Nexamp just pulled off something that could speed up clean energy deployment across the US – and potentially lower costs for everyone. The Boston-based solar developer just finished building three new solar farms in Maine and Massachusetts. But instead of waiting on the utility to handle all the grid hookup work, Nexamp did it themselves.
That might not sound groundbreaking at first, but in the world of renewable energy, it’s a pretty big deal. Normally, utilities are in charge of any grid upgrades and interconnection work needed before a new solar project can start sending power to homes and businesses. That process can be very slow and expensive.
Nexamp’s new approach, called “self-performance,” flips the script. It lets developers take on some of that work, like ordering and installing equipment, so they don’t have to sit around waiting for the utility to schedule it. That means solar farms can get online faster, which gets clean power to the grid sooner and keeps project costs in check.
The three projects that kicked off this self-performance effort are:
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Hartland Solar – 1.2 MW DC in Hartland, ME
Barre Road Solar – 1.3 MW DC in New Braintree, MA
Summit Farm Solar – 2.6 MW DC, also in New Braintree
Nexamp didn’t go rogue – they worked closely with Central Maine Power and National Grid on the interconnection designs, safety standards, and technical specs. But by handling the actual procurement and construction, Nexamp had way more control over cost, timing, and supply chain headaches.
“Self-performance lets us take much greater control over interconnection procurement and construction,” said Daniel Passarello, Nexamp’s lead consulting engineer for grid integration. “We can move much of the interconnection work forward at the same time as the solar farm build instead of treating them as separate. That helps us bring projects online faster and stay closer to budget.”
It also helps that Nexamp already has solid relationships with suppliers. Instead of going through multiple layers of utility procurement, they can go straight to the source, fast.
That kind of streamlining is exactly what the solar industry needs right now. Community solar is booming – as of the end of 2024, nearly 8 gigawatts of it have been installed across the US, according to the the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and that number is expected to almost double by 2030. But bottlenecks in the interconnection process slow things down.
Sara Birmingham, VP of state affairs at SEIA, called Nexamp’s move a step in the right direction. “We must modernize and streamline the interconnection process to keep pace with fast-growing demand,” she said. “Self-performance is one of several innovative approaches that can accelerate project timelines and lower costs, which benefits all ratepayers.”
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With just a week left until its official debut, Volkswagen is giving us a sneak peek of its most affordable electric SUV, the ID.2. Here’s our closest look at the new entry-level EV.
The Volkswagen ID.2 is an affordable electric SUV
Volkswagen is revamping its electric car lineup with a new family of entry-level models, starting with the ID.2. The ID.2 is an electric hatch that VW promises is “spacious like a Golf,” yet still “affordable like a Polo.
With a starting price of around € 25,000 ($29,000), the ID.2 will be among the most affordable electric cars on the market.
Shortly after launching the electric hatch, Volkswagen is set to introduce an SUV version of the ID.2, which could be an even bigger hit. The ID.2 SUV will sit below the ID.3 and ID.4 in Volkswagen’s EV lineup as an even more affordable crossover SUV option.
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Although we’ve seen the hatch out testing a few times, the SUV version has been mostly kept under wraps outside of a blurry image from December 2023. That is, until now.
Volkswagen’s design boss, Andreas Mindt, offered a closer look at the ID.2 SUV on Monday, releasing a few new teasers. The images reveal a sleek new look from its current ID models, closer in style to the updated T-Roc, which was unveiled last week.
Mindt said the “design speaks for itself.” The ID.2 and SUV versions will be based on a new MEB+ platform, which will underpin Volkswagen’s upcoming lineup of entry-level EVs.
Volkswagen ID.2X electric SUV (Source: Volkswagen)
The hatch will be offered with two battery pack options: 38 kWh or 56 kWh, offering a WLTP range of up to 280 miles. Volkswagen has yet to reveal final prices and range for the SUV version.
According to VW’s tech development boss, Kai Grünitz, the brand’s EV lineup is in line for a major refresh. Grünitz told Autocar that “huge improvements” were coming, including updated styling inside and out.
Volkswagen’s ID 2all EV interior (Source: VW)
The interior will feature the new design, which includes a 12.9″ infotainment and 10.9″ driver display screens and plenty of physical controls. There will also be a few fun added features like the ability to switch between drive modes that resemble Volkswagen classics, like the Golf or Beetle.
Volkswagen ID 2all “Vintage” mode from the Golf era (Source: Andreas Mindt)
Since the ID.4 starts at around 35,000 euros ($41,000) to 40,000 euros ($47,000), depending on the market, you can expect prices to be slightly lower, likely at around 30,000 euros ($35,000).
Volkswagen will unveil the ID.2 SUV next week at the Munich Motor Show on September 7. The German auto giant claims the ID.2 SUV “is another important step towards bringing affordable electric mobility to the masses.” It’s expected to hit the market next year following the hatch version. We’ll learn more at the event.
Although the ID.2 is not expected to be sold in the US, Volkswagen’s current SUV, the ID.4, is actually already one of the most affordable electric SUVs. Volkswagen is currently offering ID.4 leases as low as $129 per month. That’s even cheaper than a Jetta.
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The Duane Arnold nuclear plant northwest of Cedar Rapids, Iowa is pressing ahead with plans to restart operations by the end of the decade after shutting down for economic reasons in 2020.
The plant is the third – and likely the last – mothballed reactor in the U.S. that is in shape to come back online to support growing electricity demand in the U.S.
Duane Arnold would follow similar restarts planned for the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan and Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, which plan to resume operations later this year and in 2027, respectively, subject to approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a request last week from NextEra Energy, Duane Arnold’s owner,to let the nuclear plant reconnect to the electric grid. NextEra sees Duane Arnold restarting operations by the fourth quarter of 2028 at the earliest, according to FERC filings.
“While a significant amount of work needs to be done before the facility could be restarted, FERC’s decision is another positive step in the process,” Neil Nissan, a NextEra spokesperson, said in a statement to CNBC.
Power purchase agreement
With big technology companies looking to feed more nuclear power on to the grid to fuel the electricity-hungry data centers they are building to train artificial intelligence, Florida-based NextEra is aiming to win a lucrative power purchase agreement to restart Duane Arnold. Three Mile Island, for example, is restarting with financial support from a power agreement with Microsoft.
“The recommissioning of Duane Arnold has received significant commercial interest from premier American companies,” Garrett Goldfinger, the NextEra executive in charge of the restart project, told FERC in a late July filing.
Duane Arnold would bring more than 600 megawatts of electricity back to the grid, equivalent to the electricity needs of more than 400,000 homes.
“If we’re successful in bringing Duane forward, that obviously creates a hot bed of data center activity around that facility,” NextEra CEO John Ketchum told investors on the company’s July earnings call.
‘Unicorn opportunities’
Duane Arnold, Palisades and Three Mile Island are three of the 10 U.S. reactors that closed over the past decade as nuclear power strained to compete against cheap natural gas and renewable energy.
Restarting these plants is the most concrete sign yet that the nuclear industry is coming back after years of financial struggles.
“These are unique opportunities because you don’t face the new build costs associated with nuclear,” Ketchum said on NextEra’s earnings call. “These are really unicorn-type opportunities.”
NextEra, the largest renewable power developer in the U.S., had previously divided up Duane Arnold’s grid connection among multiple solar farms that the company was developing in response to the demand in Iowa for lower cost electricity.
But the market last year started to shift back in favor of high-capacity nuclear power as the U.S. saw an unprecedented increase in electricity demand from industry and data centers, NextEra said in its filing to FERC.
NextEra is now consolidating those solar grid connections back into a single one for Duane Arnold after securing FERC approval. This will “provide commercial and financial certainty to support the recommissioning effort and expedite the resumption of clean, reliable operations at Duane Arnold,” Goldfinger told FERC.
Capital intensive
NextEra said the restart of Duane Arnold will be a “highly capital-intensive process.” It disclosed in its filing to FERC that it plans on spending as much as $100 million in 2025 alone on the project.
NextEra has placed orders for new transformers to replace the ones that were removed when the plant was shut down, although the transformers face significant supply chain constraints and will take about three years to deliver. The plant’s cooling towers, administration building and training center were also dismantled and need to be replaced.
The nuclear industry has a long history of projects delays, Goldfinger cautioned, and the Duane Arnold restart could take longer than expected if the transformers, for example, are delivered late.
While there are risks, Duane Arnold represents a financial opportunity for NextEra, the parent company of Florida Power & Light. The stock has barely moved this year despite growing power demand, a sharp reversal from 2024 when shares jumped 18% Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on renewable energy have shaken investor confidence in solar and wind power.
Solar and wind projects will no longer be eligible for two key tax credits after 2027, which is expected to crimp demand for renewables. Duane Arnold restarting in 2028 could help offset some of the lost earnings from the phase out of the tax credits, Ketchum said on the July earnings call.
“You add Duane Arnold to the mix and that’s one of many ways that we have to continue to grow the business in the future,” Ketchum said.
It’s officially Labor Day and we’ve had an exciting few weeks of solid Green Deals leading up to the holiday – and these sales aren’t over yet! Through the rest of the day and further into the week, you’ll find some amazing opportunities to get discounts on EVs, power stations, tools, appliances, and more – and we’ve rounded up all the deals that are still ongoing into this one-stop shopping hub for you. One thing to note, the power station sales may have been deemed as ending before today’s arrival; however, as is often the case, these sales have been extended and/or had their official names changed, so be sure to browse through those for hangover savings. Head below to browse and take advantage of all these ongoing Labor Day savings before they’re gone.