The Week in Cleantech: 9 Apr 2023

Last week was marked by a number of noteworthy deals and partnerships across cleantech sectors. Google partnered with Ørsted to purchase renewable energy from a wind farm in Texas, AGCO and Bosch BASF Smart Farming teamed up to help farmers save on herbicides, and H&M partnered with LanzaTech to create sportswear from captured carbon emissions. Meanwhile, Walmart announced plans to add EV charging stations at thousands of stores by 2030.

Walmart to add EV charging stations at thousands of stores by 2030. The move comes as sales of electric vehicles surged in 2022. (The Hill and 8 other sources)

KBR to lead bp’s global hydrogen project portfolio with Integrated Project Management Team services. KBR's K-GreeN® technology has also been selected for Avina Clean Hydrogen's green ammonia project in Texas. (H2 View and 4 other sources)

EMYN consortium reaches final investment decision for French offshore wind farm. The project, featuring 62 Siemens Gamesa turbines, is expected to be commissioned in 2025. (Offshore WIND and 3 other sources)

Tesco launches industry-first recycling scheme for pre-prepared food tray packaging. The new Tray 2 Tray by Faerch programme will create a fully circular packaging solution for core chilled ready meals. (Grocery Gazette and 1 other source)

Danish engineering firm COWI has been chosen to design and install carbon capture technology at the UK's biggest energy-from-waste plant near Liverpool, which is expected to remove 450,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere annually. The Runcorn CCS Project is set to be operational by 2025. (Recycling Magazine and 1 other source)

Sila Nanotechnologies claims 20% EV range boost with Titan Silicon battery tech. The company also aims to reduce charging time to 10 minutes while maintaining safety margins and life cycles. (Green Car Reports and 5 other sources)

Vestas' new flagship wind turbine, the V236-15.0 MW, has reached its nominal power rating of 15 MW after being installed in December 2022. The turbine will undergo an extensive test and verification program before full-type certification and serial production begin, with the latter expected from the third quarter of 2023. (Offshore WIND and 4 other sources)

Ram unveils its electric truck, the Ram 1500 REV, with a targeted range of up to 500 miles, towing capabilities of up to 14,000 pounds, and payloads of up to 2,700 pounds, to rival the Ford F-150 Lightning and upcoming Chevy Silverado EV. The 2025 Ram 1500 REV will also have features such as vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-home (V2H), and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bidirectional charging, and will be offered in five trims. (Elektrek and 3 other sources)

Farmwave's multi-camera system helps farmers reduce yield loss in real-time. Founder Craig Ganssle explains how it counts grain loss and provides actionable insights. (Precision Farming Dealer and 1 other source)

John Deere showcases precision tech at new demo farm in Texas. The company displays autonomous tractors, See & Spray Ultimate, FurrowVision, and ExactShot. (Precision Farming Dealer and 1 other source)

Summit Ridge Energy and Hanwha Q Cells partner to deploy 1.2 GW of community solar in the US. The Inflation Reduction Act has spurred investments in renewables, but the industry is still waiting for further clarity on regulations. (Utility Dive and 6 other sources)

Google partners with Ørsted to purchase renewable energy from Helena Wind Farm in Texas. The 150 MW project will help Google achieve its goal of powering all its data centers, cloud regions, and offices with 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. (Environment + Energy Leader and 5 other sources)

AGCO and Bosch BASF Smart Farming will integrate Smart Spraying technology on Fendt Rogator sprayers, offering targeted spraying and digital tools for actionable insights. The system will deliver optimal herbicide savings through sensors, automated sensitivity thresholds, and access to pest identification technology, with AGCO offering the system in the Americas and Europe from 2024. (Agriculture Post and 5 other sources)

SSE Renewables and Equis Development form consortium for Australian offshore wind. The partnership plans to submit a bid for a feasibility license for an offshore wind farm project in Gippsland. (Offshore WIND and 4 other sources)

H&M partners with LanzaTech to create sportswear from captured CO2 emissions. The new collection will feature a three-piece set for women made of LanzaTech CarbonSmart™ polyester with a DryMove™ finish. (Carbon Herald and 1 other source)

Intelinair acquires Aker Technologies to expand drone-based digital agronomy tools. The acquisition will enhance Intelinair's AGMRI offering and expand its operational capacity in drones. (AgriTech Tomorrow and 3 other sources)

Covanta to acquire Circon Holdings in its most transformative acquisition ever, doubling wastewater footprint and growing engineered fuels business five-fold. Acquisition subject to regulatory approvals. (Recycling Production News and 3 other sources)

OX2 acquires Australian solar developer Esco Pacific for $126m to accelerate the development of large-scale solar projects and explore new wind and hydrogen opportunities. Esco has already delivered over 800 MW of large-scale projects since its inception in 2015 and has a project development portfolio of approximately 1.4 GW across the National Electricity Market (NEM), comprising 1,220 MW solar and 200 MW of energy storage. (pv magazine Australia and 2 other sources)

USDA offers $1B in grants for rural energy efficiency and renewable projects. The Rural Energy for America Program is part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Justice40 Initiative. (Fruit Growers News and 7 other sources)

US Department of Energy to review proposals for low-carbon hydrogen hubs, with $8bn funding from infrastructure law. The hubs aim to demonstrate production, storage, transport, and consumption of clean hydrogen, with six to ten projects expected to be selected this year, but the process is facing scrutiny over whether the fuel will be as cheap, clean and abundant as its backers say. (E&E News - Energywire and 4 other sources)

Biden's clean energy agenda to revitalize mining communities with $450M funding. Up to 5 clean energy projects will be funded on current or former mine lands to create jobs and reduce emissions. (ESG News and 3 other sources)

Investment firm Galvanize Climate Solutions plans to buy and upgrade apartments and buildings across the U.S. to be net zero in three years. The firm will invest billions of dollars into the plan, focusing on markets in the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, California, Arizona, and Texas. (Carbon Credits and 1 other source)

Aqua Cultured Foods raises $5.5m to expand fungi-based seafood production. The Chicago-based startup plans to launch with scallops and tuna, and ground shrimp at a small number of restaurants. (AFN and 1 other source)

India aims to reach 110GW of solar PV module manufacturing capacity by 2026, becoming the second-largest PV manufacturing country behind China, according to a joint report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis and JMK Research & Analytics. The country will need to expand its reach to other markets to reduce its reliance on China, which currently dominates the supply chain of PV module manufacturing. (PV Tech and 6 other sources)

UK plugin electric vehicle market share slightly declines in March, with BEVs growing slightly and PHEVs declining, while combustion-only powertrains lost 2.5% share YoY. Tesla's Model Y becomes the UK's best-selling vehicle in March. (CleanTechnica and 5 other sources)

Ford's Q1 2023 EV sales grow 41%, F-150 Lightning sales total 4,291 pickups. Mustang Mach-E sales down 19.7% due to production changes, Ford targets 210,000 unit annual run rate. (Green Car Congress and 3 other sources)

Volvo's Q1 sales up 10% YoY, led by electric cars. Recharge models accounted for 41% of all sales, with all-electric cars up 140%. (Green Car Congress and 2 other sources)

JetBlue will use 850,000 gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by World Energy to reduce emissions from flights, thanks to the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance. The alliance aims to accelerate decarbonisation in aviation by unifying the voices of buyers and potential buyers, encouraging governments and fuel producers to support increased production of low-carbon kerosene alternatives. (edie and 5 other sources)

Mastercard to eliminate PVC plastics from payment cards by 2028, reinforcing sustainability commitments. Newly-made cards will be certified and validated by an independent third-party auditor. (Interplas Insights and 1 other source)

Votorantim Cimentos reduces CO2 emissions by 3% in 2022, aims for 53% thermal substitution rate by 2030. The cement company's new decarbonisation target for 2030 is 475kg of CO2/t of cement. (CemNet and 1 other source)

Holcim accelerates net zero journey with upgraded 2030 climate targets and CHF 2bn investment in CCUS technologies. The cement company aims to reduce CO2 per net sales by over 10% in 2023 and invest in mature technologies to capture more than 5 million tons of CO2 per year. (ESG News and 1 other source)

Apple's supply chain now supports 13.7 GW of renewable energy capacity worldwide. Over 250 Apple suppliers are committed to using 100% renewable energy for Apple production by 2030. (Renewables Now and 1 other source)

Bain appoints Karan Singh as head of Asia Pacific Sustainability and Responsibility practice. Singh will lead clients in defining bold ambitions and achieving extraordinary results in ESG. (ESG Today and 1 other source)

Avis Industrial Corporation's Recycling & Waste Equipment Division appoints two VPs. Mark Murphy and Gordon Hill will help grow the division's product offerings and streamline activities. (Recycling Production News and 1 other source)

IONETIC appoints Dr. Andy Palmer as Chairman to support strategic growth and sales. The UK start-up is focused on developing EV battery pack technology and is planning to open its first giga-scale manufacturing facility in the UK. (Batteries News and 1 other source)

Paris Bans Shared Electric Scooters After Referendum Vote Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo led a referendum vote to ban shared e-scooters in the city, with 89% of voters opting for the ban. The ban will not affect privately owned electric scooters, and shared e-scooter companies have until September 1 to remove their devices. (Elektrek and 3 other sources)

"PAS 2080:2023 Standard & Guidance for Carbon Management in Buildings and Infrastructure". The revised edition includes buildings and emphasizes whole-life carbon, leadership, collaboration, and procurement to achieve net-zero targets. (Sweco and 1 other source)

Ireland removes VAT on solar panels for private homes, saving homeowners €1,000 on average. However, the exemption will not apply to farm buildings, according to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. (Agriland and 1 other source)

Rhode Island lawmaker proposes solar panel mandate for new construction, similar to California's law. The proposed bill would require new single-family dwellings, multi-family dwellings, and commercial buildings up to 10 stories high to have a solar energy system large enough to meet at least 80% of the dwelling's estimated annual average electricity use. (Energy News Network and 1 other source)

Ford's F-150 Lightning and Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring qualify for full $7,500 federal tax credit, while others get smaller amounts, due to new tax-credit rules. The tax credit will help offset the latest Lightning price hike, but Ford's global supply chain means other EVs don't get the same credit. (Green Car Reports and 1 other source)

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