The Week in Cleantech: 30 April 2023

Last week was packed with news about deals and partnerships announced across different cleantech sectors. GM and Samsung SDI are planning to construct a $3B battery factory in the US, Neste will supply sustainable aviation fuel to Viva Aerobus, and Farm.One will receive a holistic heating, ventilation, and air conditioning solution from Surna. Meanwhile, EU countries have set a goal to increase North Sea wind power generation significantly by 2030.

European leaders aim to scale up North Sea wind power generation at summit. The goal is to boost offshore wind power generation to 120 GW by 2030 and at least 300 GW by 2050, with the nine countries involved hoping to standardise equipment and make space for European value chains. (Tech Xplore and 22 other sources)

H-TEC Systems opens PEM electrolysis manufacturing facility in Hamburg, with a total electrolysis capacity of up to 5GW. The facility will research new and innovative processes for the series production of PEM electrolysis stacks and electrolysers in Germany, to make affordable green hydrogen. (H2 View and 4 other sources)

ElevenEs opens Europe's first LFP battery cell production facility in Serbia. The facility will produce high-quality LFP prismatic cells for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, offering increased sustainability, safety, and lower costs. (ESG News and 3 other sources)

UK vaping industry launches environmental plan to tackle waste. The 22-point plan includes setting up recycling facilities and collection points in shops. (Materials Recycling World and 1 other source)

Energy Efficiency Centre launches campaign to address UK's heat pump skills gap, targeting 30k certified installers by 2028. The campaign aims to improve access to training and inspire installers to upskill to meet the government's target of 600k heat pumps a year by 2028. (PBC Today and 1 other source)

GM partners with Samsung SDI to build $3B battery factory in the US. The factory will have a capacity of "more than 30 GWh" and bring GM's total capacity in the US to about 160 GWh. (Elektrek and 7 other sources)

Alberta Motor Transport Association buys Nikola's zero-emission trucks for hydrogen project in Canada. The delivery of Nikola Tre BEV and Nikola Tre FCEV trucks will help promote further adoption of zero-emission trucks in Canada. (Energy News and 5 other sources)

Google and EDP Renewables North America have partnered to build a 500 MW portfolio of solar across 80 community-scale projects in the 13-state region served by grid operator PJM. The solar projects will be structured to ensure that at least 10% of the money they make flows to at least 25,000 "high energy burden" households, including those located in communities that host the solar farms themselves. (Canary Media and 4 other sources)

Vestas wins 238 MW wind turbine order for Japanese offshore project. Hibiki Wind Energy selects Vestas for its reliability and expected local contribution. (Offshore WIND and 3 other sources)

Ameresco and Sunel to jointly bid on 1.5 GWp of solar and energy storage projects. The contract value of the new projects is estimated at over $500m. (Renewables Now and 3 other sources)

Viva Aerobus to power flights with sustainable aviation fuel from Neste. The Mexican airline will purchase one million liters of Neste MY SAF to reduce carbon emissions. (Biodiesel Magazine and 3 other sources)

Toyota granted CARB order for hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain kit; production to start in 2023. The kit includes hydrogen fuel storage tanks, fuel cell stacks, batteries, electric motors and transmission, offering viable alternatives to diesel powertrains. (H2 View and 3 other sources)

CapMetro partners with HOLT Renewables and bp pulse for solar-powered EV charging. The $34 million project includes a 12-acre photovoltaic canopy system and 200 zero-emissions buses. (NGT News and 2 other sources)

Surna awarded environmental control contract with Farm.One for NYC vertical farm. Surna to provide holistic HVAC system design for Farm.One's luxury greens production facility. (AgriTech Tomorrow and 1 other source)

Proagrica and Lexagri partner to provide standardized crop input data worldwide, simplifying compliance and improving analytics. The collaboration will offer a consistent source of data acquisition, reducing inaccuracies and providing valuable insights to farm and food tech providers. (Global Ag Tech Initiative and 1 other source)

Hyundai and SK On to invest $5B in US EV battery plant. The facility will produce battery cells for 300k all-electric Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis vehicles yearly by H2 2025. (Utility Dive and 6 other sources)

Ocean Winds and partners invest EUR 2.7bn in Dieppe Le Tréport offshore wind farm in France. The 496 MW project is expected to be commissioned in H2 2026, creating 1,300 direct jobs. (Offshore WIND and 5 other sources)

Jet2 invests in sustainable aviation fuel production plant in the UK. The airline expects to receive over 200 million liters of SAF over a 15-year period, which will achieve net emissions reductions of around 400,000 metric tons of CO2. (Biomass Magazine and 2 other sources)

Venture Climate Alliance (VCA) launched by 23 global venture capital firms to support early-stage climate tech startups to achieve net zero by 2050. VCA members will work together to achieve net zero emissions for the group’s own operations by 2030 or sooner, while also encouraging their portfolio firms to have their own net zero targets. (Carbon Credits and 1 other source)

Mitsubishi invests in carbon removal technology despite running fossil fuel plants. The Japanese conglomerate has invested in nearly 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal credits from technological, and plans to buy one million credits by 2025. (Climate Change News and 1 other source)

Volkswagen Group's Q1 2023 global vehicle sales up 7.5%, with BEV sales accounting for 6.9% of total volume. Europe remains the largest BEV market, while China's sales decreased by over 25%. (InsideEVs and 3 other sources)

Volvo's electric vehicle sales surge 157% in Q1, EX90 model sells out. Volvo plans to release at least one new EV each year until mid-decade, starting with a new fully electric small SUV in a few months. (Elektrek and 2 other sources)

New research shows advanced recycling widely supported to increase plastic recycling rates. American Chemistry Council's Plastics Division will submit evidence-based recommendations to the Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides. (Waste Advantage Magazine and 2 other sources)

Growers investing $500k/year on automation to address labor shortage. Around 70% of growers invested in automation in 2022, with most progress made in weeding and harvest assist segments, according to the Specialty Crop Automation Report from Western Growers. (Fruit Growers News and 1 other source)

BP faces shareholder rebellion over climate resolution at AGM. UK pension funds, including Nest, will back a resolution from Follow This calling for BP to better align its emissions reduction targets with the Paris Climate Agreement. The resolution is expected to face opposition from Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, which will vote against the motion. (Offshore Technology and 2 other sources)

UK launches nuclear waste services strategy to make waste permanently safe by 2030. The strategy aims to reduce waste, recycle 50% of decommissioning waste, and minimize impacts on future generations. (World Nuclear News and 2 other sources)

Citi's sustainable finance activity declines 24% YoY to $123.5bn in 2022, but remains on track to meet its $1tn 10-year goal, according to its ESG report. The decline was driven mainly by environmental-related finance, with sustainable transportation accounting for almost half of the decline. (ESG Today and 1 other source)

Climate activists protest outside Citibank and Wells Fargo over fossil fuel funding. US banks have loaned over $4.6tn to the fossil fuel industry since 2016, with Citi, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America contributing a combined $1.3tn to fossil fuel companies. (Mother Jones and 1 other source)

L'Occitane Group aims for net-zero emissions by 2050 with a focus on reducing Scope 3 emissions, which make up 95% of its carbon footprint. The company plans to achieve its goals by reducing emissions from its direct and energy-use activities, using renewable electricity, improving sourcing of low-carbon materials, developing sustainable packaging, and targeting emissions from the use of its products. (ESG Today and 1 other source)

EU agrees on aviation legislation to reduce emissions, including blending sustainable aviation fuels with kerosene and phasing out free allowances to airlines by 2026, as part of the 'Fit for 55' goal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The ReFuelEU Aviation proposal is expected to reduce aircraft CO2 emissions by around two-thirds by 2050 compared to a 'no action' scenario. (GreenAir and 11 other sources)

US House votes to restore tariffs on solar panels from Southeast Asia, risking the country's solar industry. The move could impose $1bn in retroactive tariffs and cost 30,000 Americans their jobs, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. (Elektrek and 4 other sources)

UK government considers counting chemically recycled plastics towards packaging tax threshold. The Treasury is consulting on a "mass balance" approach to calculate recycled content in packaging made from chemically recycled plastic, which could encourage investment in the developing advanced recycling sector. (Materials Recycling World and 2 other sources)

National Construction Code to mandate electrification for new buildings by 2025, says report. The Green Building Council of Australia and the Property Council of Australia also called for a national framework for measuring embodied carbon, a single national rating for home energy performance, and a commitment to zero-carbon buildings in all new buildings owned or leased by governments by 2030. (The Fifth State and 1 other source)

EU approves biggest carbon market reform to date, making it more expensive to pollute. The policy will cut emissions by 62% from 2005 levels by 2030, and levy a carbon tax on imports of high-carbon goods from 2026. (ESG News and 1 other source)

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