Global retailer UNIQLO has unveiled its first solar paneled roof in the U.S. with Luminace, the North American decarbonization-as-a-service business of Brookfield Renewable. The 3.4 MW distributed generation solar project at UNIQLO’s new Phillipsburg distribution facility in Warren County was developed and is owned and operated by Luminace.
The project is a significant step in a climate strategy for UNIQLO and its parent company, Fast Retailing.
“My administration’s efforts to reach one hundred percent clean energy by the year 2050 would not be possible without the cooperation of the businesses in our state,” says New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. “I thank UNIQLO and Luminace for their collaboration in installing these solar panels on the roof of their nearly one million square foot facility in our very own Phillipsburg, New Jersey. These actions will bring us one step closer to a greener economy and creating a stronger, safer and healthier environment for all New Jerseyans.”
“UNIQLO aims to improve the daily lives of people everywhere through our apparel called LifeWear,” states Daisuke Tsukagoshi, UNIQLO USA’s CEO. “We are proud of this important milestone that extends our mission beyond clothing, helping to make our operations better for the planet. We are honored to have partnered with Luminace, a pioneer in the renewable energy sector, on this state-of-the-art project, which will increase the world’s renewable energy footprint starting from New Jersey.”
“Luminace is pleased to support UNIQLO’S commitment to renewable energy and their goal of carbon neutrality,” adds Valerie Hannah, CEO of Luminace. “This project demonstrates Luminace’s exceptional turnkey decarbonization solutions, providing accessible, reliable, and renewable energy, with no upfront costs to our customers.”
Ascent Solar Technologies Inc., a developer and manufacturer of lightweight, flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, has named Jeffrey Max as its new CEO, succeeding Victor Lee.
“It is a privilege to welcome Jeff as our new CEO,” David Peterson, the newly appointed board chair of the company. “He is a proven business leader with a wealth of knowledge and experience in building technology companies and advancing their market positions internationally. As we continue our transition as a newly listed company on Nasdaq, Ascent will benefit greatly from Jeff’s leadership.
“In addition to his extensive background as a CEO, serial entrepreneur and technology investor, Jeff has been a disruptive innovator in today’s evolving space industry. While Jeff understands the space and near space opportunities in front of us, we expect he will also be able to develop other verticals for Ascent’s PV solutions, such as agrivoltaics and sustainably powered infrastructure.”
“Ascent has an incredible group of engineers, led by an incredible innovator and thought leader in PV technologies – Dr. Joe Armstrong,” states Max. “This team, along with the committed dedication of Ascent’s previous leadership, has laid a strong foundation that allows me to integrate a mission-driven, industrial scale culture with the incredible experience and expertise of the Ascent team. This team has the innovation, execution and performance bona fides to ‘meet the moment’ with transformative solutions across a broad range of industries, from agriculture to deep-space missions.”
From 2019 to 2022, Max was chairman and CEO of Agile Space Industries, an in-space propulsion solutions provider. Under his leadership, Agile grew from a team of six to over 60, and acquired Tronix3D, a contract based additive manufacturer specializing in 3D printing of exotic metal alloys.
Following energy and power news in Texas can be dizzying.
In February 2021, widespread outages left hundreds dead, caused more than $100 billion in property damage, and inflicted untold psychological trauma on Texans. As a result, interest in “the grid” surged, even though the tragedy during Winter Storm Uri went far beyond the grid.
On the Texas Power Podcast, we’ll dive deeply into the history, culture, and political economy of the energy industry in Texas to figure out how we got where we are. We’ll explore issues and proposals before policymakers at all levels of government. And we’ll talk to people with deep expertise and unique perspectives on the intersection of energy policy, technology, and markets.
Episode 1 of the Texas Power Podcast exemplifies this approach. It features Pat Wood, the former Public Utility Commission of Texas and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chair, and current CEO of Hunt Energy Network.
Wood discussed the energy market redesign effort underway in Texas, the moment former Texas Gov. George W. Bush was first drawn to renewables, and the enabling technologies that can support a more resilient grid.
We talked about a range of issues that will help set the framework for future episodes. First and foremost, we’ll explore how Texas is dealing with the fallout from Uri—and whether the state’s actions will ensure it never happens again. We’ll dive into issues and controversies surrounding the ERCOT market, deregulation (aka restructuring), renewables, storage, energy efficiency, transmission, nuclear power, demand flexibility, electric vehicles, and more.
We’ll ask, what constitutes effective regulation? What’s the proper balance of regulation, competition and markets? Can an energy-only market work? How high can we go with renewables, and what is the role of alternative sources like coal and gas? What role should the demand side play in our solutions? How much will consumers pay for various policy proposals, and are those costs justified?
We’ll also look at the impact of power production on human health. Are there solutions that can improve reliability, reduce costs, and lower emissions? This is especially relevant in Texas, where thousands die each year from pollution, and both Dallas and Houston have reached the stage of severe nonattainment with air quality standards and.
This podcast is intended for everyone interested in, and affected by, energy in Texas. I hope you’ll subscribe to the Texas Power Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Meet Doug Lewin, host of the Texas Power Podcast
Doug Lewin is a Renewable Energy World contributor and host of the Texas Power Podcast from Renewable Energy World.
Lewin founded Stoic Energy in 2018 and is proud to serve clients working to accelerate the use of clean energy and increase equity and justice.
Previously, Doug led government and regulatory affairs work for CLEAResult, an energy efficiency program implementer for over 250 utilities in 40 states and provinces.
Lewin was the founding Executive Director of the South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER). He also served as legislative staff for three different elected officials for five years in the Texas House and Senate, primarily on energy, environment, and climate issues.
Doug earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and is a proud husband and father of four children.
Texas Power Podcast Episode List
Episode 1: Pat Wood on Texas grid reform and George W. Bush’s aha moment on renewables
Airing Thursday, Sept. 29.
Texas is tackling an energy market redesign not seen in decades. The freeze and subsequent outages from Winter Storm Uri in 2021 left hundreds dead and millions without power. The storm’s aftermath also sparked debate over how to make the ERCOT grid more resilient in the face of extreme weather events and a changing energy mix.
On Episode 1 of the Texas Power Podcast, host Doug Lewin is joined by Pat Wood, former chairman of both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Public Utility Commission of Texas. He helped deliver former Texas Gov. George W. Bush’s deregulation agenda in the 1990s.
Doug’s conversation with Pat Wood covered the state’s market redesign efforts, the enabling technologies that can support grid resilience, and the moment when then-governor Bush was first drawn to renewables.
As the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season churns away and disrupts electric power systems, attention focuses on how effective solar-plus-energy-storage systems can be in reducing the impacts of extended outages.
A new report from the Energy Department’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory looks at the backup power capabilities of behind-the-meter solar-plus-energy storage systems (or PVESS). The analysis finds that backup performance depends, “first and foremost,” on PVESS sizing and the set of critical loads selected for backup.
The study simulates PVESS performance in providing critical-load or whole-building backup power across a wide range of geographies, building types, and power interruption conditions. It also considers 10 historical long-duration (greater than 24-hour) power outages, and evaluates how PVESS could have performed in providing backup power during those events.
Anytime, anywhere… almost
It said that if heating and cooling loads are excluded from backup, then a PVESS with as little as 10 kWh of storage (the lower end of sizes currently observed in the market) can fully meet basic backup power needs over a three-day outage in virtually all U.S. counties and in any month of the year.
But, if critical loads include heating and cooling, then a PVESS of that size would meet 86% of critical load. A larger PVESS with 30 kWh of storage (the upper end of sizes currently observed in the market) would meet 96% of critical load.
Backup coverage of heating and cooling loads varies across regions, depending on climate and building stock characteristics. The study said performance tends to be lowest in regions where electric heating is common (the southeast and northwest), and also in regions with large cooling loads (the southwest and parts of the southeast).
Backup performance can also vary within regions, based on differences in the building stock. The report offers performance differences based on heating technology (electric resistance vs. heat pumps vs. fossil heating), building infiltration rates (the leakiness of the building), air-conditioner efficiency, and temperature set-points.
Properly sized solar-plus-storage systems can back up critical loads during extended outages.
Backup performance for homes with electric heat or high cooling loads is also sensitive to weather variability. The report said that among counties with high penetration of electric heat, between 53% and 96% of critical load is served during winter months, depending on which specific day the outage begins in each month.
A similar but “less dramatic trend” was observed for homes with high cooling loads. Even greater variability would occur under more extreme weather conditions than explored in the analysis, the report said.
Backup performance was fairly insensitive to outage durations beyond one day. In general, backup performance declines as outage duration increases, though the effect is relatively modest given the ability of PV to recharge the batteries each day, the report said.
For a PVESS with 30 kWh of storage and critical loads that include heating and cooling, backup performance drops from a population-weighted average of 100% of critical load served for a one-day outage to 92% for a 10-day outage.
The study said that in 7 of the 10 historical outage events that it analyzed, the majority of homes would have been able to maintain critical loads with heating and cooling using a PVESS with 30 kWh of storage.
The lowest performing event was during Hurricane Florence, during which almost no PV generation occurred over the first three days of the roughly eight-day outage due to cloud cover.
For the two winter storms analyzed, all critical load was served in the median case, but a sizeable fraction of customers—those with electric heating—saw much lower performance.
The study was supported by the Energy Department’s Solar Energy Technologies Office.
Altus Power Inc. has signed definitive agreements to acquire approximately 97 MW of operating solar assets for approximately $220 million funded by a combination of cash on hand and assumed liabilities.
The largest of these portfolios includes 88 MW of generating assets, and the acquisition is subject to certain closing conditions. The acquisition of the remaining approximately 9 MW has recently closed and such assets are currently operating as part of Altus Power’s portfolio.
These commercial and industrial-scale (C&I) assets include rooftop, ground- and carport-mounted solar arrays in nine states. They deliver electricity under long-term contracts to predominantly investment-grade customers. Following the closing of these acquisitions, Altus Power expects to own, operate and service these new assets and new customer relationships over the long term, with the potential to offer additional electrification solutions, including battery storage, as well as electric vehicle or fleet charging stations.
“We are excited to bring these new long-term customer relationships and operating assets to our portfolio of C&I solar and storage assets,” says Gregg Felton, co-CEO of Altus Power. “We welcome the opportunity to serve customers in new markets including Pennsylvania, Indiana, Arizona and Nevada, as well as to grow our footprint in existing markets. Altus Power will continue to focus on expanding our customer base as well as profitably increasing the size of our portfolio of commercial-scale assets by leveraging our specific expertise of executing both development and operating opportunities.”
Heather Zichal is stepping down from her role as CEO of the American Clean Power Association effective Oct. 20.
The trade group announced Wednesday that Zichal is leaving to become the new global head of sustainability at JPMorgan Chase.
The ACP board of directors has launched a search for Zichal’s replacement. JC Sandberg has been named interim CEO while Jason Clark will serve as interim president.
Craig Cornelius, the CEO of Clearway Energy and chair of ACP’s board of directors and Leo Moreno, the president of AES Clean Energy and incoming chair of the board, will engage more directly with the senior team until a successor is selected, according to a press release.
“In her two years at the helm of ACP, Heather has positioned us as the single voice of the clean energy industry. Thanks to her leadership, the organization is the strongest it’s ever been,” said Cornelius. “While we are sorry to lose her and wish her continued success, we are confident that the next CEO will build on the momentum she and her team have created.”
Heather Zichal speaks at the commissioning of Pattern Energy’s Western Spirit Wind project in New Mexico (Courtesy: ACP)
Zichal has led ACP since its inception in 2020 when the American Wind Energy Association announced its intent to broaden its advocacy work to include wind, solar, energy storage, and transmission. And in 2021, ACP announced that it was merging with the U.S. Energy Storage Association.
Before joining ACP, Zichal served as an energy and climate official in the Obama administration.
Zichal was a key force behind the clean energy industry’s fight against the Auxin solar petition and the potential for additional tariffs on solar modules imported from Southeast Asia. She appeared on the Factor This! podcast to discuss the industry’s $5 million campaign against the Biden administration, which she knew well from her time at the White House.
Zichal and ACP were also instrumental in the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act, which dedicated $369 billion to clean energy deployment and climate change mitigation.
An Australian state plans to invest more than A$157 million (US$100 million) in energy storage projects to support its transition to renewable energy sources.
Victoria aims to reach 2.6 GW of energy storage capacity by 2030 and 6.3 GW by 2035— enough to power around half of the state’s current homes at their peak energy usage.
The Victorian government expects the targets to secure 12,700 jobs and A$1.7 billion ($1.1 billion) in investment from 2023 to 2035.
Victoria has a goal of 50% renewable energy by 2030. The state has a population of around 6.6 million people and is home to Melbourne.
Subscribe today to the all-new Factor This! podcast from Renewable Energy World. This podcast is designed specifically for the solar industry and is available wherever you get your podcasts.
Listen to the latest episode featuring Tom Weirich, author of the new book “We Took the Risk,” which honors clean energy leaders who paved the way for the industry’s rapid growth.
To support these targets, the government is investing A$119 million from the A$540 million Renewable Energy Zone Fund in a 125 MW battery storage facility and grid forming inverter in the Murray Renewable Energy Zone, between Bendigo and Red Cliffs.
Additionally, government leaders announced that A$38.2 million from the Energy Innovation Fund will go to four clean energy projects.
The latest EIF round will provide A$7 million for a 100 MW battery and inverter in Terang, as well as A$19.3 million for two bioenergy projects at farms in Gippsland and Barwon. Yarra Valley Water will receive A$11.9 million to install an electrolyzer to make green hydrogen using recycled water in Wollert.
Victoria is no stranger to energy storage projects.
The state is already the home to the largest battery storage facility in the Southern Hemisphere, a 300 MW/450MWh facility dubbed the “Victorian Big Battery” outside Geelong.
The Victorian Big Battery facility is made up of 210 Tesla Megapacks, two of which caught fire in 2021 during the initial installation and commissioning of the project. An investigation later determined that the fire was “most likely caused by a liquid cooling leak causing arcing in the power electronics of the Megapack’s battery modules.”
Power Exchange India Ltd (PXIL) has introduced the ‘daily, weekly and monthly contracts’ in its proprietary contract system ‘PRATYAY’ for conventional power transactions. Market participants
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a $7 billion funding opportunity to create regional clean hydrogen hubs (H2Hubs) across America. The funding is
