1.) Shell will immediately close all of its hydrogen refilling stations in California. Now, only seven hydrogen fueling stations – all in northern California remain open. The 3,143 California drivers who registered hydrogen cars in 2023 now own very nice-looking paperweights, until somebody else steps in.

2.) Koloma, a startup focused on drilling for hydrogen from natural underground deposits, raises $245.7 million, bringing its total funding to over $300 mn. In related news, the discovery of the largest deposit of naturally occurring H2 to date – in a chromium mine in Albania - was announced last week.

3.) Leading solar panel manufacturer and project developer QCells partners with solar recycling company SolarCYCLE to recycle QCells decommissioned panels. SOLARCYCLE says its tech can recover over 95% of the value in a solar panel module, and it just announced an investment of $344 mn into a new solar glass facilityin Georgia, capable of 5 to 6 GW of solar glass annually.

4.) The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management designates two final Wind Energy Areas off Oregon’s coast, totaling approximately 195,012 acres.

5.) Volt Lithium Corp successfully produces 99.5 per cent battery-grade lithium carbonate from oilfield brine at a demonstration plant in Calgary in the Athabasca Oil Sands.

6.) The Chief Operating Officer of Ford’s EV unit warns that China’s EV automakers plan to target North American markets with low cost EVs, saying “we’d better get fit now and better get going on EVs or we don’t have a future as a company.’” 

7.) Microsoft contracts with Swiss company Neustark to have 27,600 tons of carbon dioxide directly removed from the atmosphere and stored in waste concrete over the next six years. 

1.) Ontario’s grid operator, IESO, has teamed up with DER aggregator Energy Hub to develop a 90 MW virtual power plant, controlling enrolled thermostats in 100,000 homes.  All of this was accomplished since just the middle of last year.

2.) The North American Energy Standards Board has started work on a standardized services contract making it easier to aggregate DERs into virtual power plants, improve data sharing practices, and strengthen cyber-security.

3.) Citing high collision and damage costs and challenges to operational efficiency Hertz said it may further cut its EV fleet. Hertz’s CEO commented that customers in certain areas of U.S. are less familiar with EVs and more likely to get into accidents.

4.) Ford CEO Jim Farley commented the company is re-thinking its EV strategy after incurring a 2023 loss of $4.7 billion in its EV business.  Ford is working to better match supply with existing demand, while a formerly secret ‘skunkworks’ team is focused on developing a smaller and more affordable EV platform.

5.) Toyota will invest $1.3 billion in its Kentucky plant to support EVs, including a battery pack assembly line and ability to manufacture its electric SUV. Total electric investments now stand at $10 billion.

6.) Octopus Energy subsidiary Octopus Electric Vehicles has launched a used EV leasing program in the Houston Texas area, including unlimited free home charging. Leases range from $249 to 699 per month, and cover seven types of used EVs, and include the Chevy Bolt, to the Tesla Model 3, and the Audi e-Tron.

7.) NASA is completing phase one of an initiative to put nukes on the moon, with a concept design for a small reactor weighing less than six metric tons and generating 40 kilowatts, without direct human intervention. Target date is sometime in the 2030s.

1.) FBI Director Chris Wray told House lawmakers that his agency had identified and disrupted a Chinese state-backed initiative to plant malware in civilian infrastructure including water treatment plants, the power grid, and transportation systems. The FBI operation disrupted a botnet consisting of hundreds of small office and home routers that had been hijacked by the Chinese hackers to cover their tracks as they planted the malware in targets.

2.) Chinese manufacturers reportedly have 10 GWh of annual solid state battery production capacity, with over 128 GWh of additional capacity planned through 2025.

3.) Battery recycling company Redwood has started building its $3.5 bn South Carolina 'Battery Materials Campus' that will eventually yield up to 100 GWh worth of reclaimed battery materials, with the potential for more expansion if markets warrant. 

4.) Daimler Truck North America, Navistar, and Volvo Group North America, together accounting for an estimated 70 percent of all new medium-duty and heavy-duty truck sales in the U.S. have formed PACT, a coalition to advocate for accelerating the build-out of nationwide infrastructure to support medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles.

5.) In reporting to Texas regulators recently on lessons from Winter Storm Uri, an official from NERC advised increased collaboration between electric and gas sectors, as well as investigating new ways of providing black-start capability, including batteries.

6.) Germany’s market for on-site storage increased 150% last year with over 1 million cumulative country-wide installations, storing an estimated 12,000 megawatthours. 

1.) The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities selects two offshore wind projects totaling 3.7 GW in its third offshore wind solicitation round. New Jersey now has over 5.2 GW contracted, against its 2040 goal of 11 GW.

2.) Orsted has withdrawn from its contract for its 966MW Skipjack Wind 1 and 2 development off the Delmarva peninsula. It will continue development and permitting activities while it looks to rebid at a later date.

3.) BP and Equinor will restructure ownership in jointly owned offshore the Beacon Wind 1 and 2 and Empire Wind 1 & 2 projects off New York, essentially swapping rights.  BP will take over Beacon Wind while Equinor will pick up Empire Wind.

4.) The Edwards & Sanborn Solar + Energy Storage project, the largest solar-plus-storage project in the United States has been commissioned, combining 875 MW of solar with nearly 3.3 GWh of batteries. The project – with 1.3 GW of interconnected capacity - is partially located on Edwards Air Force Base in California.

5.) China installed more solar in 2023 – at 217 GW - than any other single nation has cumulatively developed. The U.S. stands at a cumulative total of 175 GW. 

6.) The U.S. Postal Service sees installation of first EV charging stations at South Atlanta Sorting and Delivery Center. Hundreds more will follow, eventually supporting over 66,000 electric delivery vehicles.

7.) The U.S DOE will award up to $30 million to fund research, development, and demonstration projects focused on improving the cybersecurity of clean energy resources. 

8.) Tesla sells record 1.8 million vehicles in 2023 with 1.2 million Model Ys, making it the most sold vehicle of any type in 2023. 

9.) Connecticut increases energy storage incentives, withresidential customers accessing up to $16,000 in upfront incentives — up from the $7,500 while low-income customers an underserved communities also benefit from increased support.

10.) H2Green Steel scores additional €4.5bn ($4.87) funding round for world’s first large-scale green-hydrogen-based steel plant. Half of the initial 2.5 million metric tons of steel is already contracted for in binding 5-7 year contracts.

1.) Eversource Energy to record earnings impairment of between USD 1.4 billion and 1.6 billion tied to three offshore wind projects totaling about 1700 MW.

2.) US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management launches regional consultation on possible development of six offshore wind lease locations east of NY and NJ, in the New York Bight.

3.) GE Vernova announces largest single order of wind turbines and services to date - a commitment from Pattern Energy for 674 3.6 MW for SunZia wind project in New Mexico.

4.) Hawaiian Electric company commissions 185 MW TeslaMegapack battery uniquely designed to offer multiple services including black-start, inertia, and capacity.

5.) GE Vernova’s Gas Power business secures order from Queensland Australia Government-owned CS Energy for 12 hydrogen-capable aeroderivative gas turbines. They will power a new 400 MW peaker, and can operate initially on 35 percent (by volume) of green H2.

6.) Hertz to sell 20,000 EVs from U.S. rental fleet, citing higher expenses related to collision and damage. Herz had previously announced target to electrify 25% of its fleet by the end of 2024.

7.) PJM Interconnection’s new forecast triples expected demand over coming decade. Summer and winter peak load expected to grow by 1.7% and 2% a year, while total energy demand is expected to jump 2.4% a year, up from 0.8% growth expectations last year. Key drivers are industry, datacenters and EVs.

1.) Chinese EV automakers roll out first two compact EVs using sodium batteries.

2.) VW subsidiary PowerCo tests solid state battery cells from QuantumScape and confirm over 1,000 cycles, with 95% of capacity available at test’s conclusion.

3.) IRS publishes official list of EVs and PHEVs qualifying for 2024 tax credit, based upon domestic content, with number of eligible models falling from 43 to 19.

4.) Ford informs dealers it will raise prices on most versions of F-150 Lightning pickup by between $2,000 and 10,000 over the 2023 versions.

5.) GM expects new EVs - Chevy Equinox, GMC Sierra Denali, and Cadillac OPTIQ, to eventually qualify for full $7,500 tax incentive, and will offer the same tax credit for any that are temporarily ineligible.

6.) Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves California Independent System Operator’s proposed regional day ahead market that expands the current Real-Time Energy Imbalance Market. Go-live planned for early 2026.

7.) Vestas nabs turbine orders for two U.S. wind projects totaling 302MW, using 4.0 and 4.5 MW turbines. Onshore turbines just keep getting larger.

8.) Offshore wind project Vineyard Wind delivers its first MW to the New England grid, with the first 5 MW of the 62-turbine 806 MW project arriving onshore on January 2.  Project is expected to be fully operational later this year.

1.) U.S. storage market notches new record in Q3 2023, with 7,322 megawatt hours commissioned, including 6,848 MWh utility scale and a little under 500 MWh at customer sites. Q3 would have been far larger, if roughly 80% of planned projects had not been delayed.

2.) US solar industry also hits record Q3 numbers, with 6,500 MW installed. 

3.) National Renewable Energy Laboratory teaming with Amazon to create GHG emissions model using higher-resolution and hourly data and longer timeframes so clean energy buyers can make better informed green energy buying decisions. 

4.) AES, Constellation, Google, and Microsoft are working with renewables power purchase administrator LevelTen Energy to create the Granular Certificate Trading Alliance. They will design new marketplace for trading time- and location-specific renewable energy certificates to assist with 24*7 PPA matching.

5.) The Department of the Interior announces proposed 278,000-acreoffshore wind lease areas off Delaware and Maryland, and Virginia.  At the same time, though, the Biden Administration to cut a major portionof another Central Atlantic offshore wind lease in response to concerns from the NASA and the Department of Defense.

6.) PJM’s board approves $5 billion slate of transmission projects needed in response to an estimated 7,500 MW of data center growth and 11,000 MW of generating plant retirements.

7.) Ford will slash F-150 Lightning electric pickup production next year, from 3,200 to around 1,600 units per week, citing softened demand.

8.) Ford also working on initiative with Resideo Technologies, with joint simulation project to explore vehicle-to-home (V2H) energy management and evaluate potential of EVs to support optimal home energy management, pairing of bi-directional EV charging with smart thermostats.

9.) School bus maker Blue Bird and finance company Generate Capital form JV to offer school bus electrification-as-a-service offerings to school districts. Monthly fees will cover Blue Bird school buses and chargers, project planning and management, and fleet and charging optimization.

10.) Duke Energy disconnects large-scale batteries from Chinese company CATL at North Carolina Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune after lawmakers and experts raise alarms about CATL’s ties to China's ruling Communist Party.

11.) Japan’s latest offshore wind solicitation round includes a 684 MW project deploying 38 of GE’s new massive 18 MW turbines.

1.) Leaked news suggests the U.S. Treasury Department will adopt strict eligibility guidelines for its low-carbon hydrogen subsidies.

2.) Maersk orders four “very large ammonia carriers” – at 93,000 cubic meters of cargo space, they will be the largest such vessels in operation when commissioned in 2026.

3.) Norwegian developer Scatech has signed an MOU with Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone to develop a $1.1bn green methanol plant to offer clean maritime fuel to ships in the canal, yielding 27,000 metric tons of H2 annually by 2027.

4.) New York’s 12-turbine, 130 MW South Fork Wind project delivers energy to Long Island from first two turbines, while Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners say they have installed the first five 13 MW GE Haliade-X turbines at the 800 MW Vineyard Wind offshore project, with first energy to be delivered to Massachusetts before year’s end.

5.) A review of data for FY 2021 reveals there were over 6,000 energy outages at Department of Defense installations across the U.S., totaling over 3,000 lost days of power.  About 98% of DOD installations rely on the grid.

6.) Liquid CO2 battery company Energy Dome advances first large energy storage project - a 20MW/200MWh undertaking in Sardinia.

7.) U.S. battery swapping company Ample is collaborating with Stellantis to service a fleet of 100 Fiat 500e electric minicars.

8.) The Treasure issues-long awaited guidance on domestic content in batteries eligible for EV tax credits, temporarily exempting some trace critical minerals from new strict rules barring materials from China and other countries deemed a "Foreign Entity of Concern."

9.) Volkswagen advances vehicle-to-home capabilities with a pilot project in Sweden, with bi-directional flows to homes. Houses with solar will be able to use EV batteries to store energy and discharge to residences from vehicles. 

1.) European battery maker Northvolt proclaims development of first-gen sodium-ion battery cells, validating densities at 160 Wh/kg – similar to lithium iron phosphate.

2.) As if to underscore this announcement, Chinese EV company BYD announces multi-billion dollar plan to make up to 30 gigawatthoursannually of sodium-based EV batteries.

3.) New Jersey officials announced they will ban sales of internal combustion vehicles by 2035.

4.) BNEF reports the price of lithium-ion battery packs has fallen 14% to a record low of $139/kWh.

5.) Chinese automaker Geely to work with Chinese EV maker and charging company Nio on battery swapping, developing swapping standards, accelerating battery swapping tech, and developing approaches compatible with each other’s systems.

6.) Nio has around 2,100 battery swap stations in China and – as of last week, 30 in Europe.

7.) Detroit sees first quarter-mile of test roadway equipped with wireless EV charging tech from  Israeli induction charging pioneer Electreon. 

8.) Avangrid announces pilot project with LineVision using dynamic line rating technology to increase New York’s current transmission capabilities. LineVision says its technology boots capacity on existing lines by 25 to 40%. 

9.) Google and advanced geothermal company Fervo announce 3.5 MW first-of-its kind geothermal project in Nevada is producing power.

10.) Two weeks ago, Gulfstream announced it had flown one of its jets on sustainable aviation fuel – SAF, from Savannah Georgia to Farnborough England.

11.) That was quickly followed up by a Virgin Atlantic SAF-poweredcommercial jetliner flight from London to New York. 

1.) New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that expedited offshore wind solicitations will take place early in 2024., with an RFP issued November 30, 2023, final proposals due on 25 January 2024, and award announcements by the end of February 2024.

2.) The Electric Reliability Council of Texas had released an RFP in early October for up to 3,000 MW of capacity from mothballed power plants and DR. With only 11 MW applying, ERCOT canceled the RFP on November 17.

3.) Chinese sales of cars with plugs hit an all-time high in October, notching a record 956,000 units in October.

4.) The U.S. DOE will award up to $3.5 billion to boost domestic production of advanced batteries and battery materials.  A priority will be placed on next-generation technologies and battery chemistries.

5.) The Biden Administration announced that it would provide funds of over $6 bn for climate resilience programs, targeting areas such as flood risk, and addressing community environmental justice. $3.9 billion will be spent to increase the robustness of the U.S. electric grid.

6.) GE Vernova’s Onshore Wind business completed its first onshore wind turbine at its assembly line in Schenectady, NY. The 6.1 MW machines, withtip heights soaring to 650 feet, are designed for low-to-medium wind speeds. 

1.) NuScale Power Corporation and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems terminate six-reactor, 462 MW small modular nuclear project in the face of price increases.

2.) The North American Electric Reliability Corporation annual Winter Reliability Assessment warns a large portion of North American grid at risk of insufficient supplies during peak winter conditions. Much ofeastern half of the U.S at risk.

3.) EV maker Polestar says it will make an EV with fast-charging, semi-solid-state battery cells from the tech firm StoreDot that can be charged to provide 100 miles of range in five minutes. Polestar 5 prototype planned for next year. 

4.) Volkswagen again setting sites on EV for U.S. at under $35,000 – to be made in either in the U.S. or Mexico. It has tried before, and new model is not expected to arrive for another 3 or 4 years. 

5.) Pacific Gas & Electric submits application to Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend Diablo Canyon nuclear plant operation as far out as 2045. PG&E originally planned to shut twin reactors – providing about 9% of California’s electricity - in 2024 and 2025. 

6.) Voters in Texas approve constitutional amendment authorizing $10 bn Texas Energy Fund offering low-interest loans to build gas-fired power plants, develop microgrids and upgrade parts of the grid. It’s a recognition that energy-only markets and scarcity prices during tight supply aren’t sufficient for system reliability.

7.) Virgin Atlantic receives permit from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority for first-ever transatlantic flight powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The flight - from London’s Heathrow to New York’s JFK - is expected to take place November 28th.

1.) Advanced Geothermal company Eavor Technologies raises $182 mn that may – among other issues - support development of the geothermal-based microgrid announced last month for the US Air Force Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

2.) The Biden Administration is engaged in talks with solar companies and non-profits relating to awards of up to $440 mn for rooftop solar and battery storage systems in Puerto Rico.

3.) Dominion Energy expects energy from its $9.8 billion 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia wind farm to come in at $77 MWh, down from earlier estimates of between $80 - $90/MWh. It originated supply deals for turbines in 2021, before supply chain and inflation woes.

4.) By contrast, Orsted cancels 2.2 GW NJ Ocean One and Two offshore projects and will recognize impairments of about $4 bn over the first nine months of 2023. It plans to proceed with 704 MW Revolution Wind project in CT and RI.  Meanwhile, CT releases two RFPs for zero carbon power, with one specifying 2 GW of offshore wind.

5.) Tesla’s Austin Texas gigafactory to support 30 MW of rooftop solar arrays, w/70,000 panels - the largest on the planet.

6.) Reuters reports up to half of the 30+ planned U.S. solar factories announced since IRA was passed may soon be delayed or canceled as a result of plummeting Asian panel import prices. 

7.) BMW execs say new 6th-generation Neue Klasse battery tech may be better than Tesla’s by 2025, w/larger form factors, higher nickel and lower cobalt content in the cathode, and increased silicon content in the anode.

8.) Toyota moving away from passenger fuel cell car Mirai, and switching its H2 strategy to trucks, while boosting investment in NC battery factory, by $8 bn to total of $13.9 b. Annual output of 30 GWh planned by 2030.

9.) Volvo launches Volvo Cars Energy Solutions, offering energy storage and charging-related technologies and services including vehicle-to-grid. Total battery capacity of Volvo fleet expected at around 50 GWh by mid-decade.

1.) New York awards provisional offtake agreements to three offshore wind projects totaling 4,032 MW, as part of overall 6,400 MW clean energy solicitation.

2.) European consortium teams up to develop test lab for floating wind turbines as large as 20 MW.

3.) Chinese turbine maker Ming Yang announces plans for 22MW offshore wind turbine, citing the advancements in manufacturing and lightweight carbon fiber technology.

4.) Duke Energy to soon break ground in Florida on the first U.S. demonstration project to generate electricity with an end-to-end system for producing, storing and burning 100% green hydrogen in a GE turbine for peak power.

5.) BP Pulse to buy $100 million of Tesla DC fast chargers, with speedsup to 250 kW, the first time Tesla chargers will be used by a third-party EV charging network. Chargers will be installed as early as next year at gas stations, Travel Centers of America locations, and custom-built hubs near airports, major metropolitan areas, and also for commercial fleet customers.

6.) Stellantis and battery recycler Orano announce formation JV to recycle battery factory scrap and end-of-life vehicle batteries in both U.S. and European markets, helping automaker access supplies of critical battery inputs.

7.) Ford reports Q3 losses in its electric car division of $1.3 billion, 200 million dollars higher than Q2. Losses per vehicle were calculated at $36,000 in Q3. Ford intends to slow planned billion-dollar investments in new plants.

8.) Herz to decelerate EV adoption in rental fleet, citing unexpected hit to earnings coming from declining resale value of its Tesla vehicles, and higher-than expected repair costs to damaged EVs.

9.) DOE releases draft road map for transforming grid interconnection processes to address lengthy interconnection queues. 

1.) DOE announces nearly $3.5 billion in awards under its Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program, to help mitigate wildfire and other climate change-related risks, address stranded renewables projects, and help support upgrades to the aging U.S. power grid. 

2.) Rhode Island’s largest utility issues RFP for 1200 MW of long-term offshore wind PPA to help state meet its renewable energy goals. Proposal deadline is January 31 2024, with winners to be announced the following summer. 

3.) Chinese EV maker NIO files with Ministry of Industry and Information to use Huzhou WeLion's semi-solid battery cells in 11 additional models..

4.) Amazon now has 10,000 Rivian electric delivery vehicles active in U.S. and Europe, up from 5,000 in July. 260 million deliveries with Rivian vans completed to date. 

5.) Siemens Energy announces world’s first use of 100% hydrogen in industrial gas turbine. Project is deploying 1 MW of electrolyzers and renewables to make and store green H2, before combusting in turbine.

6.) Shipping behemoth Exmar to purchase the world’s first ocean-going dual-fueled vessels that can utilize ammonia – NH3 – derived from hydrogen. 

1.) The Biden Administration announces seven hydrogen hubs - spread throughout the U.S. - eligible to receive a total of $7 bn in subsidies.

2.) Florida Power & Light commences operations at its 25 MW Cavendish NextGen Hydrogen Hub, using solar energy and electrolyzers to make hydrogen for blending in small amounts with methane to power 1,723 MW Okeechobee plant.

3.) Vermont utility Green Mountain Power launches Zero Outages Initiative, including $250 million to underground and storm-harden lines, as well as an initial  $30 mn to deploy energy storage through batteries and microgrids – eventually to every customer. 

4.) California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company unveils Microgrid Incentive Program and handbook, as part of statewide $200 million grant program – authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission to fund clean community microgrids in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.

5.) Maryland utility Pepco and partner Housing Initiative Partnership break ground on a first-of-its-kind affordable homeownership development project with six “zero-energy” single-family homes, with rooftop solar and local battery energy storage. The homes will use modular construction, designed to meet the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Homes Program and the Passive House Institute’s PHIUS+ 2018 standard. 

6.) DOE selects five generation and transmission cooperatives to receive grants totaling $30 mn - intended to prove out long-duration vanadium flow batteries in remote locations.

7.) California Governor Newsom signs a slew energy-related bills, including one to speed up interconnections of assets to transmission lines,, and another permitting highway rights-of-way to be utilized for solar, storage and transmission.

8.) BitCoin firm Standard Power plans to procure 1,848 MW of power - for two U.S. data center sites –with nuclear energy from 24 of NuScale’s small modular reactors. Plan is to be operational by 2029.

1.) In the face of an estimated $4.9 billion in potential claims for the Lahaina fire, Hawaiian Electric has only $165 million in annual general liability insurance. HECO’s CEO claims at US congressional hearing that the wildfire wasn’t its fault.  

2.) Developer AvanGrid plans to cancel 804 MW Park City offshore wind project - filing settlements with CT utilities Eversource and United Illuminating.

3.) CT, MA and RI announce plans to jointly solicit future bids for offshore wind projects in an effort to curb costs, increase efficiencies, and foster improved coordination on port and supply chain

4.) Hyundai Motors and Kia Corp to adopt Tesla’s EV North American Charging Standard in the U.S.

5.) Inverter company SolarEdge Technologies rolls out bidirectional DC EV charger allowing for solar-powered Vehicle-to-Home and Vehicle-to-Grid functionalities. EVs can be charged directly from photovoltaic systems, at rates up to 24 kW, simultaneously drawing electricity from PV array, home battery and the grid.

6.) New Boston skyscraper – the 812,000 square-foot Winthrop Center - is now largest “passive house” office space in the world. It uses 65% less energy for space conditioning compared to similar buildings.

7.) Heineken España and Engie España commission 30 MW concentrated solar power plant in Seville, Spain, that includes 68 MWh of storage capacity, cutting brewery's gas consumption by over 60%.

8.) New York State announces first subsidy round of $100 mn to help make all school buses zero emissions by 2035. A total of $500 million is expected to be eventually dedicated to the program.

9.) U.S. steelmaker Nucor invests $35 million into fusion start-up Helion Energy. Helion claims it will build a 500 MW plant at a Nucor electric arc furnace site by 2030. 

1.) The European Commission investigates whether to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese EV imports to protect European Union car-makers.

2.) Auto-maker Stellantis to expand its battery manufacturing capacity – from announced level of 250 GWh to 400 GWh, while securing critical supplies of materials and chemicals over the long-term.

3.) California will fork out $38M in rebates to place EV chargers in low-income areas, with rebates covering either 50 percent of a project’s costs or up to $100,000.

4.) Chinese Battery firm Gotion announces $2 bn EV lithium battery manufacturing plant in Manteno, Illinois, w/planned capacity of 10 GWh of lithium-ion battery packs and 40 GWh of lithium-ion battery cells, beginning production in 2024.

5.) Long-duration iron flow battery company ESS Tech delivers first six long-duration energy storage systems - totaling 3 MWh - to California utility Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

6.) Chevron New Energies finalizes deal to buy 100% of Magnum Development’s majority interest in Advanced Clean Energy Storage JV between Mitsubishi Power Americas and Magnum Development. The project will use renewable energy and electrolyzers to create green hydrogen stored in massive solution-mined salt caverns.

7.) Shell to sell residential battery storage and virtual power plant company sonnen at an estimated valuation of between $1.45-1.93 billion. 

8.) Dominion Energy concludes sale of three natural gas distribution companies to Enbridge, and is exploring “de-risking” of its 2600 MW offshore wind project through the sale of a portion of the project to a “noncontrolling equity financing partner.”

1.) First half 2023 global wind turbine orders hit 70GW according to Wood Mackenzie, up 12% year-over-year.

2.) Massachusetts opens fourth offshore solicitation – at a record 3.6 GW – with bids due by end of January 2024 and projects to be selected by June.

3.) Meanwhile, two projects from its previous solicitations have been canceled owing to a major shift in the macroeconomic environment, with 2,400 MW of projects canceled and developers paying a total of $108 million to exit contractual commitments.

4.) Offshore developers in New York seek average 48% increase in contract prices, to an average $167.25/MWh. Developer Orsted just announced a possible $2.3 billion impairments to earnings based on the exposure of its U.S. offshore portfolio.

5.) The much-heralded wind lease auction in the Gulf of Mexico is a bust, with a single winning $5.6 mn bid from RWE for acreage off Louisiana, and two lease areas off of Texas receiving zero interest.

6.) Hyundai and LG Energy Solution plan to invest an additional $2 billion to manufacture batteries at Hyundai’s Georgia EV plant.

7.) The Biden Administration will offer $15.5 bn to help U.S. automakers convert existing factories to compete in the EV revolution.

8.) The Defense Logistics Energy Agency designates Oklo as the pending contractor awardee to design, construct, own, and operate a micro-reactor at Alaska’s Eielson Air Force Base in a long-term power purchase agreement.

9.) Arizona utility Salt River Project and long-duration, non-lithium energy storage system company CMBlu Energy announce pilot for a 5MW/50 MWh to be built near Phoenix. Project is due to come online by December of 2025.

10.) Singapore’s Bila Solar to open 1GW solar module manufacturing plant in Indianapolis. Its lightweight module is flexible and useful in locations where modules cannot typically be installed.

11.) Battery recycling company Redwood Materials scores another $1bn in Series D round, to be used for further capacity expansions. 

1.) Texas PUC approves two Tesla virtual power plants for Powerwall owners Houston and Dallas areas.

2.) Vermont Utility Green Mountain Power receives approval from the VT PUC to broaden home battery tariff offering past original 2,900 participants. Waitlist just for Tesla Powerwall at 1,200 customers following recent flooding.

3.) Engie to buy Broad Reach Power battery storage business for $1 billion, with 350 MW of grid scale storage assets currently operating and another 880 under construction.

4.) The U.S Dept. of Interior approves 704 MW Revolution Wind project 15 nautical miles southeast of Point Judith, Rhode Island, the fourth E. Coast commercial-scale, offshore wind project to date.

5.) China announces plan to develop a recycling network for used PV modules and other decommissioned equipment, to be activated within two years. 2030 goal is to handle all decommissioned plants, while creating solar and wind equipment recycling clusters.

6.) TVA to spend $15B over next 3 years to address regional growth, with the main investments in more generation, an upgrade of the existing infrastructure, and more security. CEO Jeff Lyash comments, current systems will have to “double or triple” over the next 30 years.

7.) J.D. Power releases Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging study, showing that 20% of EV drivers visiting a charging station were unable to charge, generally because the stations were inoperable or lines were too long. 

1.) After Maui’s deadly wildfire utility Hawaiian Electric Co (HECO) is being sued for not having de-energized its power lines in response to a combination of drought and high winds. Every investor-owned utility will need to re-evaluating its exposure and put pre-emptive de-energizing plans into place.

2.) California’s State Water Resources Control Board approves a Newsom Administration plan to extend the life of three natural gas plants totaling several thousand megawatts through 2026 to maintain grid reliability. 

3.) China’s battery behemoth CATL unveils new LFP battery that can offer 250 miles of range in just 10 minutes of charging, achieving 80% state of charge in 10 minutes at room temps, or in 30 minutes at temps as low as 14 degrees F.

4.) Electric truck maker Nikola recalls all 209 battery-electric semitrucks produced to date following investigation into a recent fire in one of its trucks. A coolant leak in a battery pack was blamed.

5.) Canary Media reports over 100 new clean energy facilities or expansions – totaling about $80 billion - have been announced since the IRA was signed into law a year ago. 

6.) The Bureau of Ocean Management identifies two areas – totaling almost 220,00 acres and potentially yielding 2,600 MW of capacity - for potential offshore leases off Oregon.

7.) Vestas 15 MW turbine establishes a 24-hour industry record, pumping out 363MWh of electricity in a day, enough to supply average U.S. household (29 kWh/day) for 34.3 years.