AES Corp. said that its Alamitos battery energy storage system is now in service. The BESS, a stand-alone energy storage facility for local capacity, will provide up to 400 MWh of energy to Southern California Edison customers.
The facility includes Advancion 5 batteries provided by Fluence, an AES and Siemens joint venture.
AES recently announced the merger of sPower, a leading solar energy provider, into its AES Clean Energy business. That business line now manages projects that are operational, under construction, and under development, including the operation of around 2.5 GW of renewable projects with nearly half located in California and a contracted 2.6 GW pipeline nationwide with almost 20% of them in California.
The AES Alamitos BESS is contracted under a 20-year power purchase agreement with SCE and is located at the AES Alamitos Energy Center.
Romeo romances Republic
A little more than a month after electric truck maker Nikola and Republic Service fell out of love over a plan to electrify trash trucks, Romeo Power has wooed Republic into a new, initially less ambitious relationship.
The pair entered into a Strategic Alliance Agreement to develop Romeo Power’s battery technology for use in Republic’s electric garbage trucks.
As part of the Agreement, senior leaders from each company will sit on a steering committee that will monitor and guide the alliance. The companies will work to determine the key performance metrics of Romeo Power’s battery packs that will suit Republic’s specific needs.
Nikola Corp.
As part of the Agreement, the two agreed to a retrofit test program. Diesel engines and related components will be removed from two of Republic’s vehicles and replaced with electric motors and Romeo Power battery packs, with a goal of delivering the retrofitted trucks by the end of 2021.
Tim Stuart, Chief Operating Officer of Republic Services, also joined the Board of Directors of Romeo Power.
Romeo Power has a 7 GWh-capable manufacturing facility in Los Angeles. Its core product is focused on the medium-duty short haul and heavy-duty long haul trucking markets.
In December, Nikola Corp. and Republic scrapped their collaboration on refuse truck development. The pair had been working to design and build a refuse truck based on a zero-emissions battery-electric drive platform and body. Republic planned to buy 2,500 electric trucks from Nikola with the potential for up to 5,000 orders. Initial testing was to have begun in Arizona and California, with wider-scale testing in 2022 and full deployment by 2023.
20 for 20 named by Lux
Energy consultancy Lux Research published a top 20 list of startups in 2020. Companies were evaluated based on their technology, business strategy, leadership, and market positioning. Startups were categorized into four trend areas: evolving energy networks, industry decarbonization, optimal use of resources, and future energy for mobility.
The startups include Ampaire, Amply Power, CarbonCure Technologies, Cheesecake Energy, Cuculus, EnergySource Minerals, Framergy, Greenbird Integration Technology, Ionic Materials, Lithium Americas, Lithium Werks, MagniX, Onzo, Peak Power, Piclo, PolyPlus Battery, SolidEnergy Systems, Svante, UniEnergy Technologies, and Virta.
ReneSola raises $250 million
ReneSola closed its previously announced registered direct offering of 10 million American Depositary Shares, each representing 10 ordinary shares, at a purchase price of $25.00 per ADS. H.C. Wainwright & Co. acted as the exclusive placement agent for the offering. Roth Capital Partners and Raymond James acted as financial advisors in the offering. The company said it will use the net proceeds to expand its solar project pipeline (including combined solar/storage initiatives), fund possible strategic acquisitions, and meet general working capital needs.
Regulators green light EV charging plan
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a settlement that will enable utility PSE&G to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the state.
The utility said that it will invest $166 million over six years to help build out the state’s EV charging infrastructure. The investments are designed to increase the availability of vehicle charging and ease range anxiety, the fear that an electric vehicle will run out of power before reaching a place to plug in.
NREL
The program includes supporting the infrastructure for residential charging equipment, EV chargers at multifamily buildings, government facilities and at public parking lots, as well as fast charging infrastructure along high-traffic corridors such as the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. The program also includes provisions for discounted charging during off-peak hours.
The utility will not own EV chargers, but instead will support the infrastructure needed to place chargers throughout its service territory.
The regulatory action follows its approval in September of the utility’s $1 billion investment in energy efficiency, and its decision earlier in January to allow PSE&G to invest approximately $700 million to provide its 2.3 million electric customers with smart meters.
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