BlocPower’s Donnel Baird on green building, Biden’s infrastructure deal, and VC’s racial reckoning
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Published
4 years agoon
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“Turning buildings into Teslas.”
That’s the name Donnel Baird has chosen to go by on his Twitter account — it’s also become the tagline for his company, BlocPower, ranked No. 47 on this year’s CNBC Disruptor 50 list.
Since 2014, the company has been retrofitting buildings in New York’s disadvantaged communities with energy efficient heating and cooling systems, ultimately upping building values and lowering building operating costs. So far, Baird has completed over 1,000 projects in the New York City area, with even more building retrofits underway in 24 additional U.S. cities.
For Brooklyn-raised Baird and his team at BlocPower, honing in on retrofitting opportunities in underserved communities translates to high-paying green jobs, healthier air, and increased investment in those neighborhoods — especially as U.S. businesses bring workers back to the office.
CNBC recently spoke with Baird, who says the level of interest from commercial buildings is “skyrocketing” when it comes to sustainability upgrades and energy efficiency. “We know that, as people return to work, air quality and the health impact of buildings is going to be a requirement,” he said. “We’ve seen a dramatic uptick in the amount of construction projects that we’re completing … because folks are seeing June as the month to come back to work.”
The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
CNBC: Of the upcoming projects that you have planned throughout the country, which cities do you see presenting the biggest challenges?
Baird: Philadelphia is one of my favorite markets, but it’s also a huge challenge. The city actually has one of the highest amounts of low-income homeownership of any major American city. There used to be lots of factory jobs inside the city limits and Philly, so all the workers in those factories bought these row houses and townhouses. The jobs left, but the workers and their kids and grandkids are still there. Many of them are unemployed, many of them are considered low income by federal definition. They own those homes because their parents and grandparents bought the townhouses, but they can no longer afford property taxes, maintenance repairs, and certainly not energy efficiency. So it’s a really interesting challenge for us … how we’re going to capitalize and analyze all these buildings.
They have massive health needs, they have roofs that need to be replaced, they have plumbing that needs to be replaced, the buildings are filled with carbon monoxide and other kinds of lead and asbestos. So, we’re trying to figure that one out, but it’s going to be a lot of fun.
There’s another American city that wants to go 100% electric, 100% renewable energy within the next five years. And so we’re incredibly excited about that project. I can’t say which it is yet, because they’re in an RFP process. But hopefully, by the end of the month, or next month, we’ll be able to say. Obviously, that’s going to be a massive challenge, because we’re going to green up all the buildings and green all the cars and trucks. And so that’s going to be a major, major, major challenge. But if we can pull it off, it’s going to be huge.
CNBC: Can you give us a hint?
Baird: I will say it’s a city in New York that’s benefiting from the leadership of the state of New York and Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature, they have made significant commitments to clean energy. And so some of the cities are trying to match those commitments. So it’s in New York State.
CNBC: If it’s financially advantageous for buildings to switch out of fossil fuels and into green power, and if there are tax incentives for them to do so, what’s your biggest barrier to growth right now?
Baird: It’s financially advantageous under certain conditions. You have to have the right amount of tax credits, you have to have the right amount of incentives and or subsidies from the local utility company or from the local government. And in those conditions, it’s financially advantageous.
The real variable is not just the subsidies and tax credits, because some of them are federal and you can get them anywhere. The real variable is what’s the local cost of labor. And how efficient is your labor supply in terms of modern construction services and highly skilled workers. There’s a labor shortage of skilled construction workers across the country, which is a big problem and a major constraint right now.
And then the other constraint is the manufacturers. Their costs are coming down, but it’s a new piece of hardware that allows us to take buildings entirely off of fossil fuels. We’re still pretty early on in that manufacturing curve, but the cost is coming down. Right now, it’s cost that we’re able to amortize out over time, making it viable for building owners to access these technologies in the same way that the mortgage industry does for mortgages: Nobody can afford a house upfront. A 30-year mortgage stretches that payment out over time. So while we can make it affordable and accessible, the question is: Do building owners understand the value of taking out a second 15-year mortgage to electrify a building they already built? Part of our job is dealing with the labor supply, and another part is the sales, marketing and customer education.
CNBC: Your services also make buildings healthier. Have you seen any pandemic tailwinds and what are your expectations, post-pandemic?
Baird: Absolutely. We’re spending a lot of time linking green energy equipment upgrades to Covid-19, thinking, ‘How can a piece of green equipment actually filter the air in your building to make it safer for you and your kids? To make it safe for weddings or funerals in a synagogue, church or a mosque?’
Talking with owners about the way their buildings circulate outdoor air pollution indoors … this is a huge focus for our business post-pandemic. In Oakland, California, we’ve got a big demonstration project, where we’re taking lead and asbestos out of the buildings, which keeps people healthier. But we’re also putting in new electric heating systems that are making the air quality inside buildings healthier. Companies that do this, like Kaiser Permanente, who we’re working with, are going to have fewer families in and out of the emergency room with chronic asthma attacks and other conditions, because the buildings are healthier. It’s a huge focus for us.
CNBC: In that same regard, how are you thinking about the environmental impact of people returning to work in office buildings?
Baird: Millennials and Gen Z are very focused on the air quality and health impact of buildings, particularly office buildings, now that many millennials are totally comfortable working from home via Zoom and looking for greater benefits as an in-person employee. At a minimum, it has to be safe. We’re seeing a lot of commercial office folks in New York City focusing on those types of upgrades. Now, they haven’t had rent coming in for the last 12 months, so many of them are hesitant to pull the trigger and make that investment. But the level of interest that we’re seeing is skyrocketing; And we know as people return to work that those upgrades are going to be the new requirement.
There’s a set of economic indicators involved that bring value to a landlord that’s leasing the space. If you increase the air quality, you can simultaneously boost the productivity per square foot of your investment in commercial office space. There’s a lot of data on this that’s coming out, and we expect that customers who have large commercial office space are going to demand, at a minimum, that air quality be as clean and healthy as possible.
CNBC: You mentioned the hesitancy of companies looking to make these types of investments. Are you seeing that hesitancy diminish as we move further into a post-pandemic world?
Baird: People are starting to pull the trigger. Folks we’ve been talking to for the last 12 to 18 months, who were about to pull the trigger in February of last year, are starting to come back around. Everyone’s feeling more optimistic, everyone’s ready to return to work and return to normal economic activity. They’re making those investments, and we’ve seen a dramatic uptick in the amount of construction projects that we’re completing, year over year, but particularly month over month. We’re doing better than projected, because folks are seeing June as the month to come back to work.
CNBC: Last week, Senate Republicans introduced a $928 billion counteroffer on infrastructure to President Biden’s now $1.7 trillion plan. GOP leaders say that $4 billion of that goes to major infrastructure projects like electric vehicles, but there’s still very few specifics on whether green energy or clean tech will be included in those projects at all. If you were working in the Biden-Harris administration, would you encourage the president to accept this offer?
Baird: Let me start by saying that I’m a big believer in President Biden. As both a healer, and as an individual, he has gone through truly difficult times losing his family, re-building a life, and trying to heal his children after multiple losses. I think he’s the right president for what this country needs in terms of our hyper-partisanship. And so given that, I 100% understand President Biden’s desire to complete a bipartisan infrastructure bill. I think it’s important to the overall health of the country to be able to do something together.
Still, the skinny or narrow infrastructure bill that has been proposed does strip away a lot of smart grid and solar electrification projects, as well as some social stuff like senior care, elder care, child care. The Democrats want that stuff. Meanwhile, it’s clean energy, and some of this social service infrastructure funding that the Republicans want to pull out. There is bipartisan agreement on extending broadband across the country, and making sure that America’s competitive with China and other places so that any American kid can access the internet, and the genius of the American population can be unleashed because we all have internet as a baseline and digital access. So that’s good. That’s the good part of the skinny infrastructure bill.
I believe that there’s a cohort of Republican senators that want to do something on climate. It can’t be called climate. I talked to my Republican friends … I only have like one Republican friend, I talk to this one dude, all the time, about the fact that there is a small cohort of Republicans that could do something on solar, they could do something on batteries, they could do something on nuclear, they could do something on smart grid. The fact that our nation’s electricity grid and gas grid has been under attack by hackers … we saw all that stuff needs to be upgraded. And that’s cybersecurity infrastructure. And so I think there’s something to be done there. And I’d love to at least see the cybersecurity and smart grid aspect be included in a skinny infrastructure bill.
I’d take a narrow deal with cybersecurity for the nation’s electricity and gas grids as a part of that. As a business person, I can understand that if we digitize the nation’s electric and gas grid infrastructure, that new digital platform is going to provide enough data and computerization to allow us to do a lot of the solar and other kinds of green energy stuff that we need. Having a digital foundation for the country’s energy system as a whole would be a huge improvement. I would take a narrow infrastructure deal and live to fight another day on climate and maybe just pass a separate small climate bill through reconciliation. And then you’ve got to let the private sector do its thing.
CNBC: Over the last year or so, venture capitalists and investors alike have made a lot of promises to reckon with diversity at their firms and among their portfolio companies. As a Black founder, do you feel as if any substantial progress has been made when it comes to greater investment in, and representation of, founders of color?
Baird: No, not in venture capital. I don’t. However, I think that in corporate America — certainly the leaders of corporate America — particularly in the tech industry, we are seeing real substantive conversations about diversity. And more importantly, not just conversations, but strategic investments.
With regard to Silicon Valley VCs or Silicon Alley VCs in New York, or even across other parts of the country, no. You have the same superstar, legendary investors. Kapor Capital [a BlocPower investor] was investing in Black and Latinx founders before George Floyd. They were investing in women founders before George Floyd. Andreessen Horowitz, as much as the press loves to give them a hard time about what they do or don’t do, they invested in us in 2014, long before before George Floyd. And they invested again in 2019, long before George Floyd.
I talked to these folks every week, and it’s a significant source of mentorship and guidance for my personal growth. And, by the way, they never share the fact that they talk to me every week, and give me specific feedback on how to grow my company. Kapor Capital doesn’t talk about it. Andreessen Horowitz doesn’t talk about it, but they invest significantly, kind of off the books and outside of the public eye. They were doing it before and they’re going to continue to do it after.
So, the folks who have already figured out a lot of the racial stuff doubled down — they tripled down — in Silicon Valley. Other folks, I think, are still trying. They’re interested, they want to do better, they want to do more, but they don’t quite have a plan to square traditional pattern matching. As a VC, how do you square that with the need to invest in a new cohort of founders that don’t resemble the patterns that you’re comfortable with, and don’t resemble the patterns that you think are going to make money? Deep down in your heart, if you don’t think someone’s going to go off and make you a bunch of money, it’s really hard to make that investment.
I am hopeful. I think like five years from now, VC will be in a better place. But now, there’s been no substantive difference, other than the hype and public conversation around trying to do better, which is still progress.
CNBC: Is BlocPower at the point where it’s thinking about life as a publicly traded company?
Baird: I don’t think we’re quite big enough right now, but maybe 10 months from now. We’re looking at it. We want to grow fast and grow big and we’d look at something like a SPAC the same way we’d look at an IPO: ‘Are we ready to do it?’
We’re firm believers in providing retail investors access to our platform. I know a lot of times VCs think that’s a negative signal, but fundamentally, as a former community organizer, I believe in having regular Americans participate in our company. And if things go well, those people are going to own the upside, because we want to be BlocPower by the people, for the people. We believe in that kind of stuff.
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Environment
Heybike Hauler cargo e-bike hits $999 low ($500 off), EcoFlow DELTA Pro with transfer switch at $1,709 low + other units, Worx, more
Published
51 mins agoon
July 7, 2025By
admin

It’s the calm before the storm as everyone prepares for Amazon’s Prime Day Sale event starting tomorrow morning (July 8), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still solid Green Deals coming in today. Leading the pack is Heybike’s Hauler Cargo e-bike that is back down at its $999 low for the second time. Right behind it is EcoFlow’s final early Prime Day flash sale on three units, with the DELTA Pro Portable Power Station bundle coming back around at a $1,709 low that also gives you a free transfer switch and RAPID 5,000mAh power bank, as well as savings on DELTA 3 and WAVE 3 bundles from $529. We also have Worx’s Nitro 20V 8-inch Cordless Pole Chainsaw at its best 2025 rate of $119, as well as EGO’s 56V 21-inch Cordless Electric Lawn Mower with a 5.0Ah battery and rapid charger at $365. Plus, there’s all the hangover Green Deals still seeing savings in our one-stop-shop July 4th hub in the links at the bottom of the page – with many of the savings ending tonight!
Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
Affordably carry cargo with Heybike’s single or dual-battery Hauler e-bike starting from a $999 low
As part of its Prime Day e-bike Sale, Heybike is offering its Hauler Cargo Single-Battery e-bike at $999 shipped, while the dual-battery counterpart is down at $1,399 shipped. You’d normally shell out $1,499 and $1,899 for these two setups at full price, though discounts regularly bring things down to $1,199 and $1,599, which we have seen go lower a few select times in 2025. Only once before have we seen these two low prices appear, back during the brand’s Memorial Day Sale, with you getting another chance at the $500 savings here today.
Heybike’s Hauler e-bike comes as an affordable means to transport precious cargo, with the 750W brushless geared hub motor peaking at up to 1,400W to tackle inclines and for better pick-up when you’ve got packages, groceries, and more on board. It can max out at 28 MPH speeds in states where it’s allowed, and comes with the two battery options that largely depend on how much travel time you need, with the solo-battery setup giving you up to 55 miles of pedal assisted support and the dual-battery setup increasing that travel range up to 85 miles.
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The Heybike Hauler e-bike boasts a 440-pound payload, as well as foldable running boards for when you want to bring a passenger along, not to mention the obvious integrated rear cargo rack that doubles as the seat. For the price right now, you’re also getting a solid lineup of features, including hydraulic front suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, puncture-protected tires, a Shimano 7-speed derailleur, an auto-on LED headlight, a brake-lighting integrated taillight, and an LCD screen for data and setting adjustments.
You can check out Heybike’s full lineup of Prime Day e-bike deals on the landing page here.

Get sectional backup support with EcoFlow’s DELTA Pro and transfer switch + free power bank at $1,709 low
It’s the final day of EcoFlow’s early Prime Day Sale, and the brand’s final flash sale is in full swing through the rest of the day. The flash savings here are taking up to 54% off three units – two power station bundles and a bundle for the brand’s newest AC/heater solution. Leading the sale is the DELTA Pro Portable Power Station that comes with a free transfer switch for $1,709.05 shipped, after using the code EFPDAFF5 at checkout for an additional 5% savings – plus, you’ll also be getting a free RAPID 5,000mAh power bank thrown in too. We’ve been seeing many different flash sales focusing on the DELTA Pro at this same rate during this sale, which usually carries a $3,699 MSRP, though it is regularly sitting around $1,999 from Amazon (currently $1,784 there). Not only are you getting another chance at the biggest savings and the best price here, but you’re doing so while also getting the means for sectional home backup support.
One of the best and most expansive of EcoFlow’s legacy models, the DELTA Pro power station is ready to cover your campsites, outdoor gatherings, and home backup emergencies with a 3,600Wh LiFePO4 capacity that you can expand as high as 25kWh with future investments. There are 14 port options here, through which the station provides up to a steady 3,600W output that can surge up to 7,200W to cover larger appliances. It comes with three primary means to recharge: plugged into a standard outlet, through your car’s auxiliary port, or by connecting up to a maximum 1,600W solar input. The included transfer switch gives you sectional backup support of up to six circuits in your home or on an RV, with it pre-wired for easier installation.
You can also pick up the brand’s DELTA 3 Portable Power Station with a free protective bag at $529 shipped, down from its usual $778 pricing. This is a smaller and more affordable backup option that has a 1,024Wh LiFePo4 capacity and can be expanded up to 5,120Wh with various expansion batteries from across the DELTA ecosystem. It provides 1,800W output, surging to 2,200W when needed, and has 13 total output ports to use for connections to devices and appliances. It also boasts an expanded list of recharging options, including through an AC outlet, with a max 500W solar input, through car charging, generator charging, or there’s the multi-charging option of AC and solar together.
The last of these offers gives you the latest WAVE 3 Portable AC and Heater with an add-on battery and a free bag at $899 shipped, coming down from $1,299. With the battery included here, you can get up to 8 hours of wireless cooling/heating in your tent, car, or anywhere else you’re settling down. The 1,800W output here can “drop temperatures by 15 degrees in 15 minutes,” while the 2,000W heating output hits similar speeds, “raising the temperature by 17 degrees in 15 minutes” – with it able to cover 120 to 180 square feet spaces. There’s even some cool smart control expansions here, including the PetCare mode that automatically starts cooling once temperatures reach 77 degrees, among others.
Be sure to check out EcoFlow’s full early Prime Day Sale lineup here before it ends later tonight.

Get 13.3 feet of reach with Worx’s telescoping Nitro 20V 8-inch cordless pole chainsaw at $119 annual low
Amazon is offering the best pricing of the last year on the Worx Nitro 20V 8-inch Cordless Pole Chainsaw at $119 shipped. Normally, you’d have to shell out $170 for this tool at full price, which we’ve seen discounts taking as low as $120 once over the last 12 months, with prices otherwise keeping above $129. While it has gone lower in past years, you’re looking at the best price we have tracked since summer 2024, giving you $51 in savings off its going rate.
You’ll have plenty of reach to trim high branches with this Worx Nitro pole chainsaw, especially with the telescoping pole allowing for tool-free extensions up to 13.3 feet – plus, it weighs in at just 8 pounds, making it easy to manage and operate, despite varying operator sizes. The 8-inch bar and chain has three different cutting angles (0 degrees, 15 degrees, and 30 degrees) it can be set to, with the automatic oiler keeping things lubricated and running smoothly as you work. What’s more, your comfort has been taken into account with the 180-degree rotating rear handle, allowing you to easily switch between vertical and horizontal cutting positions.

Bring home EGO’s 56V 21-inch cordless electric mower with a 5.0Ah battery and rapid charger at $365
Amazon is offering the EGO Power+ 56V 21-inch Cordless Electric Lawn Mower with 5.0Ah battery and rapid charger at $364.60 shipped. This package would normally go for $430 at full price, which we’ve mostly seen it keeping at over the last 12 months, with few large price cuts on the books in that timeframe. While we have seen it go as low as $309 in the past, over the last 12 months, the rate we’re seeing today has only been beaten out by a short-lived drop to $350 back in April, with it otherwise being the best price we’ve spotted this year thanks to the $65 markdown.
You’ll get a much more budget-friendly means to tackle lawn care with this 56V 21-inch model over EGO’s higher-end mowers, giving you the torque of a gas engine without the noise and fumes. With the included 5.0Ah battery, the brushless motor will get up to 45 continuous minutes of runtime, while the rapid charger can have it back to full at much faster rates than a standard charger. There are six cutting height levels to adjust between (from 1.5 to 4 inches), as well as the versatility to side discharge, mulch, or collect clippings into the two-bushel bag. Not only does it come with an IPX4 weather-resistance construction, but it starts up at the push of a button and folds to a more compact size for easier storage options.
Best Summer EV deals!
- Ford Bronco e-bike (use code PDSG5OFF): $4,000 (Reg. $4,500)
- Ford Mustang e-bike (use code PDSG5OFF): $3,500 (Reg. $4,000)
- Aventon Ramblas Electric Mountain Bike: $2,599 (Reg. $2,899)
- Heybike Hero Carbon Fiber All-Terrain 750W mid-drive e-bike: $2,599 (Reg. $3,099)
- Ride1Up Prodigy v2 Brose Mid-Drive Gates Belt CVT e-bike: $2,595 (Reg. $2,795)
- Velotric Nomad 2X Multi-Terrain Camo e-bike with $50 bundle: $2,499 (No price cut)
- Ride1Up Revv 1 DRT Off-Road Moped-Style e-bike: $2,495 (Reg. $2,595)
- Ride1Up Revv 1 Full Suspension Moped-Style e-bike: $2,395 (Reg. $2,595)
- Heybike Hero Carbon Fiber All-Terrain 1,000W rear-hub e-bike: $2,299 (Reg. $2,599)
- Ride1Up Prodigy v2 Brose Mid-Drive 9-Speed e-bike: $2,095 (Reg. $2,495)
- Velotric Nomad 2 All-Terrain e-bike with $120 bundle (new model): $1,999 (No price cut)
- Rad Power Radster Road Commuter e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Rad Power Radster Trail Off-Road e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 35Ah Cargo e-bike w/ up to $703 bundle: $1,999 (Reg. $2,702)
- Tenways AGO X All-Terrain e-bike with $307 bundle: $1,899 (Reg. $2,499)
- Velotric Breeze 1 Cruiser e-bike with $150 bundle (new model): $1,799 (No price cut)
- Aventon Pace 4 Smart Cruiser e-bike (new model, first discount): $1,699 (Reg. $1,799)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 26Ah Cargo e-bike w/ $554 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $2,253)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Long-Range Off-Road e-bike with $316 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $1,915)
- Aventon Abound Cargo e-bike: $1,599 (Reg. $1,999)
- Aventon Aventure 2 All-Terrain e-bike (2025 low): $1,599 (Reg. $1,999)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Standard Off-Road e-bike with $227 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,726)
- Tenways CGO600 Pro e-bikes with $118 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Velotric Nomad 1 Plus All-Terrain e-bike with $69 bundle : $1,399 (Reg. $1,899)
- Fold 1 Plus e-bike with $120 bundle (new model): $1,499 (No price cut)
- Lectric XP Trike with $405 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,904)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 13Ah Cargo e-bike with $326 bundle: $1,399 (Reg. $1,725)
- Aventon Level 2 Commuter e-bike (2025 low): $1,399 (Reg. $1,899)
- Ride1Up Roadster V3 Lightweight Premium e-bike: $1,395 (Reg. $1,495)
- Velotric T1 ST Plus e-bike with $82 bundle (2025 low): $1,299 (Reg. $1,649)
- Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes with $336 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,635)
- Lectric XP4 750 LR Folding Utility e-bikes with $356 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,655)
- Heybike Brawn Off-Road e-bike: $1,299 (Reg. $1,799)
- Velotric Discover 1 Plus Commuter e-bike with $83 bundle (2025 low): $1,199 (Reg. $1,699)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 JW Black LR e-bike with $414 bundle: $1,099 (Reg. $1,513)
- Ride1Up Portola Folding e-bike with BOGO accessory promo: $995 (Reg. $1,095)
- Lectric XP4 Standard Folding Utility e-bikes with $79 bundle: $999 (Reg. $1,078)
- Lectric XP 3.0 Long-Range e-bikes (clearance price cut): $999 (Reg. $1,199)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bikes with up to $414 bundles: $999 (Reg. $1,413)
- Heybike Hauler Single-Battery Cargo e-bike: $999 (Reg. $1,499)
- Rad Power RadExpand 5 Folding e-bike (new low): $999 (Reg. $1,599)
- Navee ST3 Pro Electric Scooter (new model): $760 (Reg. $1,014)
- Fold 1 Lite e-bike (new all-time low): $599 (Reg. $1,099)
- Navee GT3 Pro Electric Scooter (new model): $520 (Reg. $714)

Best new Green Deals landing this week
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.
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Environment
Arizona brings a huge grid battery online ahead of peak demand
Published
1 hour agoon
July 7, 2025By
admin

One of Arizona’s biggest grid battery storage projects is now online and helping power homes as the summer heat ramps up.
Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, just brought its 1,200 MWh Papago Storage facility in Maricopa County into commercial operation. The big grid battery is now supplying stored electricity to Arizona Public Service (APS), the state’s largest utility, in time for peak air-conditioning season.
Papago is the first of three Recurrent projects with APS. Together, they’ll provide 1,800 MWh of storage and 150 MW of solar power. That’s enough to run about 72,000 homes for four hours and provide year-round solar for another 24,000 homes.
“Summer is here, and we’re ready to serve APS customers with the energy they need when they need it,” said APS director of resource acquisition Derek Seaman.
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The Arizona Corporation Commission chair, Kevin Thompson, noted that bringing online one of Arizona’s largest battery storage projects during a critical time when energy demand is skyrocketing is a milestone.
Canadian Solar’s e-STORAGE arm built the project and will keep it running under a long-term agreement.
Recurrent CEO Ismael Guerrero said, “We’re proud to deliver flexible capacity that meets the state’s growing energy needs and grateful for APS’s continued partnership.”

If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*
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Environment
The Porsche Cayenne EV flexes its power towing 3-tons in public
Published
1 hour agoon
July 7, 2025By
admin

Porsche promises the new electric SUV will “set new standards,” and it’s already proving it. Ahead of its upcoming launch, the Porsche Cayenne EV proved its might by towing a 100-year-old classic car and trailer weighing around 3 tons in public.
Porsche Cayenne EV flexes its performance in public
The Porsche Cayenne EV is already smashing records, and it’s not even out yet. Last month, a prototype beat every gas-powered SUV, setting a new SUV record at the Shelsley Walsh hill climb by more than four seconds.
Now, it’s at it again. Porsche showcased a near-production-ready Cayenne EV prototype in England for the first time as part of a public film shoot.
The camouflaged Cayenne EV showcased its impressive power by towing a 100-year-old classic car weighing over 2 tons. Including the trailer, the total weight was around 3 tons.
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British TV presenter Richard Hammond took the Cayenne EV from his workshop in Hereford to his garage, towing the classic car behind.
According to Hammond, the electric SUV “handled it effortlessly,” adding, “We were trailing significant weight behind us, but you wouldn’t know it.”

Porsche designed the Cayenne EV and its high-voltage system, “to be one of the first BEVs in the world to achieve a towing capacity of up to 3.5 tonnes.” Depending on the configuration, it will be just as capable, if not more, than the current combustion-engine Cayenne.
As Michael Schätzle, Vice President of the Product Line Cayenne, explained, “That’s why we didn’t want to make any compromises in the development of the all-electric model.”

The Porsche Cayenne EV was initially set to launch this year, but it’s now expected to debut in production form later this year as a 2026 model. A “conspicuously camouflaged prototype” will be on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from July 10 to July 13.
More information, including prices and specifications, will be revealed closer to launch. However, we do know that it will be based on the PPE platform, the same one underpinning the Macan EV and the Audi Q6 e-Tron.
The Macan EV has an EPA-estimated range of 308 miles. On the European WLTP scale, it’s rated at 613 km (381 miles). However, Porsche said the platform will receive “comprehensive upgrades” for the Cayenne.
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