Renewable Energy Developments Highlighted in Energy Transition Update for June 27, 2025

Energy Transition in Motion (Week of June 27, 2025)

This week, we highlight several significant developments in the renewable energy sector, including Meta’s latest initiatives to source renewable energy for its data centers.

Tech giant Meta Platforms has partnered once again with the privately held developer Invenergy to secure additional renewable energy for its operations. On June 26, Invenergy announced the signing of four new agreements that will provide nearly 800 megawatts (MW) of solar and wind energy. The energy will be sourced from the Yellow Wood and Pleasant Prairie solar projects in Ohio, the Decoy Solar Energy Center in Arkansas, and the Seaway Wind Energy Center in Texas. The solar facilities are slated to commence commercial operations in 2027, while the wind facility is expected to be operational by 2028.

“We’re laser-focused on advancing our AI ambitions—and to do that, we need clean, reliable energy,” stated Urvi Parekh, Meta’s head of global energy. This latest agreement raises the total capacity of the partnership between Invenergy and Meta to approximately 1.8 gigawatts (GW). Their collaboration crossed the 1-GW threshold in December 2024 with a deal for 760 MW of energy from Invenergy’s solar centers in Arkansas, New Mexico, Ohio, and Texas. As technology companies like Meta increasingly shift towards renewable sources, they aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while meeting the growing energy demands of data centers that support cloud computing and AI.

Ted Romaine, executive vice president of origination at Invenergy, emphasized, “Winning the AI race requires reliable, cleaner, affordable energy and energy infrastructure—today and in the future.” He expressed gratitude for the ongoing relationship with Meta and looked forward to future partnerships that would bolster energy independence and economic prosperity in the U.S.

### Energy Storage

Moment Energy has announced that its battery energy storage system (BESS) manufacturing facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, has entered full-scale production as of June 25. The facility manufactures the Luna BESS, scalable to 10 megawatt-hours (MWh), and focuses on repurposing batteries for commercial and industrial energy storage. Edward Chiang, CEO and co-founder of Moment Energy, noted, “With North America’s first UL 1974-certified facility repurposing batteries at scale, we’re taking a crucial step toward a circular economy and securing critical material retention.”

### Hydrogen

In Germany, LEAG announced on June 27 that it is postponing its plans for the H2UB green hydrogen project, which aimed to create one of Europe’s largest green energy hubs on the site of decommissioned coal-fired power plants. This decision comes after ArcelorMittal canceled plans to convert two German steel plants to carbon-neutral production due to high energy costs. A spokesperson for LEAG indicated that political and economic conditions had not developed as anticipated, leading to the postponement of hydrogen production plans in Boxberg.

### Solar Energy

On June 24, BrightNight announced that commercial operations have commenced at the 300-MW Box Canyon solar project in Arizona. This project, developed in partnership with Cordelio Power and the Southwest Public Power Agency, marks the first operational site in their 2.5-GW Arizona portfolio. CEO Martin Hermann stated that the Box Canyon Solar Project is set to provide reliable, clean, and affordable energy for over 40 years.

Additionally, Gridmatic and Sol Systems signed a 10-MW power purchase agreement (PPA) for electricity from the Mars Solar project in Texas, which is part of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region. This project will support Gridmatic’s commercial and industrial retail business and data center operator EdgeConneX.

On June 25, Adapture Renewables announced it had executed two environmental attributes purchase agreements (EAPAs) with Meta for a total of 360 MW from two solar projects in the ERCOT region, with operations expected to begin in 2027. These agreements bring the total EAPA agreements between Meta and Adapture to nearly 700 MW across three states.

### Other Developments

In Texas, Sasol International Chemicals and Akuo signed a 15-year virtual PPA for 91 MW, which will cover about half of the annual electricity consumption at Sasol’s Lake Charles Chemicals Complex. The renewable capacity will come from the Tennyson solar farm being built by Akuo, with operations expected to start in the second half of 2026.

Meanwhile, Swiss company Meyer Burger has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief in the U.S. as it struggles to compete with cheaper imports from Asia. The company recently announced it was shutting down its U.S. factory in Arizona due to financial challenges.

In wind energy, Airloom Energy has begun construction on its pilot site near Rock River, Wyoming, where it plans to develop a next-generation utility-scale wind turbine. This innovative design features smaller, modular turbines that can be deployed in various locations, enhancing energy security and independence.

Finally, Japan’s Industry Ministry has entered into a cooperation framework with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy to bolster domestic production in the offshore wind sector, addressing the country’s reliance on imported wind turbines.

As the renewable energy landscape continues to evolve, these initiatives illustrate the growing commitment to cleaner energy solutions and sustainable practices across industries.