GO TO: Archives: W/E 12/06/2025
UK launches state-backed Great British Energy plan
What happened
The UK’s new public company Great British Energy (GBE) released a 5-year plan to deliver 15 GW of clean generation and storage by 2030, backed by £8.3B in public funds and about £15B in private finance. It aims to support over 10,000 jobs and more than 1,000 community projects, especially in regions currently dependent on oil and gas.
Why it matters (systems impact)
- Moves the UK toward public-led development instead of relying solely on private utilities.
- Puts serious money into community energy + storage, which can localize benefits and resilience.
- If delivered, 15 GW is enough to power ~10M homes and helps keep the UK on a plausible path to a mostly decarbonized power system by 2030.
Texas: RWE commissions a major solar + storage plant
What happened
RWE Clean Energy commissioned the Stoneridge Solar project in Milam County, Texas: 200 MW of solar PV plus a 100 MW / 200 MWh battery. This pushes RWE’s operating renewable capacity in Texas above 4.8 GW, with another 4 GW under construction in the U.S.
Why it matters
- In ERCOT’s stressed grid, utility-scale solar-plus-storage is critical for handling peaks and reducing blackout risk.
- Shows that big developers are still pouring capital into U.S. renewables, despite policy noise.
- Batteries at this scale help smooth solar variability, making renewables more “grid-friendly” and reducing reliance on gas peakers.
Washington state: 200 MW / 800 MWh grid battery reaches financial close
What happened
Developers BrightNight and Cordelio Power announced financial close on the Greenwater battery project in Washington state, a 200 MW / 800 MWh grid-scale storage system.
Why it matters
- This is a major standalone BESS (battery energy storage system), not just an add-on to a solar farm.
- Large BESS projects like this replace or defer gas peaker plants, providing fast-response capacity and grid stability.
- Signals lenders are comfortable financing big storage projects as a standard asset class, which should lower capital costs for future projects.
Washington state: Governor approves Carriger Solar (solar + storage)
What happened
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson approved the Carriger Solar project in Klickitat County – a utility-scale solar farm with battery storage that will add significant clean capacity to the state grid. It’s the first energy project to reach his desk since taking office.
Why it matters
- Indicates state-level permitting is moving on big clean projects (a major bottleneck in many regions).
- Solar + storage in rural counties supports local tax base and jobs while modernizing the grid.
- Helps Washington stay aligned with its clean energy and decarbonization targets.
U.S. multi-site solar expansion: Terra-Gen’s Lockhart III & IV financing
What happened
Developer Terra-Gen closed project financing for its Lockhart III & IV solar facilities, adding another large tranche of utility-scale PV and storage to the U.S. pipeline.
Why it matters
- Financial close is where projects become real steel-in-the-ground, not just announcements.
- Continues the trend of hybrid solar + storage in U.S. markets, which improves grid flexibility and firm capacity.
- Shows that institutions and banks remain willing to back large clean energy portfolios, despite broader macro uncertainty.
New York: 15 distributed solar + storage projects “safe-harbored” for tax credits
What happened
PowerBank announced it has “safe-harbored” 15 distributed solar and energy storage projects in New York State, totaling about 67 MWDC of solar and 11 MWh of storage. The move secures eligibility for federal Investment Tax Credits under the new U.S. climate law (“One Big Beautiful Bill Act”).
Why it matters
- These are distributed projects, not mega-farms—closer to load, often on commercial or community sites.
- Safe-harboring locks in favorable tax treatment, improving project economics and making it easier to close financing.
- This is a systems upgrade at the policy–finance interface: it shows how federal incentives are enabling a wave of local, grid-supportive clean energy.
Ireland: New 60 MW onshore wind project moves forward
What happened
In Ireland, SSE and FuturEnergy selected Nordex turbines for a 60 MW wind farm, advancing the project to a firm equipment and construction phase.
Why it matters
- Onshore wind remains one of the cheapest sources of new power in Europe.
- Turbine selection typically precedes construction, so this is a sign the project is truly moving, not just announced.
- Helps diversify away from gas in Ireland’s power mix and supports European turbine manufacturing and supply chains.
Melbourne, Australia: Big grid battery hub comes online
What happened
The Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub in Melton, Victoria, officially launched. It brings 444 battery units online with roughly 1.6 GWh of storage, enough to supply power to around 200,000 homes during evening peaks.
Why it matters
- A significant grid-scale storage asset that can soak up surplus solar/wind and discharge at peak times, cutting reliance on gas.
- Gives the Victorian grid more resilience and flexibility, especially as coal plants retire.
- Politically, it illustrates how state-driven storage buildout is becoming a central pillar of grid planning.
Global investors: Clean energy still beating the market
What happened
At a climate/energy panel, investors noted that despite U.S. federal headwinds, 2025 has been a strong year for clean energy investing. The S&P Global Clean Energy Transition Index is up about 48% year-to-date, compared with roughly 16.5% for the S&P 500.
Why it matters
- Outperformance makes clean energy look attractive to mainstream capital, not just ESG funds.
- Lower cost of capital = cheaper projects and lower end-user prices over time.
- Reinforces the idea that the energy transition is now an economic opportunity, not just a climate obligation.
Structural headwinds & friction this week
Alongside the good news, several developments this week highlight systemic barriers that could slow progress:
- Australia’s renewable investment slump
- Australia hit a decade low in large-scale renewable investment in 2025, with only about 1.05 GW of large solar and wind approved by October vs. 4.5 GW in 2024. Most projects announced under the Capacity Investment Scheme remain unfunded.
- Impact: Raises serious doubts about meeting the 82% renewables by 2030 target. Shows how grid constraints, permitting delays, and policy uncertainty can choke off capital even in high-resource countries.
- U.S. offshore wind: New England project faces permit revocation
- The Trump administration moved to revoke a key federal permit for the New England Wind 1 & 2 offshore wind project near Massachusetts, after already pausing or re-examining other projects. (WBUR)
- Impact: Increases risk and uncertainty for the entire U.S. offshore wind pipeline, which can raise financing costs, delay build-out, and slow coastal states’ decarbonization and jobs plans.
- Big Tech split over carbon accounting rules
- In debates over tightening the Greenhouse Gas Protocol rules for corporate electricity accounting, Amazon has pushed back, while Google supports stricter 24/7 matching of clean power in the same grid and time period.
- Impact: How these rules land will shape whether corporate “100% renewable” claims actually translate into real-world decarbonization — especially as AI-driven data center demand explodes.
Big picture for Nov 30 – Dec 6, 2025
Across this week you can see two clear patterns:
- Systems upgrades accelerating
- Multiple solar + storage and standalone BESS projects reached commissioning or financial close (Texas, Washington, New York, new UK public developer).
- These projects are about grid flexibility, reliability, and local value, not just adding raw megawatts.
- Governance & finance are now the main bottlenecks
- Where policies, permits, and incentives are clear (UK GBE, NY tax credit safe-harbor, WA approvals), capital and projects move quickly.
- Where rules are unstable (U.S. offshore wind permits, Australian investment uncertainty, contested carbon accounting standards), deployment stalls despite strong technology and economics.
