The horrors persist, yet so do I. Or as Mark Twain put it, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.”

These are undoubtedly tumultuous times for the renewable energy industry in the United States, but most of the people reading this article know that’s nothing new. Deals are still getting done, and big ones at that, like European cleantech investment group AIP Management pumping $500 million into independent power producer Silicon Ranch.

Here are some other financial finagling and project development announcements that caught our electric eye this week. If you’d like to submit a press release for next Friday’s compilation, send it to me. I’m not gonna put my email in a hyperlink for you, though, that makes it too easy for the machines to send me stuff. Figure it out, we’re all adults.

In partnership with Arizona Public Services (APS), Chicago-based developer Invenergy has fired up the Yuma Solar Energy Center, a 70-megawatt (MW) solar and 70 MW battery energy storage facility in Yuma County, Arizona. This marks Invenergy’s first solar facility and 11^th energy storage facility to reach commercial operations in the state.

Over the last two years, Invenergy and APS have added more than 250 MW of renewables to Arizona’s grid, including the El Sol Energy Storage Center in Youngtown and the groundbreaking of the Hashknife Solar Energy Center in Navajo County.

What they’re saying: “Starting commercial operations at our first Arizona solar facility is a significant achievement, and I congratulate the Yuma Solar team and our strong community partners for building a multifaceted energy solution for the state. We thank APS for their continued collaboration as we invest in communities to meet growing consumer demand with cleaner, more reliable, affordable energy.” – Jim Shield, senior EVP and CCO at Invenergy

“APS resource planners prepare years in advance to meet our customers’ growing energy needs with reliable and affordable service. As we head into another hot Arizona summer, the Yuma Solar Energy Center project will be a valuable addition to our diverse resource mix and will help keep air conditioners running and the lights on when customers need energy the most.” – Brian Cole, VP of resource management at APS

EDP Renewables North America LLC is celebrating the launch of the 100 MW Riverstart III Solar Park in Randolph County, Indiana. Amazon has contracted all 100 MW through a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA).

EDPR NA manages 11 phases of four projects in Indiana totaling 1,702 MW and remains the largest owner and operator of renewable energy in Indiana. EDPR NA projects in Indiana generate nearly 30% of all the wind, solar, and storage capacity in the state.

In a nod to environmental stewardship, EDPR NA incorporated naturalized pollinator-friendly practices into the construction and maintenance of Riverstart III. 

What they’re saying: “The continued growth of our portfolio in Indiana with the launch of this newest phase of Riverstart Solar is yet another example of the significant contribution that renewables and solar play to serve the Hoosier State’s growing energy needs,” stated Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America. “As the largest owner and operator of renewables in the state, we are grateful to Randolph County for our continued partnership focused on delivering economic and community benefits that have resulted in a positive track record.”

Following agreements signed last year, international developer TotalEnergies has acquired VSB Group, a European wind and solar developer with extensive operations in Germany, and SN Power, which develops hydropower in Africa, particularly Uganda. TotalEnergies also announced a new deal with developer RES, intending to acquire renewable projects in Alberta.

TotalEnergies says the VSB deal strengthens its integrated electricity business in Germany, which represents half of VSB’s portfolio, adding to the recent acquisitions of battery storage developer Kyon Energy and energy manager Quadra Energy, as well as the company’s offshore wind positions in the country. VSB’s more than 15 GW pipeline will also increase TotalEnergies’ renewables pipeline in Europe to over 40 GW of capacity, in addition to the 7 GW already in operation or under construction.

The acquisition of SN Power will allow TotalEnergies to implement its multi-energy strategy in Uganda, where the company is already active. The Bujagali hydropower plant (225 MW), for example, meets more than 25% of the country’s peak electricity demand. The transaction gives TotalEnergies a 28.3% stake in Bujagali, currently operating in Uganda, and a stake in two other projects under development in Rwanda (206 MW) and Malawi (360 MW). The deal also gives TotalEnergies a team of hydropower development experts, strengthening its competencies in this field.

In the most recent development, TotalEnergies has signed agreements with RES to acquire wind and solar projects under development in Alberta, totaling more than 800 MW in capacity. TotalEnergies also just closed the acquisition of Big Sky Solar, a 184 MW solar facility in Alberta commissioned at the end of February.

Utility-scale kinetic energy storage solution company Energy Vault has closed on $28 million in project financing for the Calistoga Resiliency Center (CRC), the world’s first ultra-long duration green hydrogen and energy storage microgrid.

The project is the first resiliency center deployed in California for the utility Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) to reduce wildfire risk and manage Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events. The CRC has achieved mechanical operation and is expected to be fully commercially operational in Q2 2025.

Financing for the hybrid energy storage facility, inclusive of the completed sale of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) associated with the project, returns cash back to Energy Vault’s balance sheet.

Developed to serve a tolling contract with PG&E, the CRC is a state-of-the-art hybrid microgrid energy storage facility that integrates advanced hydrogen fuel cells with lithium-ion batteries, specifically designed to address power resiliency given the growing challenges of wildfire risk in California. Energy Vault’s CRC provides a unique, fully sustainable solution by enabling the isolated Calistoga community microgrid to maintain power during PSPS events. The 293 MWh microgrid system delivers about 48 hours of continuous energy supply with a peak power output of 8.5 MW. When operating in island mode, the CRC utilizes green hydrogen in fuel cells for electricity generation, providing essential power to the community. After supporting the black-start and grid-forming requirements of the microgrid, Energy Vault’s B-VAULT DC battery technology works in concert with the fuel cells, ensuring instantaneous response and maintaining grid stability throughout operation.

What they’re saying: “The successful financing of the Calistoga Resiliency Center represents our team’s focus and execution in beginning 2025 by replenishing cash to our balance sheet from the prior year CapEx spent building the system,” said Robert Piconi, CCO of Energy Vault. “This is the first of two energy storage assets expected online this quarter as we execute our ‘Own & Operate’ asset management strategy, and we are looking forward to beginning generating predictable, recurring and high margin tolling revenue streams for the years to come.”

Avangrid, a member of the Iberdrola Group, announced that its Powell Creek solar project in Putnam County, Ohio, has begun to export energy onto the local electric grid. Commercial operation is expected later this year. Powell Creek has a capacity of 150 MWac (202 MWdc), and its 300,000 solar panels will generate enough energy to power the equivalent of about 30,000 homes each year.

This is Avangrid’s second project in Ohio. Avangrid built Blue Creek in 2012, which has a capacity of 304 MW and generates enough power for about 76,000 homes each year.

What they’re saying: “Powell Creek is an important, utility-scale solar project that will contribute to Northwest Ohio’s economy and energy independence,” said Pedro Azagra, the CEO of Avangrid. “This project is coming online as energy demand continues to rise across the country, partly due to the growth of manufacturing, electrification, and data centers. When we add new sources of energy onto the grid, like Powell Creek, we’re creating a more robust and reliable electricity infrastructure to benefit the local community, region, and state.”