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The City of Arvin serving almost 21,000 residents and Veolia unveiled a new solar energy installation that powers the city’s wastewater treatment plant, eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and providing significant financial and environmental benefits to the community.
The 1-megawatt solar array is projected to eliminate 360 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually — equivalent to taking 80 cars off the road. Over 30 years, the project is expected to save Arvin taxpayers more than $17 million, making it a model for sustainable infrastructure investment. The energy generated will provide approximately 90% of the wastewater plants' annual needs.
Veolia has operated and maintained the City of Arvin’s wastewater treatment plant for more than a decade. This solar project, part of Veolia’s GreenUp strategy, is financed through a combination of low-interest municipal financing and the federal Inflation Reduction Act, demonstrating the power of public-private partnerships in advancing clean energy goals.
Mayor of Arvin, Olivia Calderon said, “This project demonstrates Arvin’s leadership in building a sustainable and resilient community. By investing in renewable energy, we are not only protecting our environment but also ensuring long-term savings for our residents.”
Veolia's Senior Vice President of Energy Transition, Will Darmouni, added, “Through close collaboration with the City of Arvin, we have delivered an integrated energy and water solution that will serve as a blueprint for cities across California and beyond. This project shows how clean energy investments in water infrastructure can drive real progress in decarbonization while delivering tangible economic benefits.”
As part of The City of Arvin’s climate action plan to achieve 100% renewable energy for municipal use by 2040, the city continues to lead in sustainability pioneering an all-electric city bus fleet. The decarbonized wastewater treatment plant marks the latest achievement in the city’s ongoing effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and safeguard public health. As a small community, Arvin also aimed to improve operational resilience while advancing environmental goals and reducing its carbon footprint.
The City of Arvin and Veolia, together with local stakeholders, are proud to celebrate this milestone and set a new standard for clean, resilient municipal infrastructure.
Veolia | www.veolianorthamerica.com
Clean energy leader BLUETTI expanded its ecosystem portfolio with the global pre-launch of FridgePower, an ultra-slim home battery backup solution designed specifically for refrigerators. By addressing the most immediate concerns during outages—keeping food fresh and temperature-sensitive medications safe—FridgePower represents a more thoughtful direction for home backup, centered on plug-and-play simplicity, high efficiency, and its space-saving, slim profile.
Ultra-Slim Design for Kitchens, Apartments, and Small Spaces
Solving the space constraints of urban apartments and modern kitchens, FridgePower features a breakthrough ultra-thin profile. Measuring just 7.5 cm (2.95 inches) thick, it can be neatly positioned alongside or on top of a refrigerator, or within the narrow gap between the appliance and the wall—fitting naturally into existing kitchen layouts. Whether wall-mounted or positioned vertically, its minimalist, fume-free, and quiet design blends into modern interiors. This flexibility makes power backup a seamless part of everyday living, ideally suited for rentals, condos, and more.
Plug-and-Play Simplicity with Robust Performance
Eliminating the headache of professional installation, FridgePower requires no complex rewiring or expensive electricians. As a true plug-and-play solution for homeowners, its 2,016Wh capacity and 1,800W output provide over 21 hours of runtime for a standard refrigerator. For those seeking extended resilience, its modular design scales up to 8kWh with three BlueCell 200 expansion batteries, providing multi-day security during prolonged outages. To handle the heavy-duty loads, its 3,000W Power Lifting Mode ensures that high-demand compressors and residential sump pumps kick in without a hitch.
Efficiency Meets Decade-Long Durability
With an AC idle draw of just 3W, FridgePower stands as one of the most efficient home battery backup solutions available. This 70% reduction in energy overhead saves up to 624Wh daily, effectively providing a small refrigerator with an extra half-day of operation. In a prolonged blackout, this minimizes energy waste, ensuring that precious battery capacity is preserved for keeping essential food and medicine safe for longer.
Built with premium EV-grade LiFePO₄ battery cells, FridgePower is a smart long term investment. Its exceptional safety and durability offer a lifespan of over 10 years even under daily use, providing decade long peace of mind and consistent energy savings.
UPS Protection and Smart Home Integration
With a UPS switchover time of under 10 milliseconds, FridgePower instantly detects outages and shifts to battery power, preventing sudden shutdowns. Acting as a bridge during power loss, it helps protect perishable foods such as raw meat, seafood, and dairy, as well as temperature-sensitive medications like insulin. It is also critical for must-run electronics including Wi-Fi routers, and aquarium oxygen pumps.
On the smart home side, FridgePower works with major platforms including Alexa, Google Home, and Home Assistant for personalized energy management. Beyond this universal compatibility, the BLUETTI App lets users take a proactive, data-driven approach to home safety and efficiency. Features like Extreme Weather Alerts monitor local forecasts and automatically trigger a full recharge ahead of severe weather, ensuring the home is prepared before a storm arrives. Key performance data and instant notifications are also available via the optional Display 1 Magnetic Screen for immediate visibility.
Early Access and Availability
BLUETTI FridgePower is production-ready and has officially entered its global pre launch phase, with a Kickstarter campaign debuting soon. Early supporters who register now can unlock exclusive early-access benefits and stay updated ahead of the official campaign launch. This is the ideal window for homeowners to save significantly while preparing for the upcoming summer peak and hurricane season.
BLUETTI | https://www.bluettipower.com/
Natural Power, a leading renewable energy consultancy and service provider, has acted as technical adviser to investment manager Downing on the acquisition of the 42.5 MW Higher Witheven solar project in Cornwall.
Fabrice Mazeau, Senior Technical Advisor at Natural Power, said: “The transaction marks a significant addition to Downing’s growing solar ready-to-build portfolio, and we were pleased to be able to support the team with a thorough and independent assessment of the project’s technical, environmental and commercial assumptions, ensuring risks were clearly understood, and performance expectations were robust ahead of investment.
Solar remains a cornerstone of the UK’s energy transition, and rigorous due diligence at the acquisition stage is critical to securing long-term asset value and reliable renewable generation - reinforcing investor confidence in well-structured UK solar developments.”
Sean Moore, Senior Investment Director at Downing, added: “The support of Natural Power was very important to the Higher Witheven project and played a key role in the acquisition which is part of our long-term investment strategy backing the UK’s energy transition.”
Natural Power provided comprehensive technical due diligence services to support the acquisition. The scope of work included a detailed review of land lease arrangements, planning and environmental consents, and grid connection agreements. The team also undertook a desktop technical assessment of the site, which was completed by an independent site inspection to assess access, terrain, ground conditions and potential development constraints. In addition, Natural Power carried out an independent pre-construction energy yield assessment to validate the project’s anticipated generation profile and expected performance. This was supported by a full operational expenditure (OpEx) analysis to evaluate long-term cost assumptions and identify potential risks and opportunities that could impact the asset’s future operational performance and financial viability.
This robust, end-to-end technical review provided Downing with confidence in the project’s technical foundations ahead of construction.
Higher Witheven is located in Launceston, Cornwall, and has a 42.5 MW capacity, with grid connection and project completion expected in Q4 2027. The project has been designed with a strong focus on environmental stewardship, incorporating biodiversity enhancements and a landscape-led approach alongside renewable power generation.
Natural Power continues to support developers, investors and lenders across Europe in delivering high-quality, investment-ready renewable energy projects that accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future. Find out more about its work in the solar industry here: Solar Power Expertise | Solar Energy Services | Natural Power
Natural Power | www.naturalpower.com
Downing | https://institutional.downing.co.uk/renewable-energy
SolarKal, the leading solar advisory and marketplace for commercial real estate, marks its 10th anniversary with the launch of its battery energy storage systems (BESS) advisory and procurement service.
Attractive early incentives in key states, the lowest equipment costs in history, and continued federal tax support for stand-alone storage create optimal conditions for BESS success in commercial real estate.
“This is a natural progression of our company’s growth,” Founder & CEO Yaniv Kalish said. “We’ve spent the last decade helping owners make sense of solar. Now we’re seeing the same confusion around batteries. Everyone is hearing about the opportunities, but few know how to act on them.”
SolarKal is uniquely positioned to help real estate owners capture the energy storage opportunity. That’s why our 10th anniversary theme is: “Trusted for a Decade. Chosen for What’s Next.”
Born to Solve Going back to the company’s roots, SolarKal was born to solve a problem: helping property owners navigate a flood of solar proposals that were nearly impossible to compare, each with different assumptions, structures, and promises.
“Then an owner finally said something that stuck with me,” Kalish recalls. “I just want someone on my side.” That insight became the foundation of SolarKal’s model: representing the owner, not the developer.
SolarKal was officially founded in 2016. The name “kal” comes from the Hebrew word for “easy” and also reflects the first three letters of Yaniv’s last name, capturing the company’s mission to make solar simple for real estate owners.
Today, that same philosophy extends to storage, making batteries just as accessible. So, we can think of the new product as BatteryKal – batteries made easy.
As SolarKal enters its second decade, the company continues to expand its role as a trusted advisor, helping commercial real estate owners navigate an increasingly complex energy landscape with confidence.
SolarKal | https://www.solarkal.com/
Greenskies Clean Focus (“Greenskies”), a national leader in commercial renewable energy development, announced that Vijay Singh has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Singh recently joined the company and is leading strategy and operations as Greenskies builds on a record year of growth and execution.
Greenskies delivered 82 projects nationwide in its most recent year, reflecting the company’s operational discipline, strong project pipeline, and long-term ownership model. With a national commercial and industrial (C&I) footprint and a fully integrated development and operational platform, Greenskies continues to scale while maintaining rigorous execution standards.
Singh brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in renewable energy and energy storage, with deep expertise in corporate strategy, finance, business development, project finance, and asset management. Over the course of his career, he launched and scaled NextEra Energy’s energy storage platform into a multi-billion-dollar business and led PPL Corp.’s unregulated renewables business, including its C&I platform, Safari Energy.
“Greenskies has built a strong foundation rooted in disciplined development, operational excellence, and long-term ownership,” said Vijay Singh, CEO of Greenskies Clean Focus. “The C&I solar market continues to present meaningful opportunities as organizations seek cost-effective, resilient energy solutions. Our focus remains on executing high-quality projects, maintaining financial discipline, and delivering reliable outcomes for our partners.”
“Greenskies has established itself as a disciplined operator with a strong national presence, and Vijay is the right leader to accelerate our momentum,” said Sarah Wright, Hull Street Energy Founder and Managing Partner. “Given his track record of building and scaling renewable platforms, we are confident in his ability to drive our next phase of growth, deliver strategic value for our customers, and deepen our social impact.”
“Greenskies benefits from a seasoned executive leadership team and a long-term ownership model that supports sustainable growth,” said Andrew Kim, Managing Director of JLC Infrastructure. “We believe the company is well-positioned to navigate evolving market and policy conditions while continuing to expand its commercial and industrial solar platform.”
Under Singh’s leadership, Greenskies will continue to expand its national portfolio of solar and energy storage assets, reinforcing its position as a trusted partner to large corporations and commercial real estate owners seeking long-term energy solutions.
Greenskies Clean Focus | www.greenskies.com
JLC Infrastructure | www.jlcinfra.com
Hull Street Energy | www.hullstreetenergy.com
DNV, the independent energy expert and assurance provider, has acted as market consultant to Grenergy Renovables, supporting the company in securing project financing for its Central Oasis portfolio in Chile. The transaction covers 398 MW of solar photovoltaic capacity, alongside 1.4 GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) located in the Maule and Bíobío regions.
The financing, arranged with leading international financial institutions including BNP Paribas as coordinating bank, along with Santander and Rabobank, marks a significant step in Chile’s accelerated energy transition. As the country pursues its legally-binding target of carbon neutrality by 2050 and advances the decommissioning of coal-fired power plants, large-scale hybridization of solar generation with energy storage has emerged as a critical enabler. By storing surplus solar energy and dispatching it during periods of low irradiation or high grid demand, projects like Central Oasis reduce curtailment, enhance grid stability, and displace thermal generation.
Chile’s renewable ambitions are among the most ambitious in Latin America. The national energy policy aims for 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and a fully decarbonized matrix by 2050. However, the integration of variable renewable energy at scale requires firm capacity. Battery storage is now rapidly scaling to meet this need, with the country expected to deploy several gigawatts of storage capacity over the coming decade. The Central Oasis portfolio represents a strategic addition to this build-out, located in the central grid where demand is concentrated.
DNV was engaged to provide comprehensive market consultancy and technical advisory services to support the financing process. The scope included market due diligence to evaluate project feasibility, detailed review of power purchase agreements, and independent auditing of the expected operational strategy for the BESS assets. DNV’s analysis assessed the plant’s ability to meet Chilean regulatory requirements and PPA obligations through optimized dispatch, revenue stacking, and capacity income forecasting. Tailored scenarios were developed to support lenders in understanding long-term market risks and revenue certainty.
“Hybrid renewable projects combining solar and large-scale storage are essential to completing Chile’s coal phase-out and ensuring a reliable, low-cost power system,” said Brice Le Gallo, Vice-president and regional director for Southern Europe, MEA & LATAM, Energy Systems at DNV. “Our role was to provide the market clarity that lenders require to finance these complex assets with confidence. This project demonstrates that bankable, utility-scale storage is no longer a future concept: it is happening now in Chile.”
By enabling the financing of this portfolio, DNV supports not only its customer’s growth strategy but also Chile’s broader energy transition objectives. Projects like Central Oasis illustrate how storage is transforming solar from an intermittent resource into a dispatchable, firm capacity contributor – an evolution that will be replicated across renewable grids worldwide.
DNV | www.dnv.com
Energy utility companies face increasing pressure as rising demand, infrastructure investment needs, cybersecurity concerns, clean energy transition efforts, and affordability challenges converge at a time when higher customer expectations outpace satisfaction levels.
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Energy Utilities Study 2026, overall customer satisfaction drops 1% to a score of 73 (on a scale of 0 to 100). Satisfaction declines modestly for most utility categories, including electric investor-owned utilities (down 1% to 72), gas investor-owned utilities (down 1% to 74), and municipal utilities (down 1% to 74). Cooperative utilities, coincidentally, see member satisfaction rebound from the year before, inching up 1% to an ACSI score of 77.
Beneath these topline numbers, affordability is emerging as the dominant pressure point. Rising customer complaint rates and open-ended feedback point to growing sensitivity around cost — even as traditional price and value metrics remain relatively stable. The tension suggests that customers’ lived experience of energy costs may be outpacing what headline satisfaction scores capture.
“The cost story in this data isn’t showing up where you’d expect. It’s emerging in complaints and in what customers are telling us in their own words,” said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “Digital touchpoints like mobile apps and websites continue to perform well, but those have become baseline expectations. The real signal is that pressure is building around affordability and perceived value, and utilities will need to address that head-on.”
Results suggest that customers’ experiences with energy efficiency programs are increasingly shaping satisfaction outcomes, and participation doesn’t always translate into higher satisfaction across all utility types. This points to a potential expectation gap that warrants attention.
For a second year, the study provides a more nuanced view of residential customer satisfaction through regional results, enabling more meaningful comparisons among utilities operating in similar conditions. Additionally, for the first time, the study includes separate rankings for investor-owned utilities based on customer ratings for the electric service or natural gas service they receive.
Other key takeaways from the study include:
The ACSI Energy Utilities Study 2026 is based on 33,759 completed surveys. Customers were chosen at random and contacted via email between January and December 2025. Download the full study and follow the ACSI on LinkedIn and X at @theACSI.
ACSI | https://theacsi.org/
Alternative Energies Mar 20, 2026
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