Drafting vs. Engineering: Choosing the right partner for commercial projects

Kicking off Climate Week, climate leaders will gather in New York City on September 21, 2025, for a major press conference marking Sun Day, a national day of action celebrating clean energy. This NYC event represents the culmination of hundreds of Sun Day events happening across the country, with communities from coast to coast demonstrating the power and promise of renewable energy.

Sun Day and Third Act founder Bill McKibben will be joined by New York Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), Assembly Member Emily Gallagher and local leaders to demand accelerated action on clean energy at all levels of government. The press conference will showcase how solar and wind power can meet our energy needs without the creation of dangerous pollution, while calling for bold leadership to speed the clean energy transition.

Grammy-nominated artist and Sun Day Ambassador Antonique Smith will open the press conference with a performance of "Here Comes the Sun."

WHEN: Sunday, September 21, 2025, 3:30 PM ET

WHERE: Stuyvesant Square Park, New York, NY

WHO:

• Bill McKibben, Sun Day and Third Act Founder and Co-Founder of 350.org
• Senator Peter Welch, D-Vermont
• Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado, New York
• Reverend Lennox Yearwood, President and CEO of Hip-Hop Caucus 
• Emily Gallagher, NYC Assembly Member (District 50)
• Opening Performance: Antonique Smith, Grammy-nominated artist and Sun Day Ambassador

The press conference anchors Sun Day NYC, a solar festival co-hosted by Third Act NYC, Solar One, Climate Families NYC, 350 NYC, and coalition partners. Additional programming includes panel discussions at the Fifteenth Street Friends Meeting House moderated by WNYC's Kai Wright; an all-day solar festival at Stuyvesant Square Park featuring renewable energy displays, kids' activities, and family entertainment; and a closing performance by Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir:

2:00-3:30 PM: Panel discussions at Fifteenth Street Friends Meeting House, moderated by WNYC's Kai Wright, featuring Bill McKibben, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, and City Councilmember Sandy Nurse

All Day: Solar festival at Stuyvesant Square Park with renewable energy displays, kids' activities, information booths, and family music by Esther Crow

5:00 PM: Performance by Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir (fresh off their tour opening for Neil Young)

As Climate Week NYC begins, Sun Day mobilizes communities nationwide to demonstrate that solar and wind can power our world without pollution. From small-town solar fairs to major urban demonstrations, Americans are uniting to demand rapid renewable energy deployment. The NYC press conference will amplify these nationwide voices, delivering a unified message to federal leaders as Climate Week NYC begins.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to [email protected].

Sun Day NYC | https://www.sunday.earth/

Renon Power, a leading innovator in advanced Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), proudly announces the official Construction Kick-Off Ceremony for its inaugural American assembly facility in McKinney, Texas. This landmark event marks a pivotal step in expanding Renon’s U.S. manufacturing footprint and strengthening its commitment to serve customers and partners with safe, high-quality energy storage solutions built on American soil.

The ceremony will take place on Friday, September 19, 2025, at 580 McIntyre Rd., McKinney, TX, bringing together city leaders, economic development experts, key customers, industry partners, and Renon Power executives to celebrate the next chapter in clean energy manufacturing.

“This new facility exemplifies Renon Power’s commitment to investing in domestic manufacturing, supporting local communities, and enabling sustainable energy solutions for the future,” said Paul Buckwalter, Founder of Renon Power USA. “We are honored to celebrate this milestone alongside our valued partners, customers, and public officials.”

The McKinney assembly plant will be critical in Renon Power’s strategy to accelerate market penetration and support product deployment across North America, including production ramp-up for UL-certified energy storage solutions. Activation of both residential and commercial production lines is targeted for Q1 2026.

Renon Power North America | https://renon-usa.com/

This study presents a breakthrough in sustainable hydrogen production from seawater using chloride-resistant Ru nanocatalysts for direct electrolysis. The crystalline/amorphous Ru heterostructure exhibits 37× higher activity than commercial Pt catalysts in alkaline water electrolysis, enabling cost-effective hydrogen generation. By harnessing abundant oceanic resources, this approach enhances energy security, reduces fossil fuel dependence, accelerates decarbonization across various sectors, and paves the way for scalable, sustainable hydrogen infrastructure.

The growing global demand for clean energy and rising concerns over climate change have intensified the search for sustainable alternatives. Hydrogen emerges as a promising solution due to its high energy density and zero-carbon emissions. Among production methods, alkaline water electrolysis is efficient and environmentally friendly; however, its dependence on freshwater limits large-scale implementation. Seawater electrolysis offers a practical alternative by tapping Earth’s abundant water resources but contains high chloride concentrations that accelerate catalyst corrosion and reduce efficiency, posing a significant challenge for sustainable hydrogen generation.

To address this problem, a researcher team led by Assistant Professor Haeseong Jang, Department of Advanced Materials Engineering, Chung-Ang University, and Professor Xien Liu, Department of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, aimed to develop a robust and cost-effective electrocatalyst capable of high-performance hydrogen evolution in saline environments. Dr. Jang shares the motivation behind this study, “Alkaline water electrolysis, though economically attractive due to the use of inexpensive non-precious metal catalysts, faces significant challenges, including slow hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics and corrosion problems in real-world environments that hinder commercialization. Our research is driven by the mission to develop economically viable and stable clean hydrogen production technology to overcome these critical barriers.” The findings of their study were made available online in Advanced Functional Materials on August 7, 2025. 

The team designed a ruthenium (Ru)-based catalyst that balances activity, stability, and chloride-corrosion resistance, overcoming limitations of conventional platinum or Ru catalysts in alkaline and seawater electrolysis. They employed a g-C₃N₄-mediated pyrolysis strategy to synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon-supported Ru nanoclusters with a crystalline–amorphous heterostructure (a/c-Ru@NC). g-C₃N₄ serves as both a nitrogen source and a scaffold that anchors Ru³⁺ ions through N-coordination sites. During pyrolysis, reductive gases released from g-C₃N₄ reduce Ru³⁺ in situ to metallic Ru nanoparticles, while Ru–N bonding disrupts atomic order in the core, forming an amorphous Ru phase. Surface Ru atoms simultaneously crystallize, producing a stable crystalline–amorphous junction. This architecture ensures ultrafine Ru dispersion (~2.27 nm), electron-deficient active sites, and compressive lattice strain.

Electrochemical testing demonstrated outstanding HER performance. In 1.0 M KOH, a/c-Ru@NC exhibited an overpotential of just 15 mV at 10 mA cm⁻². Durability was confirmed with stable operation over 250 hours. Crucially, the catalyst exhibited exceptional chloride corrosion resistance with only 8 mV performance degradation and stable operation over 100 hours in simulated seawater, outperforming commercial Pt/C and Ru/C.

The study highlights several advantages. The crystalline–amorphous heterostructure synergistically combines abundant active sites with optimized electron transport. The nitrogen-doped carbon support prevents Ru oxidation and agglomeration. The overall design provides exceptional chloride-corrosion resistance. Together, these features enable cost-effective, scalable hydrogen production directly from seawater. This approach reduces reliance on freshwater and fossil fuels while supporting decarbonization across energy-intensive sectors.

Prof. Liu emphasizes, “Our breakthrough enables seawater electrolysis for direct hydrogen production from seawater using chloride-resistant catalysts, opening up vast oceanic resources for clean energy generation.” He adds, “The enhanced alkaline water electrolysis systems demonstrate remarkable economic viability with 37-fold higher mass activity compared to commercial Pt catalysts, making hydrogen production significantly more cost-effective.”

In conclusion, this work establishes a g-C₃N₄-mediated heterostructuring strategy that simultaneously addresses activity, stability, and corrosion challenges in Ru-based electrocatalysts. Dr. Jang notes, “Our technology will accelerate climate change mitigation efforts by enabling rapid decarbonization of transportation, industrial, and power generation sectors. The environmental improvements include significant reductions in air pollution and the establishment of comprehensive sustainable energy infrastructure.” By enabling efficient and durable seawater electrolysis, this study provides a blueprint for sustainable hydrogen generation from abundant oceanic resources, paving the way for large-scale, green hydrogen infrastructure.

Qingdao University of Science and Technology | https://en.qust.edu.cn/

Chung-Ang University | https://neweng.cau.ac.kr/index.do

Reference

Title of original paper: g-C3N4-Mediated Synthesis of Ru Crystalline/Amorphous

Heterostructures on N-Doped Carbon for Efficient and Chloride-Resistant Alkaline HER

Journal: Advanced Functional Materials

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202517551

One of the highest-capacity onshore wind farms in Germany shifts into the implementation phase with the Papenburg project. At a public contract signing ceremony at the Husum Wind trade fair, the order for 20 turbines from Nordex with a total rated capacity of 140 megawatts was signed by Gernot Gauglitz, Managing Partner of the UKA Group, which is responsible for the design of the project. The concrete foundations and concrete parts for the hybrid towers, with a hub height of 164 meters, are supplied by Max Bögl Wind AG.

The wind farm will be constructed on the Mercedes-Benz automobile testing site near Papenburg in Lower Saxony. The corresponding contract was signed as recently as in May 2023, and since then UKA as the energy farm developer has completed both the planning and the approval processes in a very short timeframe. 

Prior to signing the contract for the purchase order, Gernot Gauglitz, Managing Partner of the UKA Group, said: “I am proud of the fact that we, as owners of the future wind farm, will be supplying Mercedes-Benz AG with electricity for the next 25 years. This project shows that UKA, which generates its own climate-friendly electricity, is an attractive supplier of electricity even to large industrial corporations. Despite some challenges – for example at the construction site – the project team is pressing ahead with the construction of the wind farm in record time. The wind farm on the Mercedes-Benz testing area is a flagship project in our portfolio of onshore wind farms currently under construction in Germany, representing more than 1.5 GW in total.”

José Luis Blanco, CEO of Nordex Group, said: “We are pleased to be able to continue our existing collaboration with UKA in Germany. We especially appreciate the renewed trust in our technology and our project management at the Papenburg wind farm, particularly given the size and significance of this project for everyone involved.”

Stefan Bögl, CEO of the Max Bögl Group, added: “New plant generations require a stable foundation to ensure operation of the wind farm for two decades. The practical combination of state-of-the-art turbine technology from Nordex and our proven Bögl hybrid tower promises exactly this: The ability to successfully harvest power from wind. We are pleased that, together with UKA and Nordex, we are part of this major project and are thus working together to drive forward the expansion of wind power in Germany.”

Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Production, Quality and Supply Chain Management: “The wind farm in Papenburg is an important building block of our sustainable business strategy - from an ecological and also an economic perspective. The start of construction impressively illustrates that we are consistently putting our ambitious sustainability goals for the production network into practice and thus achieving a measurable impact. We are pleased with the great progress made and are proud as Mercedes-Benz, together with our strong partners, to expand the use of wind energy in Germany with the new wind farm in Papenburg.”

If everything goes according to plan, the first turbines will begin operation on a trial basis by as early as 2027. Once fully commissioned, the wind farm will cover about 20 percent of the annual electricity needs of Mercedes-Benz Group AG in Germany. When it is completed, it will be one of the largest onshore wind farms in Germany, with an electricity generation capacity of about 140 megawatts. The electricity supply contract was concluded for a term of at least 25 years from the start of delivery. The planned wind farm is part of energy farm developer UKA’s extensive 11-gigawatt project pipeline in Germany. 

The project will involve 20 turbines from German manufacturer Nordex (N163/6.X), each with a capacity of 7 MW. The concrete foundations and concrete parts for the hybrid towers at the wind farm, with a hub height of 164 meters, are manufactured and installed by Max Bögl Wind AG.

UKA Group | https://www.uka-gruppe.de/en/ 

Nordex Group | https://www.nordex-online.com/en/

Max Bögl Wind AG | https://max-boegl.de/en/range-of-services/renewables

Mercedes‑Benz AG | https://group.mercedes-benz.com/company/business-units/mercedes-benz-cars/

Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating new ways for utilities and cities to manage energy and water, is joining forces with the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) to modernize its electricity distribution network. ASPA will deploy Itron’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solution, including smart electric meters, UtilityIQ headend application suite and iPay prepayment software, to improve operational efficiency, billing accuracy and customer satisfaction as part of ASPA’s digital transformation roadmap.  

ASPA provides electricity, water, wastewater and solid waste management services to about 50,000 residents across five islands in the South Pacific. As an isolated island territory, American Samoa must generate all its own electricity and has some of the highest electricity prices in the world. In 2023, the utility’s average electricity price was 3.5 times higher than the U.S. average. 

To optimize the delivery of electricity and encourage conservation, ASPA will deploy Itron’s AMI solution, which will give the utility greater visibility into electricity meter data while empowering ASPA customers to reduce their consumption with detailed energy usage insights. The solution is designed to be flexible, scalable and well-suited for ASPA’s remote island environment, with ongoing firmware updates, technical support and training to ensure long-term operational success. 

The deployment includes several Itron technologies designed to perform in American Samoa’s tropical climate: 

• Solid-State Residential Smart Meters – Itron’s Gen5 CENTRON II electric smart meter has advanced AMI functionality, enabling applications that reduce field service costs, improve credit management and support services like prepaid metering. 
   
• Gen5 Communication Network – Itron’s Gen5 network delivers reliable, long-range connectivity with built-in security and distributed intelligence, ideal for ASPA’s remote island environment.
   
• iPay integration – To give its customers flexible payment options, ASPA will work with Itron partneriPay for smart payment processing, helping customers reduce energy usage and save money through flexible billing.
• Headend Software Application Suite – Itron’s UtilityIQ software will collect and manage consumption data from electricity meters, enabling real-time insights and operational control. 

“This project marks a significant step in ASPA’s digital transformation journey, enabling smarter electric management across our geographically dispersed and logistically challenging service territory. We look forward to expanding our collaboration with Itron by deploying its proven, scalable AMI solution. Together, we will strengthen our overall energy infrastructure while providing our customers with greater insight into their electricity usage and the convenience of digital and prepayment options,” said Isikeli Ongosia, MCS Manager ICT as ASPA. 

“We’ve previously worked together with ASPA on smaller-scale deployments, most recently to streamline meter reading processes and improve data collection accuracy prior to the transition to AMI,” said John Marcolini, senior vice president of Networked Solutions at Itron. “Fast-forward to today, ASPA is undergoing a full-scale digital transformation, and we are thrilled to continue our collaboration to help modernize ASPA’s network and strengthen the grid edge.” 

Itron | www.itron.com

American Samoa Power Authority | https://www.aspower.com/

Viridi, the industry leader in fail-safe battery energy storage systems (BESS), announced it has been named an energy ecosystem partner within Schneider Electric’s Accelerating Resilient Infrastructure Initiative—a nationwide effort uniting more than 20 partners, including Microsoft, Sunrock, Zurich, and AlphaStruxure, to rapidly deploy resilient clean energy systems.

Together, Viridi and Schneider Electric will advance the design and deployment of microgrids–ranging across a wide customer base from small-scale, flexible installations to utility-grade, hyperscale data centers, and other applications–delivering new value in safety, resilience, revenue, and performance–at a time when aging infrastructure, extreme weather, rising AI-driven demand, and cyber threats are straining the U.S. grid.

By integrating Viridi’s Fail-Safe, FEOC-compliant, American-manufactured battery energy storage systems into Schneider Electric’s global platform, this partnership will enable projects to achieve unparalleled resilience and speed-to-power. Viridi’s proprietary anti-propagation technology, designed to prevent thermal runaway and mitigate the risk of lithium-ion battery fires, makes its BESS among the safest and most adaptable in the world.

Through this strategic collaboration, customers will accelerate their resilience, sustainability, operational and compliance goals while taking full advantage of federal incentives, including the 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and an additional 10% bonus ITC for qualifying U.S.-manufactured content. These combined benefits –paired with innovative Energy-as-a-Service financing models–reduce project costs, speed deployment timelines, and support the next generation of resilient, intelligent, and distributed energy infrastructure–standalone or paired with solar, hydrogen fuel cells, generators, nuclear, among other forms of generation and DERs.

“This partnership marks a pivotal step forward in defining how resilient microgrids are designed and deployed,” said Jon M. Williams, CEO of Viridi. “By combining Schneider Electric’s deep expertise in microgrid integration with Viridi’s safest-in-class battery systems, we can deliver energy solutions that meet the most stringent safety standards without compromising performance or speed.”

Installations featuring Viridi’s BESS are already operating across the North America, including recent deployments at the Denver Public Library, the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Lab, University of Buffalo’s Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI), and distinguished Universities including Cornell and University of Texas.  Additionally, Viridi is providing energy storage systems for a myriad of music and sports events, reinforcing the company’s role as a trusted partner for projects where safety, reliability, and long-term performance are non-negotiables.

Viridi | www.viridiparente.com

Schneider Electric | https://www.se.com/us/en/

257 (“Two Fifty Seven”), a data and AI company transforming the $500B U.S. residential energy market, announced the launch of Pink, the first AI-powered intelligence platform helping residential energy providers grow faster while slashing wasted acquisition costs.

Providers spend $20B+ annually marketing home energy products—costs that slow adoption and keep upgrades out of reach. Pink delivers instant intelligence on all 130M U.S. homes through a chat-style interface, enabling smarter, lower-cost campaigns.

“Our mission is simple: to harness data and AI to help energy companies grow faster and accelerate residential electrification,” said Scott Rosenberg, Co-founder & CEO of 257. “With Pink, every provider—of any size, in any sector—can tap precise intelligence on every home in their market, driving smarter acquisitions, faster growth, lower costs, and real progress on electrification.”

A Smarter Way to Connect Homes and Providers
Over the next decade, U.S. households will spend more than $5T on energy products and services—$40K per home on average. Tens of millions of homes today would benefit from solar, heat pumps, or new energy plans, yet providers struggle to connect with them. Pink bridges this gap, arming providers with the household-level intelligence they need to engage consumers most likely to benefit from solar, HVAC and other energy efficiency upgrades.

Pink’s free planning and insights capabilities reveal opportunities such as 135,000 owner-occupied homes earning over $100K/year across NJ, NY, PA, and MD that rank very high on 257’s solar propensity scoring algorithm; and 438,000 homes in New England currently on oil or propane heat would strongly benefit from a heat pump retrofit.

These insights come at no cost. When it’s time to act, Pink’s performance-based model allows clients to seamlessly activate audiences across Meta, Google, connected TV, direct mail, and more—paying only when they see measurable results.

“As electricity demand surges with AI, onshoring, and electrification, we need to put every electron to its highest use,” said Mark Kuntz, CEO Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US. “257’s data-driven tools help pinpoint where advanced heat pumps can replace inefficient resistance heating and outdated ACs, freeing energy and capacity for higher-value purposes.”

Real-World Impact Already Underway

Pink is already driving substantial results for clients. Example highlights include:

• A rooftop solar partner cut customer acquisition costs of $2K by one-third using 257’s solar propensity, income, and power outage data to target homes eligible for California’s SGIP incentive program.
• A community solar provider increased sales by 26% relative to their current marketing baseline, while delivering a customer acquisition cost below $250.
• A heat pump manufacturer identified hundreds of megawatts of winter peak savings potential in the Southeast from retrofitting homes to cold-climate heat pumps.

“257 has been a valuable partner in accelerating our growth in the solar and storage market. Their platform allows us to quickly and precisely identify the right households, streamline outreach, and improve marketing efficiency while also reducing operational overhead,” said Vinnie Campo, CEO of Haven Energy.

These initial impacts for energy providers are ultimately made possible through Pink’s utilization of AI and data. 

“A critical component of any AI-based system is a large, proprietary data set, and the energy market is no different,” said Tal Chalozin, Co-Founder & CTO of 257. “By training AI models on many millions of real world electrification outcomes in American homes, 257 can rapidly grow our clients' businesses and accelerate residential electrification.”

To sign up for access to Pink, visit pink.257.co.

257 | https://257.co/