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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

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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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CenterPoint and partners launch AI initiative to stabilize the power grid

AI infastructure

Houston-based utility company CenterPoint Energy is one of the founding partners of a new AI infrastructure initiative called Chain Reaction.

Software companies NVIDIA and Palantir have joined CenterPoint in forming Chain Reaction, which is aimed at speeding up AI buildouts for energy producers and distributors, data centers and infrastructure builders. Among the initiative’s goals are to stabilize and expand the power grid to meet growing demand from data centers, and to design and develop large data centers that can support AI activity.

“The energy infrastructure buildout is the industrial challenge of our generation,” Tristan Gruska, Palantir’s head of energy and infrastructure, says in a news release. “But the software that the sector relies on was not built for this moment. We have spent years quietly deploying systems that keep power plants running and grids reliable. Chain Reaction is the result of building from the ground up for the demands of AI.”

CenterPoint serves about 7 million customers in Texas, Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio. After Hurricane Beryl struck Houston in July 2024, CenterPoint committed to building a resilient power grid for the region and chose Palantir as its “software backbone.”

“Never before have technology and energy been so intertwined in determining the future course of American innovation, commercial growth, and economic security,” Jason Wells, chairman, president, and CEO of CenterPoint added in the release.

In November, the utility company got the go-ahead from the Public Utility Commission of Texas for a $2.9 billion upgrade of its Houston-area power grid. CenterPoint serves 2.9 million customers in a 12-county territory anchored by Houston.

A month earlier, CenterPoint launched a $65 billion, 10-year capital improvement plan to support rising demand for power across all of its service territories.

ERCOT approves $9.4B project to improve grid, meet data center demand

power project

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the electric grid for 90 percent of Texans, is undertaking a $9.4 billion project to improve the reliability and efficiency of statewide power distribution. The initiative comes as ERCOT copes with escalating demand for electricity from data centers and cryptocurrency-mining facilities.

The project, approved Dec. 9 by ERCOT’s board, will involve building a 1,109-mile “super highway” of new 765-kilovolt transmission lines. One kilovolt equals 1,000 volts of electricity.

According to the Hoodline Dallas news site, the $9.4 billion project represents the five- to six-year first phase of ERCOT’s Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan (STEP). Hoodline says the plan, whose price tag is nearly $33 billion, calls for 2,468 miles of new 765-kilovolt power lines.

STEP will enable ERCOT to “move power longer distances with fewer losses,” Hoodline reports.

Upgrading the ERCOT grid is a key priority amid continued population growth in Texas, along with the state’s explosion of new data centers and cryptocurrency-mining facilities.

ERCOT says about 11,000 megawatts of new power generation capacity have been added to the ERCOT grid since last winter.

But in a report released ahead of the December board meeting, ERCOT says it received 225 requests this year from large power users to connect to its grid — a 270 percent uptick in the number of megawatts being sought by mega-users since last December. Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of the requests came from data centers.

Allan Schurr, chief commercial officer of Houston-based Enchanted Rock, a provider of products and services for microgrids and onsite power generation, tells Energy Capital that the quickly expanding data center industry is putting “unprecedented pressure” on ERCOT’s grid.

“While the state has added new generation and transmission capacity, lengthy interconnection timelines and grid-planning limitations mean that supply and transmission are not keeping pace with this rapid expansion,” Schurr says. “This impacts both reliability and affordability.”

For families in Texas, this could result in higher energy bills, he says. Meanwhile, critical facilities like hospitals and grocery stores face a heightened challenge of preventing power outages during extreme weather or at other times when the ERCOT grid is taxed.

“I expect this trend to continue as AI and high-density computing grow, driving higher peak demand and greater grid variability — made even more complex by more renewables, extreme weather and other large energy users, like manufacturers,” Schurr says.

According to the Pew Research Center, data centers accounted for 4 percent of U.S. electricity use in 2024, and power demand from data centers is expected to more than double by 2030. Data centers that support the AI boom make up much of the rising demand.

In September, RBN Energy reported more than 10 massive data-center campuses had been announced in Texas, with dozens more planned. The Lone Star State is already home to roughly 400 data centers.

“Texas easily ranks among the nation’s top states for existing data centers, with only Virginia edging it out in both data-center count and associated power demand,” says RBN Energy.

Federal judge strikes Trump order blocking wind energy development

wind win

In a win for clean energy and wind projects in Texas and throughout the U.S., a federal judge struck down President Donald Trump’s “Day One” executive order that blocked wind energy development on federal lands and waters, the Associated Press reports.

Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated Trump’s executive order from Jan. 20, declaring it unlawful and calling it “arbitrary and capricious.”

The challenge was led by a group of state attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., which was led by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The coalition pushed back against Trump's order , arguing that the administration didn’t have the authority to halt project permitting, and that efforts would critically impact state economies, the energy industry, public health and climate relief efforts.

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told the Associated Press that wind projects were given unfair treatment during the Biden Administration and cited that the rest of the energy industry suffered from regulations.

According to the American Clean Power Association, wind is the largest source of renewable energy in the U.S. It provides 10 percent of the electricity generated—and growing. Texas leads the nation in wind electricity generation, accounting for 28 percent of the U.S. total in 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Several clean-energy initiatives have been disrupted by recent policy changes, impacting Houston projects.

The Biden era Inflation Reduction Act’s 10-year hydrogen incentive was shortened under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, prompting ExxonMobil to pause its Baytown low-carbon hydrogen project. That project — and two others in the Houston region — also lost federal support as part of a broader $700 million cancellation tied to DOE cuts.

Meanwhile, Texas House Democrats have urged the administration to restore a $250 million Solar for All grant that would have helped low-income households install solar panels.

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