The latest renewable energy news includes announcements on BNDES, Arenko, Toyota Biofuel Technology Centre in Brazil, and others.
UK Offers £28 Million for Ultra-Long-Duration Batteries and Underground Hydrogen Storage
The UK government has launched a £28 million grant programme, equivalent to about $38.2 million, to accelerate ultra-long-duration energy storage technologies. Eligible technologies include advanced battery systems and underground hydrogen storage, targeting solutions capable of storing renewable energy for substantially longer periods than conventional lithium-ion batteries. Ultra-long-duration storage is becoming strategically important as Britain builds more offshore wind and solar capacity and needs technologies that can bridge multi-day or potentially seasonal gaps in renewable generation. Government support is intended to reduce development and demonstration risks before commercial-scale deployment. The programme complements broader UK efforts to expand grid flexibility, electricity transmission and energy-storage infrastructure while reducing dependence on gas-fired generation for balancing periods of low wind and solar availability.
BNDES Provides $24 Million for Toyota Biofuel Technology Centre in Brazil
Brazilian development bank BNDES has approved BRL 123.6 million, or approximately $23.9 million, in financing for Toyota do Brasil to construct a new Biofuel Technology Development Centre in Sorocaba, São Paulo state. The project will support research and technology development around lower-carbon automotive fuels, strengthening Brazil’s position in bioethanol and other renewable-fuel technologies. Brazil already has one of the world’s most mature ethanol industries and an extensive flex-fuel vehicle fleet, giving the new centre a large domestic technology and commercial base. BNDES financing links industrial innovation with energy-transition investment rather than focusing solely on generation assets. Toyota’s centre could support research into improving renewable-fuel efficiency, vehicle compatibility and lifecycle emissions as Brazil expands the role of biofuels alongside vehicle electrification.
Arenko Wins 300 MW / 600 MWh Battery Contract for Ørsted’s 2.9 GW Hornsea 3 Arenko has been selected to deploy its Nimbus optimisation, asset-management and trading platform at Orsted’s 300 MW / 600 MWh Iceni battery energy storage system in the UK. The two-hour battery will be co-located with the 2.9 GW Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm and is scheduled to become operational in Q1 2027. Iceni is designed to share Hornsea 3’s offshore transmission infrastructure and onshore grid connection instead of securing a separate connection, potentially improving utilisation of scarce UK grid capacity. Arenko’s Nimbus platform will handle forecasting, real-time battery capacity allocation, automated power-market trading and asset management. The project represents an important test of closer integration between large offshore wind farms, grid infrastructure and utility-scale storage.
