The Week in Cleantech: 26 Mar 2023

A number of large-scale renewable energy projects and investments made headlines in the cleantech news last week. GreenIT and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners announced plans to develop 2 GW of floating wind projects in Italy, while Crown Estate Scotland selected 13 offshore wind projects to supply oil and gas platforms. The Netherlands also made waves by announcing plans to build the world's largest offshore green hydrogen plant by 2031. In addition, Cummins' Accelera will supply a 90 MW electrolyzer system for a waste-to-methanol plant, and Albemarle revealed plans to build a $1.3bn lithium processing facility in South Carolina.

GreenIT and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to develop 2 GW floating wind projects in Italy. The projects will use innovative solutions to minimize environmental impact and are expected to be operational between 2028 and 2031. (Offshore WIND and 9 other sources)

Crown Estate Scotland selects 13 offshore wind projects to supply oil and gas platforms. The successful applicants have been offered initial agreements, with a combined capacity of around 5.5 GW. (Offshore WIND and 9 other sources)

Netherlands to build world's largest offshore green hydrogen plant by 2031. The 500MW electrolyser will be located in the North of Wadden Islands offshore wind zone. (Recharge and 8 other sources)

Cummins' Accelera to supply 90 MW electrolyzer system for Varennes Carbon Recycling plant. The PEM electrolyzer system will produce renewable hydrogen and oxygen for waste-to-methanol technology. (Recycling Production News and 6 other sources)

Hanwha Solutions' Qcells to benefit from $147m solar encapsulant factory in Georgia. The factory will create more than 160 jobs and is expected to start production in June 2024. (Renewables Now and 6 other sources)

Albemarle to build $1.3bn lithium processing facility in South Carolina. The facility will produce 50,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide annually to support domestic battery manufacturing. (Canary Media and 4 other sources)

Ford unveils Euro-Explorer EV, but won't sell it in the US. The Euro-Explorer is based on the Volkswagen MEB platform and is a unibody-skateboard crossover, smaller than the US Explorer, and tailored to European needs and expectations. (CleanTechnica and 2 other sources)

Allbirds unveils carbon-negative shoe design with sugarcane packaging. The M0.0NSHOT shoe has a net-zero carbon footprint, with all key components certified as carbon negative. (edie and 3 other sources)

Good Meat's cultivated chicken receives FDA approval, paving the way for U.S. sales. The "no questions" letter from FDA marks a significant milestone in the development of the cultivated meat industry. (Green Queen and 2 other sources)

AGCO unveils SimplEbale, an electronic monitoring and control system for Massey Ferguson Hesston Square Balers. The system simplifies hay-making for operators of all levels and will be available for limited commercial use in 2024 and full commercial availability in 2025. (Agriculture Post and 1 other source)

Qvantum's compact apartment heat pump wins German Design Plus award. The 6 kW modular system offers heating, cooling, and hot water in one and can fit under a kitchen sink. (Elektrek and 1 other source)

Lhyfe and Centrica to pilot offshore renewable hydrogen production in UK. The partnership aims to develop green hydrogen production, storage, and distribution systems in the UK. (Offshore WIND and 6 other sources)

GE partners with Svante to develop carbon capture technology for natural gas power generation. The partnership will focus on commercializing solid sorbent technology for point-source carbon capture and decarbonizing gas-fired turbines cost-effectively. (Carbon Credits and 3 other sources)

Gevo to supply Hawaiian Airlines with 50m gallons of sustainable aviation fuel. The five-year deal will start in 2029, with the fuel produced from residual starch derived from inedible field corn. (Renewables Now and 3 other sources)

Google partners with LevelTen Energy to speed up clean energy purchasing. The collaboration aims to accelerate the negotiation and execution of clean energy Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) by around 80%, using a more standardized and faster RFP process. (ESG Today and 2 other sources)

Microsoft to purchase carbon removal credits from CarbonCapture's Project Bison in Wyoming, which uses direct air capture technology to store carbon underground. CarbonCapture aims to remove 5 million metric tons of CO2 annually by 2030, and the deal with Microsoft is expected to boost the growth of the direct air capture industry. (Carbon Credits and 1 other source)

Jera to acquire Parkwind for $1.67bn, expanding its offshore wind business. The deal includes four Belgian wind farms and a 4.5 GW development pipeline. (Renewables Now and 6 other sources)

Kinderhook Industries acquires CARDS Recycling, a solid waste collection company in Arkansas. CARDS has over 56,500 customers and provides waste collection services to over 30 municipalities. (Waste Advantage Magazine and 1 other source)

UK government grants £1.8bn to improve energy efficiency in homes and public buildings, with a focus on vulnerable households and off-gas grid homes. The investment will create potential savings of £220 to £400 a year on energy bills for tenants and support 7,000 jobs in the construction and home retrofit sectors. (PBC Today and 1 other source)

Biden administration announces $750M for clean hydrogen research and development. The funding aims to advance electrolysis technologies and improve manufacturing and recycling capabilities to achieve commercial-scale hydrogen deployment this decade. (Environment + Energy Leader and 2 other sources)

Cirba Solutions to invest $300M in US electric vehicle battery recycling facility. The facility will extract critical materials to support the domestic lithium-ion battery supply chain. (Green Car Congress and 4 other sources)

Cocoon Bioscience secures €15m funding to scale looper moth-based tech. The Spanish biotech start-up uses moth cocoons as natural, low-cost bioreactors to develop growth factors for cultivated meat and other alternative proteins. (Green Queen and 1 other source)

PoLoPo raises $1.75M to turn potatoes into eggs. The Israel-based startup's technology allows for proteins to be expressed in potatoes in a scalable, cost-effective way, which can enable the food industry to meet its protein demands and reduce the carbon footprint of the production process. (Green Queen and 2 other sources)

New chemical sorting technology separates polyester from mixed waste textiles. The resulting sorted polyester can be used for chemical recycling and is expected to help reduce waste and achieve a circular economy in the textile industry. (AZO Cleantech and 1 other source)

Daylight-saving time can reduce office building cooling energy by up to almost 6%, according to a study by Empa's Urban Energy Systems Lab. The research found that since more cooling than heating energy is needed in summer, the time change has a positive overall effect on the energy balance of a building, but heating demand can increase by up to 4.4% due to the earlier start of work in the morning. (Tech Xplore and 2 other sources)

ESG investing strategies are being rebranded in the US amid political backlash, with fund managers tweaking their language to refer to the long-term cost of climate change rather than using divisive terms. The $8.4tn ESG market has become increasingly politicised, with Republicans attacking anything connected to environmental, social or good governance goals, while Democrats have imposed counter-measures to support ESG. (Energy Now and 1 other source)

President Biden issues first veto to defend ESG rule for ERISA plans. Republicans attempt to overturn the rule in Congress but fail. (ESG Today and 1 other source)

ECB's first climate-related disclosures show decarbonisation path for Eurosystem portfolios. The disclosures cover corporate security holdings and non-monetary policy portfolios, with plans to expand. (ESG News and 1 other source)

Chipotle sets 2023 ESG goals tied to executive pay. Targets include local produce, diversity, and waste reduction. (ESG Today and 1 other source)

Top oil and gas companies set varying targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but absolute emissions can rise with growing production. Scientists say the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions by around 43% by 2030 from 2019 levels to meet the Paris Agreement goal. (Energy Now and 1 other source)

EU proposes legal criteria to tackle greenwashing, requiring companies to provide scientific evidence before making environmental claims, with independent verification to back them up. The proposal aims to create a level playing field for companies offering truly sustainable products and increase consumer trust, but some campaigners suggest the EU could have gone further in banning 'climate-washing' claims. (FoodNavigator and 6 other sources)

EU agrees to mandate lower greenhouse gas intensity for shipping fuels. FuelEU Maritime regulation aims to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050. (Renewables Now and 6 other sources)

UK Gas Boiler Council opposes mandate for hydrogen-ready boilers in newly installed gas boilers. It sees "considerable risks and negligible opportunities" and supports the phase-out of all gas boilers instead. (H2 View and 4 other sources)

US Treasury to release guidance on EV battery tax subsidies next week. The guidance will outline rules aimed at weaning the US off dependence on China. (ET EnergyWorld and 2 other sources)

North Carolina's proposed energy-saving building code changes face opposition from developers, who claim the upgrades would cost three times more than projected. Advocates stress the benefits of the original proposal, which includes thicker insulation and more efficient lighting, and say the state's existing code is anchored to outdated guidelines from 2009. (The Daily Climate and 1 other source)

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