delivery of power as the demand for electricity grows,” said David Hardy, executive vice president and CEO of Region Americas, at Ørsted.

With the solar farm’s startup, Ørsted lifted its onshore renewables in operation globally to 5.6 GW.

Boviet Solar to Begin Production at N.C. Facility in Early 2025

Vietnamese solar module maker Boviet Solar said its renovated North Carolina manufacturing facility is on schedule to start production in early 2025.

The company is investing $294 million on the two-phase project in Pitt County, North Carolina.

“The completed facilities will produce 2 GW of solar modules and 2 GW of solar cells annually, significantly contributing to the U.S. solar supply chain and supporting the nation’s transition to clean energy,” Boviet Solar USA President Sienna Cen said in a news release Oct. 9. “This project not only underscores North Carolina’s role as a leader in renewable energy but also creates significant economic opportunities for the local community.”

Mass production from Phase 1, which focused on renovating an existing 500,000 sq ft for solar module manufacturing, is expected to begin by early first-half 2025, Boviet said. Here, Gamma Series Monofacial and Vega Series Bifacial PV modules will be produced.

Scheduled to break ground in fourth-quarter 2024, Phase 2 involves construction of a new 600,000-sq ft facility where an additional 2 GW of advanced solar cell technology will be produced, the company said.

Boviet is working with construction firm ARCO/Murray on the project.

JinkoSolar, Saudi’s ACWA Ink 3 GW PV Module Deal

JinkoSolar has sealed a deal with Saudi International Power and Water Co. (ACWA Power) for about 3 GW of photovoltaic modules, building on the duo’s longtime partnership.

The modules will be used for ACWA’s Saudi PIF4, which is comprised of the Haden and Al-Khushaybi projects. Contracted by China Energy Engineering Group Consortium, the Haden solar PV power station has a 1.2 GW capacity and will use JinkoSolar's N-type Tiger Neo series 78 photovoltaic modules, the company said in a news release.

The 1.2-GW Al-Khushaybi power station project, contracted by the Indian company L&T, will use JinkoSolar's latest N-type Tiger Neo series 66 photovoltaic modules.

Ashtrom’s Tierra Bonita Solar Starts Operations in West Texas

Ashtrom Renewable Energy’s 400-MW Tierra Bonita solar project in West Texas has begun producing power, becoming the company’s first operating renewable energy project in the U.S.

The $435 million solar farm is located in Pecos County across about 2,200 acres.

In a news release Oct. 8, Ashtrom said 60% of the generated electricity is being sold to utility CPS Energy under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

“This achievement not only underscores our ability to deliver utility-scale renewable energy projects, but also reflects our commitment to sustainable growth within just three years of establishing the company,” said Ashtrom Renewable Energy CEO Yitsik Mermelstein. “Through innovative agreements like the sale and transfer of production tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, we are further maximizing the project’s financial and environmental impact.”

The project is expected to lower CO2 emissions by 500,000 tons per year and provide enough electricity to power about 75,000 households annually, the company said.

Wind

TotalEnergies, RWE Partner on German North Sea Wind Projects

TotalEnergies is partnering with RWE to develop two large wind projects, N-9.1 and N-9.2, in Germany’s North Sea after Paris-based TotalEnergies acquired a 50% stake in the projects, the company said Oct. 7.

The two companies aim to commission N-9.1 in 2031 and N-9.2 in 2032. Each project is on a site large enough to generate wind capacities of 2 GW, according to RWE. The company announced it was awarded the N-9.1 and N-9.2 concessions in August after paying a total bid price of €250 million (US$273.6 million).

The projects increase to five the concessions TotalEnergies holds in Germany, the company said.

“This new partnership contributes to our integrated development in the German electricity market, the largest in Europe, and will enable TotalEnergies to provide green electrons to decarbonize the country’s electricity and industry,” said Olivier Jouny, senior vice president of renewables at TotalEnergies.

RWE and TotalEnergies are also partners in the OranjeWind project in North Sea off the Dutch coast. The wind farm will have an installed capacity of 795 MW. Offshore construction is expected to start in 2026 with full commissioning in early 2028.

“TotalEnergies shares our ambition to further drive the growth of offshore wind energy to accelerate the energy transition in Germany and beyond,” said RWE Offshore Wind CEO Sven Utermöhlen. “Our RWE teams will bring their many years of experience in the offshore wind industry and in-depth knowledge of the offshore wind industry to successfully develop and build the two wind farms.”

Hexicon Secures Transmission Agreement for Floating Wind Project

Floating offshore wind developer Hexicon on Oct. 10 said it entered a transmission agreement with Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), paving the way for grid connection for the 1.125-GW MunmuBaram project off southeast South Korea.

Grid connection from the offshore wind farm to KEPCO’s substation is set to begin in March 2029, following the construction of the joint grid connection facility, Hexicon said in a news release.

MunmuBaram is a joint venture between Shell (80%) and Hexicon (20%). The project, one of the world’s largest of floating wind projects under development, is located in water depths between 120 m and 150 m about 65 km offshore South Korea’s Ulsan City.

Reuters and Hart Energy Staff contributed to this report.