Energy Transition in Motion (Week of May 16, 2025)

Tech giant Google and renewable energy developer energyRe have inked another solar power deal, bringing the total commitment between the two companies to 1 gigawatt (GW).

The agreement was announced May 15 as Google continued efforts to reach its goal of having net-zero carbon emissions across its operations and value chain by 2030.

“Strengthening the grid by deploying more reliable and clean energy is crucial for supporting the digital infrastructure that businesses and individuals depend on,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, head of data center energy for Google. “Our collaboration with energyRe will help power our data centers and the broader economic growth of South Carolina.”

As part of the latest agreement, Google will invest in and purchase renewable energy credits from a portfolio of more than 600 megawatts (MW) of new solar and storage projects being developed by energyRe in South Carolina, the renewable energy company said in a news release.

The agreement follows a power purchase agreement announced in October 2024 for energy from a 435- MW solar project being developed by energyRe. The location of the wind farm was not disclosed.

The company’sCEO Miguel Prado called the latest agreement a “milestone in energyRe’s mission to develop innovative and impactful clean energy solutions for the future.”

In addition to solar and energy storage, energyRe’s portfolio includes onshore and offshore wind, high voltage transmission and distributed generation. The company has 16 GW of utility-scale projects under development along with more than 500 miles of transmission, according to its website.

Here’s a roundup of some other renewable energy news.

Biofuels

TotalEnergies Sells Stake in Polish Biogas Company to HitecVision

TotalEnergies has agreed to sell a 50% stake in biogas company Polska Grupa Biogazowa (PGB) to Norwegian energy investor HitecVision.

The deal has an enterprise value of 190 million euros (US$212 million), TotalEnergies said in a May 14 news release.

The Polish biogas company has a production capacity of more than 450 GWh with 20 units in operation and two plants under construction. TotalEnergies acquired a 100% stake in PGB in 2023.

“This transaction will enable PGB to continue its growth in a country where biogas is rapidly developing and is in line with the farmdown business model applied to our renewable assets in order to maximize the profitability of our investments," said Stéphane Michel, president of gas, renewables and power at TotalEnergies.

HitecVision sees the company as an opportunity to pursue profitable growth, according to Erlend Ellingsen, CEO and managing partner of HitecVision.

“TotalEnergies has a well-established industrial footprint in Poland, and we as partners have complementary skillsets that we jointly will put to use for scaling PGB significantly over the next few years through greenfield projects as well as M&A,” Ellingsen said.

The transaction’s close is subject to governmental and regulatory approvals.

EPA Sends Biofuel-Blending Volume Proposal to White House for Review

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sent a proposed rule to the White House for review on the amount of biofuels oil refiners must blend into their fuel beginning in 2026.

The politically powerful oil and biofuel lobbies have awaited the proposed rule since President Donald Trump took office in January. It will be one of the first opportunities for the Republican president to show his level of support for biofuels policy, which historically has pitted Big Oil and the Farm Belt against each other.

That dynamic shifted in the lead-up to this proposed rule, as a coalition of oil and biofuel groups recommended the EPA, which administers the volumes, propose federal mandates for biomass-based diesel blending for 2026 at 5.25 billion gallons, Reuters previously reported. That figure would be a significant increase from previous mandates.

The EPA was expected to propose a rule that covers both 2026 and 2027, Reuters previously reported. The EPA’s previous rulemaking on renewable volume obligations finalized total federal volume at 20.94 billion gallons in 2023, 21.54 billion gallons in 2024 and 22.33 billion gallons in 2025.

Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, oil refiners must blend biofuels into their fuel or buy tradable credits from those that do. Small refiners can petition the EPA to receive an exemption from the obligations, known as SREs. As of May 15, the EPA had dozens of pending petitions from refiners across various compliance years.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said at a House of Representatives committee on May 15 that resolving the SRE petitions was “very important.”

“None of these were getting approved at all in the last administration," Zeldin said. “We want to get caught up as quickly as we can.”

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Energy storage

Battery Recycler Li-Cycle Files for Bankruptcy Protection in Canada

Toronto-based lithium battery recycling firm Li-Cycle said on May 14 that it has filed for bankruptcy protection in Canada and expects to start a formal sale for its business or assets.

The firm’s U.S. units have also commenced proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York.

Li-Cycle entered into a $10.5 million debtor-in-possession financing and a stalking horse credit bid for at least $40 million with London-listed Glencore, its largest secured creditor.

In March, Li-Cycle said it is seeking buyers for its business or assets as it needs additional funding to maintain operations. Glencore made an offer to acquire the Toronto-based company as part of a proposal to offset operational and financial issues.

The company has filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 15 and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCCAA), a Canadian federal law that allows insolvent corporations that owe creditors in excess of $5 million to restructure their business and financial affairs.

In November 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy finalized a $475 million loan for Li-Cycle, a financial lifeline for the company, which kept running into cost overruns and technical issues.

Ethiopia Agrees to Minerals, Energy Deals Worth $1.7B

Ethiopia has signed investment deals for its minerals and energy sectors worth more than $1.7 billion, mostly with Chinese firms, its finance ministry said.

The East African nation, which struck a four-year, $3.4 billion program deal with the International Monetary Fund in July 2024, is in the midst of a far-reaching reform drive, including the flotation of the country’s birr currency and a push to complete an $8.4 billion debt restructuring with its official creditors.

The Finance Ministry said in a statement late May 13 that companies attending a two-day investment conference in Addis Ababa had signed agreements to bring more than $1.7 billion into the country.

The deals signed include a planned $500 million investment by Hua Ye Mining Processing Co. in minerals exploration and processing, and the development of a special economic zone focused on minerals, the ministry said.

Another $600 million will come from Sequoia Mining & Processing Plc to develop coal mining projects, while another $360 million will come from Hainan Drinda New Energy Technology to build a solar cell manufacturing plant. Another $250 million will come from CSI Solar, also for solar energy development, the ministry said.

The ministry did not give a timeframe for when the money was expected to come to Ethiopia.

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Geothermal

Mazama Energy Taps Microseismic for Geothermal Offering

MicroSeismic Inc. announced its first enhanced geothermal system contract in the field to use its MicroThermal Energy geothermal offering for Mazama Energy’s superhot rock geothermal demonstration project.

In a news release, MicroSeismic said it will use its advanced subsurface imaging and monitoring techniques to quantify stimulation results conducted by Mazama. The project, which was awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, is located at the Newberry Volcano in Oregon. The volcano is home to one of the largest geothermal heat reservoirs in the U.S., according to the release.

“Geothermal is no longer confined to rare natural hotspots,” said MicroSeismic CEO Peter Duncan. “With MicroThermal Energy, we’re utilizing our expertise developed in the unconventional oil and gas industry and will provide Mazama with actionable insights to map and maximize the connectivity between their geothermal wells.”

Hydrogen

Italgas, Edison to Test Green Hydrogen in Industrial Plant

Europe’s biggest gas distributor Italgas and EDF’s Edison Energia in France have signed a contract to supply a blend containing green hydrogen to a plant of Italian food group Granarolo from September, the companies said on May 15.

The move is the first attempt in Italy to use a blend with up to 20% of green hydrogen for an industrial activity, they said, adding the fuel will be produced using renewable energy coming from a power plant set up by Italgas in Sardinia.

Despite green hydrogen being a crucial element in the EU’s energy transition strategy, its widespread adoption has been hampered by high production costs.

Solar

Rogue Communication Devices Found in Chinese Solar Power Inverters

U.S. energy officials are reassessing the risk posed by Chinese-made devices that play a critical role in renewable energy infrastructure after unexplained communication equipment was found inside some of them, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Power inverters, which are predominantly produced in China, are used throughout the world to connect solar panels and wind turbines to electricity grids. They are also found in batteries, heat pumps and electric vehicle chargers. While inverters are built to allow remote access for updates and maintenance, the utility companies that use them typically install firewalls to prevent direct communication back to China.

However, rogue communication devices not listed in product documents have been found in some Chinese solar power inverters by U.S experts who strip down equipment hooked up to grids to check for security issues, the two people said.

Over the past nine months, undocumented communication devices, including cellular radios, have also been found in some batteries from multiple Chinese suppliers, one of them said.

Reuters was unable to determine how many solar power inverters and batteries they have looked at.

The rogue components provide additional, undocumented communication channels that could allow firewalls to be circumvented remotely, with potentially catastrophic consequences, the two people said.

Both declined to be named because they did not have permission to speak to the media.

“We know that China believes there is value in placing at least some elements of our core infrastructure at risk of destruction or disruption,” said Mike Rogers, a former director of the U.S. National Security Agency. “I think that the Chinese are, in part, hoping that the widespread use of inverters limits the options that the West has to deal with the security issue.”

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said: "We oppose the generalization of the concept of national security, distorting and smearing China's infrastructure achievements."

Using the rogue communication devices to skirt firewalls and switch off inverters remotely, or change their settings, could destabilize power grids, damage energy infrastructure and trigger widespread blackouts, experts said.

Yanmar America Installs 914 Solar Panels at Georgia Headquarters

Equipment supplier Yanmar America has installed 914 solar panels at its headquarters in Adairsville, Georgia, the company said May 13 in a news release.

The fully operational solar array, which was tested by Georgia Power, will help move the company closer to its emissions reductions goals while reducing reliance on non-renewable power sources.

“This solar investment is our first step toward reducing our carbon footprint,” said Yanmar America President Jeff Albright. “Our commitment to the community and our employees is to be good stewards of the environment and leaders in achieving a zero-carbon footprint.”

Yanmar is a supplier of branded industrial and marine diesel engines, diesel generators, micro cogeneration and gas heat pump energy system solutions, compact construction equipment and compact utility tractors, according to its website.

With a goal to become an ecological footprint-free, greenhouse gas -free corporation based on recycled resources, Yanmar said the company also launched its Green Challenge 2050. The objectives are to achieve zero GHG emissions from corporate operations, create zero environmental impact by circulating resources and support customers in lowering their GHG emissions and enhancing resource circulation, according to the release.

CVE North America Begins Constructing Solar, Storage System in NY

Community solar developer CVE North America has started construction of a solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) on a capped landfill in New York, it said May 15, marking a company first in the state.

The Riverhead project features a 7-MW solar array and a 13.6 megawatt-hour BESS.

“The Riverhead project is a pivotal step in expanding our energy storage capabilities and demonstrates how strategic solar development can strengthen local energy systems,” said Ben Dereume, technical director at CVE North America.

The project is expected to produce enough electricity to power approximately 1,500 homes in New York. That equates to an estimated 12,000 MWh of energy annually, according to CVE.

Aligned Climate Closes Solar Fund with Over $200MM in Commitments

Clean energy-focused asset manager Aligned Climate Capital said May 12 it closed its sixth distributed solar fund, securing more than $200 million in commitments from global and U.S. institutional investors.

The fund, called Aligned Solar Partners 6 LP (ASP6), acquires construction-ready distributed solar projects from development partners across the U.S. The fund also finances buildout of the projects and aims to deliver returns via tax credit monetization, operating income distributions and portfolio sales to institutional infrastructure investors, Aligned said in a news release.

“The U.S. needs new power generation to meet growing electricity demand, and solar energy is the cheapest, fastest and cleanest technology in the market,” said Aligned Climate Capital CEO Peter W. Davidson. “We have been investors in this market for more than a decade and understand how solar can deliver consistent cash returns for our investors each year.”

So far, ASP6 has placed more than 25 MW of distributed solar projects into service in Maine and Washington DC. The fund seeks to double its capacity, targeting more than 150 MW across seven states.

Investors include insurance companies, endowments, foundations and family offices, according to the release.

Wind

Engie, Cipher Mining Enter Wind Power for Texas Data Center Deal

Engie North America and Cipher Mining have entered a preliminary agreement that involves the utility supplying wind energy to power a co-located data center in Texas.

If an agreement is executed, Engie would supply up to 300 MW of wind energy to data center developer and operator Cipher, Engie said May 13. Co-locating the data center could help alleviate congested transmission in the area, enhancing grid stability and reliability, Engie said in the news release.

“Engie is committed to pursuing innovative solutions that maximize the value of renewable generation and improving cost effectiveness of delivering clean energy supply to our customers,” said David Carroll, chief renewables officer and senior vice president at Engie North America. “We are focused on meeting the growing need for power by our customers as they expand their operations in the U.S. and renewables is an essential part of supplying this increasing demand.”

National Grid Takes $402MM Hit on Paused New York Wind Project

National Grid booked a multi-million pound impairment charge on a paused U.S. wind project, but said May 15 it was on track to invest 60 billion pounds (US$79.74 billion) in energy networks through March 2029. Its results beat estimates.

The renewable energy sector has been shaken by U.S. President Donald Trump’s hostility to wind power. On the first day of his second term in office in January, he ordered a suspension of offshore wind leasing in a reversal of his predecessor Joe Biden’s support for renewable energy to help decarbonize generation.

National Grid, together with Germany’s RWE, paused development of a New York offshore wind project as a result.

RWE owns 73% of the project, with the rest owned by National Grid, which on May 15 said it had booked a 303 million pound (US$402.7 million) impairment charge.

“We’ve taken the view from an accounting perspective that there's no immediate prospect of that project developing,” CEO John Pettigrew said in an interview with Reuters. “Long term, we do think it’s an opportunity, but not in the immediate short term.”

Pettigrew said the project was a small part of National Grid’s business, which mainly involves running Britain’s energy systems and operating electricity and gas businesses in New York and Massachusetts.

Earnings growth in U.K. electricity transmission and higher rates in the company’s New York businesses helped it to post adjusted operating profit of 5.36 billion pounds for the year ended March 31, compared with a company-compiled analysts' estimate of 5.29 billion pounds.

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Hart Energy Staff and Reuters contributed to this report.