Starlight Energy, the project development arm of NextEnergy Group, has submitted four utility-scale solar and battery storage projects to the Alberta Electric System Operator’s (AESO) Cluster 3 interconnection process in Canada. The projects, with a combined generation capacity of 725 MW AC, comprise the 150 MW AC Lamoureux Agri-Solar Battery Project, the 250 MW AC Castor North Solar Battery Project, the 100 MW AC Rich Valley Agri-Solar Battery Project, and the 225 MW AC St. Albert Agri-Solar Battery Project. Starlight says these projects are intended to supply competitively priced electricity as the province’s power market evolves and electricity demand grows.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has announced a framework to deploy $200 million in solar incentives through its NY-Sun program. The funding is expected to support more than 565 MW of new solar capacity. Specifically, about $116 million is allocated for around 450 MW of large commercial and community solar projects larger than 1 MW, $31 million will support 75 MW of midsize rooftop installations, and $20 million will facilitate 40 MW on-site solar for low- and moderate-income households. The program also includes incentives for projects located on rooftops, parking canopies, brownfields, landfills, floating solar sites, and agricultural land where solar generation can coexist with farming.
energyRe has closed an $815 million financing package for five utility-scale solar projects totaling approximately 360 MW in South Carolina. It covers projects backed by 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs). Bank of America, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), and Santander supported the transaction, which energyRe says is among the largest solar-only project financing deals in South Carolina’s history. The company aims to invest $2 billion in the state by 2030.
Singapore-headquartered renewable energy developer Concord New Energy Group has closed $400 million in financing for its US clean energy and digital infrastructure portfolio. The financing includes $310 million in debt and letter of credit facilities and $90 million in preferred equity for Project Chisme, the company’s first utility-scale project in the US. Located in Texas, the project comprises 215 MW of solar capacity and a 147 MW/358 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). First Citizens Bank, Goldman Sachs Alternatives and Associated Bank led the financing. Concord says this transaction supports its expansion in the US market.
Global investment firm KKR and TotalEnergies recently agreed to add 700 MW of utility-scale solar capacity to their 50:50 US joint venture. The expansion covers three solar projects in Texas and Ohio, which are expected to begin commercial operations by Q1 2027. Electricity produced is either already sold to third parties or will be marketed by TotalEnergies. The portfolio has an enterprise value of $1.2 billion. TotalEnergies will continue to operate the assets following completion of the transaction, which is expected in 2026, subject to customary conditions. The joint venture currently holds 1.4 GW of capacity.
CleanChoice Energy has secured an up to $85 million term loan facility from Aiga Capital Partners. The financing will support CleanChoice’s solar project development and help advance projects toward construction. It follows a separate $166 million financing CleanChoice raised earlier in October for two solar projects in New York and Pennsylvania. CleanChoice said that the new funding will provide financial flexibility to the company as it expands its power generation business beyond retail electricity supply.
US-based space technology startup Reflect Orbital has secured two dedicated launches from Skyroot Aerospace, an Indian private space launch company. Reflect Orbital builds and operates orbital mirrors that enable controlled lighting without ground infrastructure. It says the agreement will support the deployment of Reflect Orbital’s future spacecraft, which aim to provide additional lighting for applications including solar power generation and search-and-rescue operations. The first mission will use Skyroot’s Vikram-1 rocket, while the second will use the Vikram-1U vehicle, which is under development. The companies have not disclosed launch dates or financial terms, but the US firm said that these launches provide it with an assured schedule and capacity, and complement Reflect Orbital’s other planned launches from sites in the US.
