Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcement of the day from around the world:

REC Silicon ASA, a U.S.-based advanced silicon material producer, and Violet Energy Corporation have joined hands to develop an integrated domestic solar manufacturing supply chain. Both companies will establish a silicon ingot and wafer solution for Violet Power’s immediate solar cell manufacturing requirements. REC Silicon invested over $1.7 billion in a facility employing its proprietary silane gas-based fluidized bed reactor for granular polysilicon. Violet Power is also building a facility co-located with REC’s existing Moses Lake facility to manufacturer solar cells and modules, adding ingot and wafer production in time. Violet Power’s initial cell production will begin in the second quarter of 2021 with 500 MW of solar cells, reaching 1 GW of capacity by 2022 and scaling to 5 GW over the next five years.

Enel has started constructing the 284 MW Azure Sky solar plus storage project in North America through its U.S.-based renewable energy subsidiary Enel Green Power North America. The Home Depot will procure the electricity generated from a 75 MW portion of the Azure Sky solar project through a power purchase agreement. The procured clean energy will be utilized to satisfy the electricity needs of over 150 Home Depot stores.

ABB, a Switzerland-based multinational corporation, said that it would provide its new 11 kW bi-directional charging technology to a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) partnership project. ABB’s solution, integrated with DREEV software technology, will enable electric vehicle drivers to export surplus power back to the grid. With the potential to generate up to €20 (~$23.49) per electric vehicle per month, V2G thereby reduces the total cost of ownership and further boosts the adoption of electric vehicles. Under the partnership, ABB will supply V2G bi-directional kiosks in France, followed by installations in the UK, Italy, Belgium, and Germany.

Caledonia Mining Corporation has appointed Voltalia as a contractor to develop the 12 MW solar project to supply electricity to the Blanket mine in Zimbabwe. The construction of the solar project is expected to begin in the last quarter of 2021. The solar project is expected to satisfy around 27% of the mine’s electricity demand.

ENERCON, a Germany-based wind turbine manufacturer, has signed a contract with TRUNGNAM Group to supply its WEC technology for the Ea Nam wind project in Vietnam. The company will provide its E-160 EP5 E2 wind turbines for the 400 MW wind project.

Danfoss, a Denmark-based engineering company, said the company is providing electric drive train systems to Energy Absolute to power its fleet of 27 fully-electric catamarans. The fleet of catamarans will operate on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. Energy Absolute invested $33 million in the project, including installing fast-charging stations dockside, charging the ferries in around 15 minutes.

Here is our previous daily news wrap-up.

Image credit: junilly/CC BY (3.0)

Harsh Shukla is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.

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