Energy News Trends: Solar Projects, Getting in on EVs, and Nuclear Power

A look at the energy news from PR Newswire in July and August that you might have missed.

By Teri Fane | Published Sept. 12, 2023

It was a busy summer for energy news. PR Newswire distributed more than 1,900 energy-related news releases in July and August.

In this post, we’ll take a look at the most-read energy releases and some noteworthy news trends from the last couple of months. 

Popular Energy Releases from July and August

These are a few of the releases that readers visited the most during the last two months.

• American Battery Technology Company, among other notable news, announced its lithium drilling project in Tonopah Flats confirmed the presence of lithium at depths greater than 1,400 feet.
• In early August, Nicola Corporation declared demand for the Class 8 Nikola hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles had surpassed over 200 sales orders.
• DEWALT made public it was entering the snow category with the brand's first-ever snow blower, the 21 in. 60V MAX* Single-Stage.
• Chipotle partnered with Vebu to unveil a new avocado processing prototype called Autocado that cuts, cores, and peels avocados before they are hand mashed. 

Energy News Trends

Here’s a look at a few of the trends we noticed among energy-related press releases in July and August.

Solar and Energy Storage

73% of Americans agree that solar energy is a good investment for their homes and the energy industry is making great strides to advance solar power and energy storage technology for consumers. With innovative new technologies and increased investments, no doubt with encouragement from the Inflation Reduction Act, solar is becoming more efficient and accessible.  

Here are some of the big solar power and energy storage solution headlines our team noticed:

Energy Storage in the Home

• In late August, BLUETTI showcased its new home energy storage solution at The Energy Expo 2023 in Miami. The new Modular Household System, Movable Backup System, and Portable Emergency Power support the company’s mission to deliver clean energy solutions worldwide to catalyze the transition to renewable energy.
• KiloVault unveiled its new energy system for off-grid living - the Uniti EcoFreedom. The energy storage system slashes installation and setup times and has the ability to run appliances and devices such as LED bulbs, phones, laptops, TVs, tools, and heating and cooling systems.
• LG Electronics shared its plans to reveal its vision of a more sustainable way of life with the "Net-Zero House" at IFA 2023. The house utilized LG’s complete Home Energy platform consisting of the Energy Storage System (ESS) and the Therma V™ R290 Monobloc air-to-water heat pump (AWHP).
• At the end of August, Zendure and Shelly Group announced their partnership to build a platform for home energy management. The goal is to combine Zendure’s home energy storage products with Shelly’s smart device platform to improve data accuracy and create intelligent applications within the clean energy management ecosystem.
• Roll-A-Shade launched its solar ZipShade for the home. The wireless shade system utilizes solar power to autonomously control the screen.

New Solar/Clean Energy Storage Projects

• At the beginning of August, ICAST announced that it’s helping Aztec, New Mexico, develop a solar PV plus energy storage project to meet the city’s entire daytime power needs. The partnership will help Aztec achieve its goal of running on 100% clean energy.
• Vitesco Technologies announced its partnership with Big Sun Solar and GVEC to bring a major solar plant project to central Texas. The plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
• Fracsun partnered with App Orchid to tackle the annual 3- to 5-billion-dollar issue of soiling loss in the solar industry. The new product will enable users to predict soiling loss with a simple query to Fracsun’s database that leverages App Orchid's AI platform.
• In July and August, San Diego Gas & Electric announced its addition of two more solar, wind, and geothermal energy storage facilities and its all-new virtual power plant. The projects are meant to help provide clean energy for almost 130,000 homes and help ease the strain on the grid during extreme heat.
• Dominion Energy and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority broke ground on the Dulles Solar and Storage project at Dulles International Airport. Once completed, it will be the largest renewable energy project ever developed at a U.S. airport and will serve Dominion Energy Virginia customers.

By the numbers: In the past two months, PR Newswire distributed more than 400 press releases related to "solar power" and "energy storage" for the energy industry.

EVs in the News

Electric vehicles are a favorite energy news trend for our team. The fuel cell market is expected to be worth $10.4 billion by 2030, so EVs are taking over and are here to stay.

With new products, expanding charging infrastructure, and strides in accessibility, the energy industry (along with other industries) is getting in on opportunities to support efforts to expand the use of EVs.

Here are some of the notable headlines surrounding the ongoing adoption of EVs from July and August:

New Electric Vehicles

• New Holland Agriculture introduced the first all-electric utility tractor with autonomous features, creating an all-new tractor class in the market, the Utility Electric. 
• Scania started road testing of its new hybrid solar-powered trailer truck at the end of August. The truck is used in a research project to examine the generated solar energy and how carbon emissions decrease with solar panels. 
• In early August, Taiga Motors announced its all-new 100% electric Personal Watercraft, the Orca Performance. The new PWC is a fully electric model delivering segment-leading performance, silent operation, and zero emissions at reduced lifetime operating costs.

EV Batteries & Charging Infrastructure  

• PG&E is offering two programs to improve access to EV charging infrastructure for customers in underserved communities. The Empower EV program offers income-eligible customers up to $2,500 in incentives to help cover the cost of installing EV-charging equipment at their single-family residences.
• At the end of August, FreeWire Technologies launched Mobilyze Pro, an AI-enabled platform to provide accurate predictions to efficiently expand EV charging infrastructure. The platform leverages AI to parse through public and proprietary datasets to predict the best locations to deploy EV fast charging.
• Bank of America announced it is expanding its cash rewards credit card program to offer 3% cashback on electric vehicle charging purchases.
• Bharati Fire Engineers unveiled its Firefite Lithex Extinguisher, the company’s answer to recent news of EV battery explosions in India. The extinguisher uses both fixed and mobile delivery methods to successfully put out lithium-ion battery fires.

By the numbers: In the past two months, PR Newswire distributed nearly 700 press releases that mentioned "electric vehicle."

Nuclear Energy

The progress on Georgia Power’s Vogtle Units 3 and 4 has been making big headlines in the world of nuclear power in the past year. As one of the largest nuclear construction projects in the U.S., it showcases the industry’s commitment to providing clean and reliable energy sources for the future. We included some Vogtle headlines in our March and April blog post. Here are some project updates along with a couple of notable headlines from the nuclear power industry.   

Southern Company’s Vogtle Unit 3 and 4

• On July 31, Georgia Power (a subsidiary of Southern Company) announced that Plant Vogtle Unit 3 is in operation, now providing clean nuclear energy to customers.
• Bechtel celebrated with Georgia Power as it provided engineering and construction support to Vogtle 3 and 4. Bechtel has provided support to over 150 nuclear power plants worldwide.
• Vogtle Unit 4 is not far behind. On July 28, Georgia Power announced its receipt of the 103(g) from the NRC for Vogtle Unit 4, meaning Unit 4 has satisfied 364 required acceptance criteria to ensure the unit meets strict nuclear safety and quality standards.

More in Nuclear Energy

• In mid-July, Jacobs announced it was chosen by Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation U.K. (USNC) to support the development of a micro modular power reactor (MMR) in the UK. 
• The 5^th annual Turkey Nuclear Power Plant Exhibition was held in Istanbul on June 21 and 22. Global Times reported that State Power Investment Corporation participated in the expo and showcased its development of third-generation non-energy nuclear power technology, engineering construction, and equipment manufacturing.

By the numbers: In July and August, PR Newswire distributed more than 80 press releases related to nuclear power and nuclear energy.

Takeaways and Looking Ahead

The top energy headlines along with the trends in solar power, EVs, and nuclear power highlight businesses’ commitments to support the switch to clean and reliable energy sources.

Overall, the news showcases the dedication to innovation and sustainability, paving the way for a greener and more efficient energy landscape for the future.

We will continue to monitor the industry headlines for sustainable solutions updates. We expect to see more updates on Vogtle as Unit 4 nears completion, the growth of infrastructure needed for the switch to EVs, and upcoming industry events like National Clean Energy Week (Sept  25-29).

About the Author

Teri Fane is a Customer Content Specialist at Cision PR Newswire and manages the @PRNEnergy Twitter account. When she's not at work, she can be found trying to keep her plants alive, traveling, or hanging out with her lab mix Radar.