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Houston renewables developer powers 4 new solar parks for Amazon, Microsoft

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EDP Renewables North America LLC has announced four new solar projects in Texas, Mississippi and Illinois for major tech customers. Photo via Getty Images

Houston-based EDP Renewables North America LLC announced that it has powered up four new projects across the country for customers Amazon and Microsoft.

The new projects come about a month after EDP Renewables powered up its new California solar park for Houston-based Shell Energy North America and the Eureka, California-based Redwood Coast Energy Authority.

EDP Renewables announced that it also launched the 100-megawatt Ragsdale Solar Park in Madison Country, Mississippi, in Q4 2024. Amazon has contracted for all 100 megawatts from the solar park through a 15-year power agreement.

The Ragsdale project is the company's second utility-scale project in Mississippi after EDP Renewables launched its Pearl River Solar Park last year.

“Ragsdale signifies EDP Renewables’ ongoing commitment to Mississippi, its communities, and local businesses. The opportunity to develop utility-scale solar and contract directly with customers like Amazon, who are also committed to expanding their own presence in Mississippi, has been invaluable," Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America, said in a statement. "We are proud to aid the state’s commercial and industrial growth with homegrown energy solutions."

Additionally, EDP Renewables has powered three new projects for tech-giant Microsoft, with two in Illinois and one in Texas.

In December EDP Renewables powered a 150-megawatt Cattlemen II Solar Project in Milam County, Texas, about 70 miles northeast of the Austin area. It joins the 240-megawatt Cattlemen I Solar Park, which came online a year prior.

The company also launched the 140-megawatt Wolf Run Solar Project near Jacksonville, Illinois, and the Hickory Solar Project in Jerseyville, Illinois, late last year. The Hickory project was developed in conjunction with D.C.-based Volt Energy Utility.

Microsoft has agreed to purchase 389 megawatts and renewable energy credits from the projects, which brings the portfolio between the two companies up to five projects in total. It also includes the Timber Road IV Wind Farm located in Payne, Ohio.

"The importance of ensuring benefits flowing from renewable energy development directly into communities has never been more important,” Ganapathy added in a statement. “Through these three additional projects, we’re keeping our promise – and indeed the industry’s promise – to contribute to the nation’s growing energy demand and in that process invest in long-lasting economic growth of our communities.”

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EDP Renewables North America unveiled the new Sandrini I & II Solar Energy Park near Bakersfield, California. Photo via Pixabay

Houston renewables developer powers two new California solar parks

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EDP Renewables North America LLC, a Houston-based developer, owner, and operator of renewable energy projects, has unveiled a solar energy park in California whose customers are Houston-based Shell Energy North America and the Eureka, California-based Redwood Coast Energy Authority.

Sandrini I & II Solar Energy Park, located near Bakersfield, is capable of supplying 300 megawatts of power. The park was completed in two phases.

“Sandrini I & II represent EDP Renewables’ continued commitment to investing in California and are a direct contribution to California's admirable target of achieving 100 percent clean electricity by 2045,” says Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP. “The Golden State is known for its leadership in solar energy, and EDP Renewables is elated to meet the growing demand for reliable clean energy sources.”

Shell signed a 15-year deal to buy power from the 200-megawatt Sandrini I, and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority signed a 15-year deal to buy power from the 100-megawatt Sandrini II.

In July, EDP announced the opening of the 210-megawatt Pearl River Solar Park in Mississippi. Earlier in 2024, the company debuted the 175-megawatt Crooked Lake Solar Park in Arkansas and the 74-megawatt Misenheimer Solar Park in North Carolina. Click here to read more.

Houston-based renewable project developer has opened four solar parks in the south recently. Photo via edpr.com

Houston renewables developer powers up projects in southern region of the US

shine bright

Houston-based renewable energy developer EDP Renewables is making big moves in the Southern United States with its latest solar park projects.

EDPR celebrated the inauguration of Pearl River Solar Park in Scott County, Mississippi, that has an installed capacity of 210 megawatt peak, which produces enough power to meet the energy needs of more than 27,000 average Mississippi homes.

The project consists of 400,000 monofacial and bifacial tracking photovoltaic panels that will contribute clean, cost-competitive power to the state’s electric grid. Pearl River will provide more than $50 million in payments to local governments throughout its operating life, benefiting schools, health care facilities, fire departments, and other county services, as well as create hundreds of jobs, according to EDPR.

"We are thrilled to finally see Pearl River begin operations,” Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDPR North America, says in a news release. “Solar power is a win-win in Mississippi, as it accelerates the deployment of clean energy to the grid and contributes to the state’s decarbonization objectives. The project will immediately go to work to provide Mississippi with a readily available clean energy resource.”

A second project is currently under development for Ragsdale Solar Park in Canton, Mississippi. The project is expected to provide over $36 million to local governments and $15 million to landowners over the course of its lifespan once it becomes operational.

Ragsdale is expected to generate 100 MW of energy, which is equivalent to the consumption of 15,000 average Mississippi homes. According to the company, once operational, it will create over 100 construction jobs and will create three permanent jobs.

In May, EDPR opened its Crooked Lake Solar Park near Blytheville in Mississippi County, Arkansas, which is a 175-megawatt project. The company says it will generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 30,000 Arkansas homes each year.

In April, EDPR completed Misenheimer Solar Park in Stanly County, North Carolina. The solar project has an installed capacity of 74 megawatts, which is one of the largest in the state. Misenheimer Solar Park will generate enough energy annually to power the equivalent of more than 12,000 North Carolina homes while providing economic and environmental benefits, according to EDPR.

Here's what news trended this week on EnergyCapital. Photo via Getty Images

McKinsey makes acquisition, Shell slows solar, and more trending Houston innovation news

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Editor's note: From recent M&A activity to a recent report on AI, these are the top headlines that resonated with EnergyCapital readers on social media and daily newsletter this week.

Shell shrinks renewable portfolio yet again with latest divestment

Shell’s Savion subsidiary, which the energy giant acquired in 2021, plans to sell about one-fourth of its solar generation and storage assets. Photo via shell.us

In a move aimed at focusing more on its oil and gas business, Houston-based Shell USA continues to scale back its wind and solar energy portfolio.

The Reuters news service reported February 29 that Shell’s Savion subsidiary, which the energy giant acquired in 2021, plans to sell about one-fourth of its solar generation and storage assets. These assets represent as much as 10.6 gigawatts of generation and storage capacity.

This development follows the completion in early February of deals for Kansas City, Missouri-based Savion to sell its 50 percent stake in a solar energy project in Ohio and for Houston-based Shell Wind Energy to sell its 60 percent stake in a wind farm in Texas. Continue reading.

Houston rises as emerging hub for $6B global AI in oil and gas industry, per new report

The research outfit says North America leads global AI growth in oil and gas, with Houston playing a pivotal role. Image via Shutterstock

Houston is emerging as a hub for the development of artificial intelligence in the oil and gas industry — a global market projected to be worth nearly $6 billion by 2028.

This fresh insight comes from a report recently published by ResearchAndMarkets.com. The research outfit says North America leads global AI growth in oil and gas, with Houston playing a pivotal role.

“With AI-driven innovation at its core, the oil and gas industry is set to undergo a profound transformation, impacting everything from reservoir optimization to asset management and energy consumption strategies — setting a new standard for the future of the sector,” says ResearchAndMarkets.com. Continue reading.

McKinsey acquires Houston-area co. to enhance sustainability services

According to McKinsey data, more than $3.5 trillion will be invested in green hydrogen, carbon capture, renewable energy, and other projects that are working toward net-zero transition by 2050. Photo via ses-estimating.com

A global management consulting company has executed on an acquisition key to its plans amid the energy transition.

McKinsey & Company announced the acquisition of Strategic Estimating Systems, a Sugar Land-based consulting firm specializing in cost estimation for oil, gas, and chemical process industries. The acquisition provides McKinsey with enhanced benchmarking capabilities across capital project management — especially within the energy transition. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"The capital projects ecosystem is presented with a once-in-a-generation chance to aid in transforming economies to achieve net zero," Justin Dahl, partner and global leader of McKinsey & Company's Capital Analytics, says. Continue reading.

Houston orgs name student, industry teams for CERAWeek pitch competition

Nearly 40 climatetech startups will pitch at this upcoming CERAWeek event from HETI, the Rice Alliance, and TEX-E. Photo by Natalie Harms

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, the Houston Energy Transition Initiative and the Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy announced the 39 energy ventures that will pitch at 2024 Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition during this month's CERAWeek.

The ventures are focused on driving efficiency and advancements toward the energy transition and will each present a 3.5-minute pitch before venture capitalists, corporate innovation groups, industry leaders, academics, and service providers during CERAWeek's Agora program.

The pitch competition is divided up into the TEX-E university track, in which Texas student-led energy startups compete for $50,000 in cash prizes, and the industry ventures track. Continue reading.

Houston-based female business leader named changemaker amid energy transition

EDP Renewables North America announced its CEO Sandhya Ganapathy has been named to CNBC’s inaugural Changemakers: Women Transforming Business list.

A Houston renewable energy developer CEO has scored a prestigious spot on a list of changemakers.

EDP Renewables North America announced its CEO Sandhya Ganapathy has been named to CNBC’s inaugural Changemakers: Women Transforming Business list. Ganapathy was recognized for ESG and ED&I Initiatives while helping to advance the clean energy transition.

The new list recognizes female leaders at companies and philanthropic organizations that have achieved impactful financial and business milestones.

“Thank you to CNBC for recognizing the leadership and groundbreaking initiatives the women on this list have achieved,” the company said in a statement on LinkedIn. “As our renewable energy market sector continues to progress and expand, we will need everyone in our industry to be a #changemaker to ensure #reliable, #costeffective, #homegrown energy is accessible to all.” Continue reading.

EDP Renewables North America announced its CEO Sandhya Ganapathy has been named to CNBC’s inaugural Changemakers: Women Transforming Business list.

Houston-based female business leader named changemaker amid energy transition

leading lady

A Houston renewable energy developer CEO has scored a prestigious spot on a list of changemakers.

EDP Renewables North America announced its CEO Sandhya Ganapathy has been named to CNBC’s inaugural Changemakers: Women Transforming Business list. Ganapathy was recognized for ESG and ED&I Initiatives while helping to advance the clean energy transition.

The new list recognizes female leaders at companies and philanthropic organizations that have achieved impactful financial and business milestones.

“Thank you to CNBC for recognizing the leadership and groundbreaking initiatives the women on this list have achieved,” the company said in a statement on LinkedIn. “As our renewable energy market sector continues to progress and expand, we will need everyone in our industry to be a #changemaker to ensure #reliable, #costeffective, #homegrown energy is accessible to all.”

EDPR NA has developed 9.9 GW of renewables projects to date and operates close to 9 GW of renewable energy across North America under Ganapathy’s leadership. EDPR NA has won various ESG and ED&I-related awards including A Word About Wind’s ED&I Award, CohnReznick’s Gamechanger in ESG Award, Ally Energy’s GRIT Awards for both Best Energy Workplace and ESG & Climate Change Champion, Top Workplace in the USA and Top Workplace in Houston Awards, the Global Energy Transition Award for Excellence as a Community Leader. EDPR NA also made the Corporate Knight’s 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, and was also a finalist for S&P Global’s Energy Company of the Year Award for 2023.

Headquartered in Houston with 60 wind farms, 12 solar parks, and eight regional offices across North America, EDP is a top five renewable energy operator in the U.S. EDPR NA has developed more than 9,600 megawatts (MW) and operates more than 8,900 MW of onshore utility-scale renewable energy projects.

The full 2024 CNBC Changemakers list is available at cnbc.com/Changemakers.

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9 must-attend Houston energy events for March 2025

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Editor's note: March is a busy month for energy industry professionals in Houston, with a full calendar of meetups, summits, and, of course, CERAWeek. Below, we've rounded up the energy transition events you won't want to miss this month. Mark your calendars and register accordingly.

March 3-4 — Industrial Immersive

The Industrial Immersive community connects industrial, energy, engineering tech professionals making investment, strategy and tactical decisions, or building, scaling, and executing pioneering XR/ 3D/ simulations, digital twin, reality capture, edge/ spatial computing, AI/ ML, connected workforce & IIoT projects within their enterprise. This forum will bring together industry professionals to share first-hand experience, insight and advice for implementing and scaling immersive tech programs in enterprise operations.

This event begins Monday, March 3, at Westin Memorial City. Click here to register.

March 3-5 — Global Energy Meet 2025

The aim of this conference is to bring together all the key stakeholders interested in Fossil and Renewable Energy Sources to share and discuss advances and developments in these fields. It is a three-day event which features energy experts, academicians, business executives and engineers to showcase recent trends, strategies and challenges of energy systems. It creates a platform to focus on advancing new energy paradigms for energy systems and global energy issues.

This event begins Monday, March 3, at the Doubletree by Hilton. Click here to register.

March 4 — Low Carbon Investment Summit

The Low Carbon Investment Summit 2025, hosted by Flathead Forge, Energy Tech Nexus, and MetroNational, connects investors with breakthrough decarbonization technologies.The event will showcase innovative companies in decarbonization including water treatment, critical minerals, and energy transition sectors while connecting innovative companies with corporate VCs, family offices, and HNW investors. Space is limited.

This event begins Tuesday, March 4, at 11 am at MetroNational's Innovation District. Click here to register.

March 4-6 — THRIVE Energy Conference

The Thrive Energy Conference by Daniel Energy Partners is for key energy professionals collaborating on research-driven insights and trends key to developing a pathway to a “thriving” energy future. This unique event combines leadership from public and private global energy companies as well as investors under a professional yet fun atmosphere.

This event begins Tuesday, March 4, at Minute Maid Park. Click here to register.

March 10-14 — CERAWeek 2025

The foremost annual gathering in the energy sector returns to Houston March 10-14, 2025. Themed "Moving Ahead: Energy strategies for a complex world," CERAWeek 2025 will focus on the challenges ahead for energy security, supply, and climate ambitions. More than 10,000 participants from over 2,050 companies across 80 countries will convene in Houston for this ambitious event. CERAWeek comprises three platforms: the Executive Conference, the Innovation Agora, and Partner Programs. We'll dive into comprehensive CERAWeek recommendations in future articles.

This event begins Monday, March 10. Click here to register.

March 13: Energy Tech Market

Energy Tech Market features founders and industry experts sharing cutting-edge innovations, trends, and insights in energy technology. Organized by Energy Tech Nexus in collaboration with the Scale Up Hub Houston program and TechNL, this event brings together thought leaders and innovators to explore the latest developments across various sectors of the energy industry.

This event begins Thursday, March 13, at 10 am at GreenStreet. Click here to register.

March 18-20 — The Connected Worker: Energy Summit

The Connected Worker: Energy Summit provides the opportunity for you to get hands-on with the essential solutions you need to empower your frontline workforce, hear real-word case studies from energy and utility leaders, and network with your industry peers. Learn how to: create a safer work environment, boost compliance and improve efficiencies through automation, make your data mobile and reduce rework, downtime and time to decision; improve workforce mobility and maximize the use of data to continuously enhance process and asset performance; and much more.

This event begins Tuesday, March 18, at 8:45 am at The Westin Galleria. Click here to register.

March 26 — Bots And Brews Spring 2025

Bots & Brews is the H-town robotics, drones, geospatial, data & AI meetup, hosted by the Energy Drone & Robotics Coalition and the co-hosts: Industrial Digital Twin Forum, Industrial Reality Capture Forum & Industrial AI Nexus: Automate. Everyone in the energy and industrial robotics/drone/data & AI community are invited to come together to catch up and talk about real-world solutions and deployments.

This event is Wednesday, March 26, from 5 to 7:45 pm at The Cannon West. Click here to register.

March 31-April 2 — World Hydrogen North America 2025

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the Hydrogen Energy Earthshot initiative to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% within a decade. Canada has also released its Hydrogen Strategy, which aims to make the country a global leader in hydrogen production, use, and exports. Seize the opportunity to connect with industry leaders from across the hydrogen value chain, fostering long-term business partnerships and exploring potential collaborations. Engage with prominent off-takers, both nationally and internationally, and gain first-hand insights into the latest projects shaping the future of hydrogen in the USA and Canada.

This event begins Monday, March 31, at the Marriott Marquis. Click here to register.

50+ teams announced for CERAWeek's annual clean tech pitch competition

CERA pitches

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, the Houston Energy Transition Initiative and the Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy announced the 30-plus energy ventures and five student teams that will pitch at the 2025 Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition during CERAWeek next month.

The ventures are focused on driving efficiency and advancements toward the energy transition and will each present a 3.5-minute pitch before a network of investors and industry partners during CERAWeek's Agora program.

The pitch competition is divided up into the TEX-E university track, in which Texas student-led energy startups compete for $50,000 in cash prizes, and the industry ventures track.

Teams competing in the TEX-E Prize track include:

  • ECHO
  • HEXAspec
  • HydroStor Analytics
  • Nanoborne
  • Pattern Materials

The industry track is subdivided into three additional tracks, spanning materials to clean energy and will feature 36 companies. The top three companies from each industry track will be named. The winner of the CERAWeek competition will also have the chance to advance and compete for the $1 million investment prize at the Startup World Cup in October 2025.

Teams come from around the world, including several notable Houston-based ventures, such as Corrolytics, Rheom Materials, AtmoSpark Technologies, and others. Click here to see the full list of companies and investor groups that will participate.

The pitch competition will be held Wednesday, March 12, at CERAWeek from 1-4:30 pm. An Agora pass is required to attend.

Those without passes can catch more than 50 companies at a free pitch preview at the Ion. Pitches will be followed by private meetings with venture capitalists, corporate innovation groups, industry leaders, and tech scouts. The preview will be held Tuesday, March 11, from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm at the Ion. It's free to attend, but registration is required. Click here to register.

Last year, Houston-based Solidec took home the top TEX-E price and $25,000 cash awards. The startup extracts molecules from water and air, then transforms them into pure chemicals and fuels that are free of carbon emissions. Its co-founder and Rice University professor Haotian Wang was recently awarded the 2025 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research.

Texas grid report and more Houston energy transition news to know

Trending news

Editor's note: It's time to look back on the top energy transition news for the second half of February. The five most-read EnergyCapital stories feature a prestigious prize for a Rice professor, an Austin startup powering up in Houston, solar news, and more. Get the details below.

1. Houston clean energy pioneer earns prestigious Welch Foundation award

Rice professor and Solidec co-founder Haotian Wang's research enables CO2 to be converted into valuable chemicals and fuels. Photo courtesy Welch Foundation.

A Rice University professor has earned a prestigious award from the Houston-based Welch Foundation, which supports chemistry research.

The foundation gave its 2025 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research to Haotian Wang for his “exceptionally creative” research involving carbon dioxide electrochemistry. His research enables CO2 to be converted into valuable chemicals and fuels.

The award included $100,000 and a bronze sculpture. Continue reading.

2. Austin energy startup expands to Houston, offering electricity with backup batteries

Justin Lopas and Zach Dell founded Base Power in 2023 and are now expanding the company's electricity and backup battery offerings to Houston. Photo courtesy Base Power.

An Austin startup that sells electricity and couples it with backup power has entered the Houston market.

Base Power, which claims to be the first and only electricity provider to offer a backup battery, now serves the Houston-area territory served by Houston-based CenterPoint Energy. No solar equipment is required for Base Power’s backup batteries.

The company is initially serving customers in the Cy-Fair, Spring, Cinco Ranch and Mission Bend communities, and will expand to other Houston-area places in the future. Continue reading.

3. Solar farms are booming and putting thousands of hungry sheep to work

A photo of BP's new solar farm in Texas. Photo via bp.com

On rural Texas farmland, beneath hundreds of rows of solar panels, a troop of stocky sheep rummage through pasture, casually bumping into one another as they remain committed to a single task: chewing grass.

The booming solar industry has found an unlikely mascot in sheep as large-scale solar farms crop up across the U.S. and in the plain fields of Texas. In Milam County, outside Austin, SB Energy operates the fifth-largest solar project in the country, capable of generating 900 megawatts of power across 4,000 acres.

How do they manage all that grass? With the help of about 3,000 sheep, which are better suited than lawnmowers to fit between small crevices and chew away rain or shine.

The proliferation of sheep on solar farms is part of a broader trend — solar grazing — that has exploded alongside the solar industry.Continue reading.

4. Houston venture firm invests in Virginia fusion power plant company in collaboration with TAMU

NearStar Fusion team Andrew Case, Chris Faranetta, Douglas Witherspoon, Amit Singh and Marco Luna. Photo courtesy NearStar Fusion.

Houston-based climate tech venture firm Ecosphere Ventures has partnered with Virginia Venture Partners and Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation’s venture capital program to invest in Virginia-based NearStar Fusion Inc., which develops fusion energy power plants.

NearStar aims to use its proprietary plasma railgun technology to safely and affordably power baseload electricity on and off the power grid through a Magnetized Target Impact Fusion (MTIF) approach, according to a news release from the company.

NearStar’s power plants are designed to retrofit traditional fossil fuel power plants and are expected to serve heavy industry, data centers and military installations. Continue reading.

5. Report: Texas solar power, battery storage helped stabilize grid in summer 2024, but challenges remain

Solar power met nearly 25 percent of midday electricity demand within the ERCOT grid during some of 2024's hottest summer days. Photo by Red Zeppelin/Pexels

Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows that solar power and battery storage capacity helped stabilize Texas’ electric grid last summer.

Between June 1 and Aug. 31, solar power met nearly 25 percent of midday electricity demand within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) power grid. Rising solar and battery output in ERCOT assisted Texans during a summer of triple-digit heat and record load demands, but the report fears that the state’s power load will be “pushed to its limits” soon.

The report examined how the grid performed during more demanding hours. At peak times, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the summer of 2024, solar output averaged nearly 17,000 megawatts compared with 12,000 megawatts during those hours in the previous year. Between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., discharge from battery facilities averaged 714 megawatts in 2024 after averaging 238 megawatts for those hours in 2023. Solar and battery output have continued to grow since then, according to the report. Continue reading.

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