Danish offshore wind giant Ørsted just put up a $100 million guarantee that it will have New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm, Ocean Wind 1, online by December 2025.
If the project isn’t online by the deadlines agreed to by Ørsted and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the company will have to forfeit the $100 million it’s put in an escrow account.
The project is to reach commercial operation in stages by May 1, September 1, and December 1, 2024. However, December 2025 is when it has to be fully operational, and that’s the money forfeit cutoff date. And the state’s side of the bargain is that if Ørsted doesn’t get all the government permits it needs to build Ocean Wind 1, then the wind developer gets its $100 million back.
Ørsted made the guarantee as part of the requirements included in a law that Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ) signed in July that allows Ørsted to keep federal tax credits that it otherwise would have had to return to ratepayers.
Ørsted has faced obstacles of higher interest rates, supply chain bottlenecks, and a plea for more tax credits from the federal government that has so far fallen on deaf ears. It’s also had to deal with Republican opposition in Cape May that’s based on lies about the project’s environmental impact on wildlife.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management published Ocean Wind 1’s Final Environmental Impact Statement on May 26, and it found that the project’s plans are responsible and prioritize the preservation of natural resources, wildlife, and other important environmental considerations.
The 1.1 gigawatt (GW) Ocean Wind 1, which is owned solely by Danish wind giant Ørsted, will feature up to 98 GE Haliade X 12 megawatt (MW) turbines, and it will be capable of powering around 380,000 households. It will be located 15 miles southeast of Atlantic City. Construction begins this week on cable installation that will connect Ocean Wind 1 with its substations and the grid.
New Jersey has set a goal of achieving 7.5 GW of offshore wind energy by 2035.
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With revenue tumbling almost as fast as market share, Tesla stock is taking a pounding – exactly like CEO Elon Musk predicted! We’ve also got FSD rolling out in China, a German automation acquisition, and more on today’s red candlestick edition of Quick Charge!
We’ve also got some clarifying news at Mercedes-Benz, which is set to ditch its confusing EQ-based model alphanumerics and (God willing) their suppository-based styling language, too. Plus, Rivian launches a new upfit service to make it easier for fleet managers to order ready-to-work EVs, Ram ProMaster EV lives up to its promises with more options and a lower price tag, and a big solar deal goes down.
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.
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Lennox Residential HVAC has launched an extreme cold climate heat pump that warms a house with low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant in temperatures as low as -20F.
In 2022, Lennox was the first company to complete the first phase of the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump (CCHP) Technology Challenge, and the SL22KLV is a souped up version of the unit developed for that challenge.
The heat pump, which pairs with a smart thermostat, uses a variable-speed compressor with Electronic Refrigerant Injection (ERI) to adjust the energy usage based on the outside temperature, which helps to lower energy costs. When the temperature drops, the ERI increases heating output efficiently.
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The SL22KLV has efficiency ratings of up to 21.10 for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio 2 (SEER2), 13.2 for Energy Efficiency Ratio 2 (EER2), and 10.50 for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor 2 (HSPF2). It also features a precision-balanced, direct-drive fan and sound-dampening system for ultra-quiet operation as low as 58 decibels.
The heating capacity is between 21,600 Btuh and 60,000 Btuh, and the cooling capacity is between 22,000 Btuh and 56,000 Btuh.
Lennox’s new extreme cold heat pump uses the low global warming potential R-454B refrigerant, reducing environmental impact without compromising performance. It’s also eligible for the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, a federal IRA tax credit for homeowners (and it’s still in place). There may also be other local utility and state incentives for installing a heat pump, so it’s definitely worth checking. It’s now available for order through local Lennox dealers.
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EV startup Lucid Motors (LCID) released its fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday, beating estimates with big expectations for 2025. Lucid said it expects to produce about 20,000 EVs this year with the output of its first electric SUV, the Gravity, ramping up.
Q4 2024 earnings preview
After four straight record quarters, Lucid delivered 10,241 vehicles last year. That’s up 70% from the roughly 6,000 EVs Lucid delivered in 2023.
In the final three months of 2024, the company delivered 3,099 vehicles alone, nearly 80% more than the year prior. Lucid also hit its production target for the year with 9,029 EVs built at its Casa Grande, Arizona manufacturing plant.
After launching its first electric SUV, the Gravity, in December, the EV maker expects output to pick up this year.
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The higher volume helped Lucid generate $200 million in revenue in the third quarter, but its net loss also widened to $992.5 million compared to $630.9 million in Q3 2023.
Like most, Lucid has introduced significant discounts and incentives with up to $15,000 in savings on select Air models.
Q4 2022
Q1 2023
Q2 2023
Q3 2023
Full-year 2023
Q4 2023
Q1 2024
Q2 2024
Q3 2024
Q4 2024
Full-year 2024
Lucid EV deliveries by quarter
1,932
1,406
1,404
1,457
6,001
1,734
1,967
2,394
2,781
3,099
10,241
Lucid (LCID) EV deliveries by quarter through 2023 to 2024
Wall St is estimating Lucid will post Q4 revenue of $214 million, up from $157.2 million in Q4 2023, with an eps loss of 0.25.
Lucid aims to double EV production in 2025
Lucid reported Q4 revenue of $234.5 million, up nearly 50% from the prior year and beating Wall St estimates. For the full year, the company generated $807.8 million, up from $595.2 million in 2023.
Lucid Q4 2024 revenue: $234.5 million vs $214 million expected
Lucid Q4 2024 EPS: (-$0.22) vs (-$0.25) expected
The company also improved gross margins by 72pts to (-89%). Despite the higher output, Lucid’s operating loss narrowed to $732.95 million in Q4, down from $736.87 million a year prior.
Lucid ended the quarter with about $6.13 billion in liquidity, which the EV maker said will be sufficient into the second half of 2026 when it plans to launch its midsize platform.
Lucid Q4 2024 earnings (Source: Lucid Motors)
CEO Peter Rawlinson said earlier this month that the midsize platform is “finally when we compete directly with Tesla.” The first two models are expected to be an electric SUV and sedan starting at around $50,000, aimed at Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y.
Interim CFO Gagan Dhingra said, “We made substantial progress in improving our gross margins, managing our operating expenses while balancing strategic growth investments, and strengthening our balance sheet with the support of the Public Investment Fund (PIF).”
(Source: Lucid Motors)
Lucid expects to produce around 20,000 vehicles in 2025, more than double the just over 9,000 EVs it built last year.
The company said it will “continue to prudently manage and adjust production to meet sales and delivery needs” this year.
Lucid Gravity electric SUV at a Tesla Supercharger (Source: Lucid Motors)
Lucid’s upbeat guidance comes after Rivian (RIVN) announced during its Q4 earnings last week that it expected slightly fewer deliveries this year. Rivian said the lower guidance was due to “external factors,” including changes in government policies and regulations.
The company also announced several management changes. COO Mark Winterhoff will serve as interim CEO, while Peter Rawlinson will become a Strategic Technical Advisor on the board. Meanwhile, Taoufiq Boussaid has been appointed CFO.
Lucid’s stock climbed over 8% after beating fourth quarter estimates and raising EV output guidance for 2025. Check back for updates from Lucid’s earnings call. We will post updates from the call below.
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