The Omaha Public Power District ruled in April that the developer, Eolian, could not connect to the grid batteries it plans to install on an industrial lot near Omaha’s coal-fired plant. The power company said private companies are prohibited from hooking up such projects because Nebraska is a “public power” state where infrastructure must be community owned.

Eolian officials, after working on their plan for six years, say they were blindsided by the decision. They argue Nebraska law has specific exemptions allowing the purchase of clean energy from private firms.

“Given the large and growing data center footprint in Omaha, it is confounding that the local utility would intentionally impede the addition of multi-hour battery energy storage resources,” said Eolian CEO Aaron Zubaty. The utility said in a statement that the exceptions are limited and do not allow for “a privately owned, stand-alone battery storage facility.” Eolian and the utility will now make their case to the Nebraska Power Review Board, which has authority to approve the project.

BURLINGAME, Calif., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eolian, L.P. ("Eolian"), a portfolio company of Global Infrastructure Partners ("GIP"), together with Santander Corporate & Investment Bank, MUFG, National Australia Bank, Natixis, Lloyds Bank, and SMBC, today announced the closing of a $315 million renewable energy green loan and $75 million revolving credit facility, building on a $515 million green loan closed in June 2023 with the same group of global banking institutions.  This financing is secured by a diverse group of eligible green project assets created by Eolian and is aligned with the four pillars of the Green Loan Principles, jointly published by the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA), the Loan Market Association (LMA) and the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA) in February 2023.

Salt River Project (SRP) and Aypa Power have entered into an agreement to provide 250 megawatts (MW) / 1,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of new energy storage to the Arizona grid. 

The Signal Butte energy storage project will be a 250 MW, four-hour battery energy storage system located in the Elliot Road Technology Corridor in Mesa, AZ. The project will utilize lithium-ion technology and will have the capacity to power over 50,000 average-sized residential homes over a four-hour period. The project is scheduled to be operational by mid-year 2026. 

“SRP is proud of our continued efforts to deploy battery storage, which will help us maximize use of renewable resources and decarbonize our portfolio in the coming years,” said Bobby Olsen, SRP Associate General Manager and Chief Planning, Strategy and Sustainability Executive. “The Signal Butte project will also help us meet the growing capacity needs of the Phoenix metropolitan area.” 

The mighty Columbia River has helped power the American West with hydroelectricity since the days of FDR’s New Deal. But the artificial intelligence revolution will demand more. Much more.

So near the river’s banks in central Washington, Microsoft is betting on an effort to generate power from atomic fusion — the collision of atoms that powers the sun — a breakthrough that has eluded scientists for the past century. Physicists predict it will elude Microsoft, too.

The tech giant and its partners say they expect to harness fusion by 2028, an audacious claim that bolsters their promises to transition to green energy but distracts from current reality. In fact, the voracious electricity consumption of artificial intelligence is driving an expansion of fossil fuel use — including delaying the retirement of some coal-fired plants.

New ERCOT battery rule could limit energy storage use in grid emergencies, operators say .

New state of charge rules “will substantially reduce energy storage participation in the ancillary markets and reduce competition,” Eolian CEO Aaron Zubaty said.

BURLINGAME, Calif., June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eolian, L.P. ("Eolian"), a portfolio company of Global Infrastructure Partners ("GIP"), together with Banco Santander, MUFG, National Australia Bank, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking, and SMBC, today announced the closing of a $515 million renewable energy green loan. This financing is secured by a diverse group of eligible green projects developed by Eolian over the past 20 years and is aligned with the four pillars of the Green Loan Principles, jointly published by the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA), the Loan Market Association (LMA) and the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA) in February 2023.

Two new local projects will add 400 megawatts of non-emitting capacity, helping PGE integrate more clean energy into its portfolio

PORTLAND, Ore., April 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR) today announced the procurement of 400 megawatts (MWAC) of new battery storage projects – a critical tool in Oregon's clean energy transition and the largest single procurement of standalone energy storage to date by a utility in the U.S. outside the state of California. These projects, located at substations close to electrical demand, will store enough electricity to power all PGE customer homes in a city the size of Portland for an entire evening on battery-delivered energy alone

Albuquerque’s Energy Grid Gets Major Capital Investment: New Mexico’s Energy Storage System Paves Way for a Green Future.

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI), a leading renewable energy producer in the U.S., today announced the signing of a long-term renewable energy off-take agreement with Meta. The Long Lake Project (Long Lake) will be a 200 megawatt (MWac) facility in Phillips County, Arkansas. DESRI has executed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Meta to provide energy and capacity for its growing energy needs in the region.

Washington, D.C., June 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Washington, D.C.-based Sol Systems, LLC (“Sol Systems”), announced the acquisition of a 91 megawatt (MWdc) solar development project in Spencer County, Indiana from Orion Renewable Power Resources, LLC (“Orion”), a joint venture between Orion Renewable Energy Group LLC and Eolian, L.P. (“Eolian”). The project, known as Grandview, is part of Sol Systems’ Impact + Infrastructure growth strategy.

“This acquisition builds on Sol Systems’ significant footprint in the Midwest,” said Yuri Horwitz, CEO of Sol Systems. “We are eager to kick-off the construction phase of this project which will bring new clean energy and opportunities to the local community and region.”

May 02, 2022 01:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time

ORANGE, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avangrid Renewables, LLC, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), today announced that it has achieved commercial operation at its 200 Megawatt (MW) Golden Hills wind farm in Sherman County, Oregon. The facility, which provides enough clean, renewable electricity to Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to power over 60,000 homes annually, began operations on April 29, 2022.

The project will help PSE meet its goals to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while providing additional capacity to serve customers, particularly during winter periods of high electricity demand. The project is Avangrid Renewables’ 7th wind project in Sherman County, 11th in Oregon, and 14th in the Pacific Northwest.

“Delivering on this project represents an important milestone for Avangrid Renewables as we continue to build on our robust portfolio of project in the Pacific Northwest region and advance our position as a leading renewable energy developer in the U.S.,” said Jose Antonio Miranda, Avangrid Renewables’ president and CEO, Onshore. “We are pleased to work with Puget Sound Energy to help it meet its ambitious goals to reduce emissions and provide clean, reliable power to its customers.

NEW YORK, April 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eolian, L.P. ("Eolian"), a portfolio company of Global Infrastructure Partners ("GIP"), together with Banco Santander, Natixis, MUFG and Mizuho, today announced the closing of a $925 million renewable energy financing. This novel structured transaction will further advance multiple strategies already underway as the Eolian team rapidly accelerates the deployment of cost-effective decarbonizing technologies across the US.