DTE Biomass Dedicates Renewable Energy Facility in North Carolina

DTE Biomass Energy completed its 9.6-MW landfill gas-to-energy project at the Uwharrie Environmental Landfill in Mt. Gilead. Landfill gas at the site is used to generate renewable energy which is subsequently sold to Duke Energy Progress. The Uwharrie facility will more than double DTE Biomass' generation capacity in North Carolina, where it already operates six renewable energy projects.

Xcel Energy to Close Coal-fired Generation at Black Dog Plant in 2015

Xcel Energy notified Minnesota regulators and MISO of its intent to stop generating electricity with coal at its Black Dog plant in Burnsville in April 2015, due to changing environmental regulations. The notification is the last step in a multi-year resource planning process. Black Dog's two coal units currently generate 232 MW of electricity. The company will continue to operate the 300-MW natural gas unit located at the Black Dog site. The coal units' retirement will trigger a multi-year decommissioning project.

NET Power Secures Funding for Carbon Capture Plant in Texas

NET Power secured funding and agreements for its $140 million, 50-MW demonstration power plant, that produces no greenhouse gas emissions and includes full carbon capture without requiring carbon capture equipment. The project is funded by a combination of cash and in-kind contributions from Exelon and CB&I. Toshiba has begun manufacturing a CO2 turbine for the project. Operations, maintenance and development arrangements have been completed with Exelon.

Yahoo Signs Long Term Power Purchase Agreement with OwnEnergy

OwnEnergy entered into a long-term PPA with Yahoo. Under the terms of the PPA, Yahoo will purchase wind power to offset much of the company’s energy usage in the Great Plains region. While Yahoo is one of the first tech companies to embrace this model of community-centric partnership, the trend for corporate purchasers to buy wind directly from wind farms is gaining pace.

Cleco Enters Agreement to be Acquired by North American Investor Group

Cleco Corporation entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by a group of North American long-term infrastructure investors led by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC), together with John Hancock Financial and other infrastructure investors (collectively, "investor group"). The agreement values Cleco at approximately $4.7 billion, including approximately $1.3 billion of assumed debt.

Enphase Energy Enters into Energy Storage Business with AC Battery

Enphase Energy introduced its Enphase AC Battery, an advanced energy storage solution with a modular, plug-and-play storage device fully integrated with the just-introduced Enphase Energy Management System. As part of the AC Battery rollout, Enphase has engaged several installation companies for pilot projects, including Lennar Homes, Hawaii Energy Connection and Vivint Solar in the U.S.; Pretty Green Energy, CJ Solar and Domuneo in Europe; and Metro Solar in Australia.

Governor Cuomo Announces New York's First Energy Management Network Operations Center

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the launch of New York’s first energy management network operations center to provide public facilities across the state with real-time data on their energy use. Dubbed the NY Energy Manager (NYEM), the center is located at the Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany.

Pepco Holdings Contracts with Landis+Gyr for Enterprise-wide Grid Analytics Solution

Pepco Holdings Inc. (PHI) entered into an enterprise-wide license agreement to deploy a comprehensive grid analytics solution from Landis+Gyr across its service territories. The analytics package includes a suite of applications aimed at enhancing asset life, reliability and distribution system optimization. PHI's operating companies, including Pepco, Delmarva Power and Atlantic City Electric, will deploy six different analytics applications for visualization, planning and real-time operational analytics support.

Healthy Planet Partners and Kyocera Solar Complete Solar Array for the Seattle Mariners

Healthy Planet Partners, LLC (HPP) and Kyocera Solar completed a solar rooftop and carport system at the Seattle Mariners Spring Training facility in Peoria, AZ. HPP developed and financed the project with partner Kyocera Solar to provide engineering and project management support as well as acting as a finance partner. Sky Engineering and Construction built the system at the Peoria Sports Complex, using Kyocera's high-efficiency solar modules. This 345-kW solar array will generate approximately 529MWh of clean electricity annually.

ABB to Upgrade HVDC Link between Germany and Denmark

ABB won an order worth about $16 million from Energinet.dk, the transmission system operator in Denmark and 50 Hertz, the transmission system operator responsible for the eastern part of Germany, to upgrade the 600-MW Kontek HVDC transmission link. The project scope includes installation of ABB's state-of-the-art MACH control and protection system, remote operator work stations, training and spare parts.