Archinect - News

Largest clean energy infrastructure project in U.S. history begins construction

2024-01-02T15:55:00-05:00

Construction has begun on the largest clean energy infrastructure in U.S. history. The joint SunZia Transmission and SunZia Wind projects will span New Mexico and Arizona, bringing power to 3 million people.

The project is being delivered by Pattern Energy, which has secured $11 billion in financing to begin construction on the project. SunZia Transmission will comprise a 550-mile transmission line between central New Mexico and south-central Arizona, with the capacity to transport 3,000 MW of electricity. The SunZia Wind facility, meanwhile, will be the largest wind project in the Western Hemisphere, spanning Torrance, Lincoln, and San Miguel Counties in New Mexico.

“Our hope is this successful financing of the largest clean energy infrastructure project in American history serves as an example for other ambitious renewable infrastructure initiatives that are needed to accelerate our trans...

France now requires all large parking lots to be covered by solar panels

2022-11-11T08:43:00-05:00

In France, solar just got a huge boost from new legislation approved through the Senate this week that requires all parking lots with spaces for at least 80 vehicles – both existing and new – be covered by solar panels.

Starting on July 1, 2023, parking lots that have between 80 and 400 spaces will have five years to comply with the new measures. Those with more than 400 spaces will need to comply within three years, with at least half of the surface area of the parking lot needing to be covered in solar panels. Parking lots that accommodate trucks carrying heavy goods or parking areas in historic or protected areas are exempt from the measures.

This move is part of French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to multiply the amount of solar energy produced in France by 10. The initiative also aims to double the power from land-based wind farms. As reported by electrek, the government claims this plan could generate up to 11 gigawatts, which can power millions of homes.

Chicago could become site of the Great Lakes' first offshore wind farm

2022-09-10T09:00:00-04:00

If state Rep. Marcus Evans has his way, Chicago will enter the race to build the first offshore wind farm on the Great Lakes. Evans has introduced a bill that lays the groundwork for a proposed wind farm in Lake Michigan, about 10 miles from the shores of the Southeast Side. The bill sets up a fund that would help the state to compete for federal money, including $230 million for port infrastructure projects available from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Evans introduced the bill, the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program Act, in January. The legislation would establish a path toward creating the offshore wind farm by allowing the state to apply for federal infrastructure funds. The proposal promises to create over 1,200 jobs, primarily occupied by underrepresented populations, an aim bolstered by its potential location near Black and Latino communities. The bill has since been referred to a House committee.

Illinois will face competition from Ohio and New York state in its quest to be the first home of an offshore wind farm via the Great Lakes as the two states are developing plans to respectively establish farms in Lake Erie.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the initiative has garnered support from local community groups, however, there remain reservations due to concerns over whether the promise to reserve jobs created from the...

IKEA partners with SunPower to sell solar panels in California stores

2022-05-25T16:30:00-04:00

IKEA U.S. has teamed up with SunPower, a California-based solar technology and energy services provider, to launch a new program called Home Solar with IKEA. Through this collaboration, members of the IKEA Family customer loyalty program will be able to purchase home solar solutions, available through SunPower, to generate and store their own renewable energy. The initiative is expected to launch in select California markets in Fall 2022.

Founded in 1985, SunPower sells, installs, and finances solar power products, including panels, batteries, mounting hardware, and monitoring software. This partnership forms part of IKEA’s mission to become circular and climate positive by 2030. IKEA already has an expansive renewable energy portfolio in the U.S., with two wind farms, two solar farms, two geothermal systems, seven biogas-fuel cells, and rooftop solar arrays on 90% of its locations. Additionally, the furniture and interiors giant announced STRÖMMA in August 2021, a project initiate...

Google's BIG + Heatherwick-designed Bay View HQ campus opens

2022-05-17T18:55:00-04:00

Google has announced the opening of its new Bay View campus in Mountain View, California, with the neighboring Charleston East project in its final phase of construction. Together, they form the latest additions to Google's headquarters.

Photo: Iwan Baan, courtesy of Google

The web giant celebrates the first time it led the concept and construction of one of its own major campuses, boasting an extensive list of human-centered, sustainable features.

According to Google's project announcement, Bay View is an all-electric, net-water-positive facility with the largest geothermal installation in North America. Both projects report being the largest buildings in the world to pursue LEED-NC v4 Platinum and the largest to pursue elements of the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) Living Building Challenge (LBC) Petal Certification.

Photo: Iwan Baan, courtesy of Google

Designed in collaboration with Bjarke Ingels Group and Heatherwick Studio, the campus officially broke ground in 2...

Largest offshore wind farm on the West Coast proposed

2022-04-18T17:10:00-04:00

A company is proposing to build what could be the West Coast’s biggest floating offshore wind farm, suggesting the expansion of a technology that has yet to find footing in the U.S. [...] The proposal mirrors an earlier request made by Trident Winds in California several years ago, which jump-started a broader competition among deep-pocketed developers for the rights to generate offshore wind power there.

The project is called Olympic Wind and is the product of Washington-based offshore wind developer Trident Winds. The proposal aims to generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity that could power approximately 800,000 homes. The wind farm would be located 43 miles off the coast of Grays Harbor County, Washington, potentially making it the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the state.

If realized, Olympic Wind would help Washington reach the requirement that its utilities get at least 80 percent of their electricity from carbon-free resources by 2030, and 100 percent in 2045. It could also contribute to the Biden Administration’s goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is reviewing the plan and will work with Indigenous tribes, the state of Washington, and others on next steps.

Energywire notes that the project is likely to face pushback from various fronts, including the local ...

South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to be converted into one of the country's largest offshore wind port facilities

2022-03-07T13:46:00-05:00

Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced an agreement that will transform the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) into one of the largest offshore wind port facilities in the country. This move will help establish New York as a leader in offshore wind and meet its climate goals of 100 percent clean electricity by 2040.

The deal, which was formed in collaboration between the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Equinor, its partner bp, and Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT), will upgrade and build out the site as an operations and maintenance base. The terminal will become a power interconnection site for the Empire Wind 1 project, an initiative that will create an offshore wind farm across an 80,000-acre stretch of water 20 miles south of Long Island. Heavy lift platforms will be built on the 39th Street Pier for wind turbine staging and installation for Equinor and other developers. The port will also serve as a hub for the Equinor ...

2022 is set to be a record year for wind and solar deployments

2021-11-11T08:30:00-05:00

U.S. solar and wind deployments are on track to hit new records in 2022 as momentum behind the energy transition grows, according to a new report from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The firm forecasts that as much as 44 gigawatts of utility-scale solar and 27 gigawatts of wind will come online next year. For solar, this is nearly double 2021’s estimated 23 gigawatts of new capacity. As reported by CNBC, the factors behind this upswing include the expansion of state-level renewable requirements and the expected extension of tax credits for the industry. The growth can also be attributed to an increase in demand from corporations, as shifting to renewable power is “typically one of the first and easiest steps” for companies looking to cut emissions.

Energy storage, which is key for wind and solar, is also growing, with S&P projecting the installation of 8 gigawatts of storage in 2022. This is six times higher than the prior record from 2020.

These record-setting projections align with the Biden administration’s goal of having a carbon-free power sector by 2035 and ultimately achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

New York City and State are elevating offshore wind farm investments

2021-10-15T12:39:00-04:00

Late last month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced a 15-year, $191 million plan to make New York City a leader in the offshore wind industry.

Called the Offshore Wind Vision (OSW) plan, it ensures the city meets its climate goals of 100-percent clean electricity by 2040 and carbon neutrality by 2050. The investment aims to create over 13,000 jobs and generate $1.3 billion in average annual investment; ensure 40% of job and investment benefits are directed toward women, minorities, and environmental justice communities; and reduce 34.5 million tons of CO2, which is the equivalent of removing nearly 500,000 cars from roads for 15 years, as noted in New York City’s press release.

The OSW plan is focused on three core areas: sites and infrastructure, ensuring the development of “best-in-class” infrastructure that will support the construction and operation of offshore wind farms; business and workforce, prepari...

Norwegian company developing 1,000-foot-tall offshore wind turbine farms that could power 80,000 homes each

2021-08-23T10:37:00-04:00

A Norwegian company is developing a new technology for floating, offshore wind turbine farms. Unlike traditional wind farms, these are organized in stacked, square grids, standing nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower.

The grids would stand at 1,000 feet tall, composed of multiple smaller turbines in a staggered formation atop a floating platform anchored to the ocean floor. Founded in 2017, Wind Catching Systems, in collaboration with Aibel AS as the main contractor and holding companies Ferd AS and North Energy ASA, aims to commercialize this wind catching technology.

The company claims that its grids will increase efficiency, reduce land use by 80%, and reduce production costs, allowing the system to be immediately competitive with other traditional grid prices. In addition, the team states that one wind catching unit will be able to generate five times the annual energy output of the world’s largest single turbines and could produce enough electricity for 80,000 European househol...

IKEA is selling renewable energy to households, starting in Sweden

2021-08-17T13:44:00-04:00

Furniture and interiors giant IKEA has announced that it is branching into selling renewable energy to households, beginning with its Swedish market in September 2021. Titled STRÖMMA, the scheme will operate as a monthly electricity subscription that allows people to source energy from wind and solar power and use an app to track their electricity usage.

In addition, customers who use IKEA solar panels, which are available in 11 countries, will be able to track their own energy production through the app and sell back surplus energy. Following a rollout of the renewable energy offer in Sweden, IKEA is hoping to expand the service, as well as its solar panel products, to all IKEA markets worldwide.

When sourcing energy, IKEA is aiming to offer electricity from solar and wind sites which are five years old or less, in order to spur the construction of new clean energy sites. The initiative also forms part of IKEA’s broader mission to become “climate positive” by 2030, reducing more gr...