The latest renewable energy news includes announcements from Green Water & Power, Autel Energy, Sungrow, UNSW Sydney, JT Solar Technology, and others.
Green Water & Power and Autel Pass 10,000 EV Charger Deployment Milestone Across 12 US States
Green Water & Power and Autel Energy have installed more than 10,000 Autel EV chargers across the United States since their partnership began in 2023. Deployments span 12 states and locations including hotels, apartments, schools, medical facilities, retail centres and fleets. The network has supplied 16.6 million kWh of electricity while maintaining 99.72 percent average uptime, with the companies estimating about 23,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided. Green Water & Power is already contracted for another 3,000-plus Level 2 chargers and 100 Level 3 fast chargers. GWP says its wider portfolio now exceeds 15,000 installed EV chargers nationwide and includes more than 4 MW of solar capacity, making this a substantial clean-transport infrastructure deployment milestone.
Sungrow and UNSW Launch AI-Controlled Solar-Battery VPP Project in New South Wales
Sungrow, UNSW Sydney and JT Solar Technology have launched an AI-enabled solar and battery virtual power plant project at The Gibraltar Bowral in New South Wales’ Southern Highlands. The commercial energy system combines onsite solar, battery storage and UNSW’s AI Energy Management System, which automatically determines when electricity should be consumed, stored or discharged based on solar generation, site demand, tariffs, grid conditions and battery health. Sungrow is supplying four ST200CF PowerKeeper battery stacks and its SH110CX hybrid inverter, while Aussie Hybrid Solar is handling installation. The project is designed to provide full-site backup, raise renewable self-consumption and demonstrate how hotels and other commercial buildings can participate in smarter distributed-energy and VPP models.
i2Cool Raises Series B Funding to Expand Electricity-Free Radiative Cooling Manufacturing
Clean-energy materials startup i2Cool has raised tens of millions of yuan in Series B financing from TopoScend Capital to expand its electricity-free passive radiative cooling technology. Linglu Capital acted as exclusive financial adviser. Founded in 2022, i2Cool plans to use the funding for standardized nanoparticle production lines, technology development, recruitment and international expansion. Its cooling materials report solar reflectivity and mid-infrared emissivity above 95 percent, reducing heat gain without electricity or refrigerants. The company says it has completed more than 500 projects covering 1.1 million square metres across 30-plus countries and regions, has an order backlog of CNY120 million, about $17.9 million, and recorded a 377 percent three-year revenue CAGR. Overseas markets contribute approximately 50 percent of revenue.
NextEra Secures Up to $1.9 Billion DOE Loan to Restart 615 MW Iowa Nuclear Plant
NextEra Energy and the US Department of Energy have reached financial close on a loan of up to $1.9 billion to restart the 615 MW Duane Arnold Energy Center in Linn County, Iowa. The plant ceased operations in 2020, and NextEra plans to return it to service no later than Q1 2029, subject to remaining regulatory approvals. Iowa regulators issued a construction and operating certificate in June 2026. A study cited by NextEra estimates the restart could deliver more than $9 billion of economic benefits over 25 years, support thousands of refurbishment jobs, create more than 400 permanent positions and generate about $75 million in tax revenue. This is nuclear rather than renewable energy, but it is included because it is a major clean-power financing milestone carried in PR Newswire’s Alternative Energies feed.
