LGCY Power Expands Residential Solar Business Through National Homebuilder Partnerships

CRC Evans (CRCE), a leader in welding, welding technology, and coating services, has appointed Steven Makay as Managing Director of Renewables & Infrastructure EMEAA.

Steven Mackay, Managing Director Renewables & Infrastructure EMEAA

Steven arrives at CRC Evans from Langfield, where he successfully served as Managing Director. His career spans roles including Commercial Manager, Business Development Manager, and Facilities Director for Langfield's Dunfermline and Salford facilities. With his extensive commercial expertise in the engineering and fabrication sectors, Steven is poised to make a significant impact at CRC Evans.

Paul McShane, President EMEAA at CRC Evans, emphasised the importance of this appointment: “As CRCE continues on its Energy Transition journey, Steven's leadership will be crucial in enhancing our welding and coating capabilities across the renewable sector. This includes but is not limited to, carbon capture, hydrogen, nuclear, and offshore wind. Steven will also oversee our established presence in the infrastructure and utilities industries. Our strategic expansion into clean energy markets represents a pivotal step in advancing our goals and strengthening our position within the wider renewables sector.”

Steven Mackay is pleased to take on this new role, stating, “I am thrilled to join CRC Evans at such a dynamic time for the company. I am eager to collaborate with my new colleagues to build a formidable Renewables team that will deliver our expertise and experience to customers in the clean energy markets.”

CRC Evans | https://www.crcevans.com/

This past week, Kempower chargers were installed at two new Revel charging stations in New York at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and in San Francisco’s Mission District at 199 Erie Street.

Revel and the Port Authority opened a new electric vehicle (EV) charging station at JFK Airport on Mar. 21, adding 24 fast chargers and more than doubling the airport's charging capacity. JFK now has a total of 46 EV fast charging ports which will significantly reduce wait times and improve traffic flow at the airport. The new charging station is located within the airport’s for-hire vehicle (FHV) hold lot and is accessible via the Van Wyck Expressway or Belt Parkway. 

“We are proud to support the expansion of EV infrastructure at JFK Airport, ensuring that for-hire vehicle drivers and travelers have access to fast, efficient charging whenever they need it,” said Monil Malhotra, president of Kempower North America.

Three days later and across the country, San Francisco mayor, Daniel Lurie, cut the ribbon at the new Revel Mission District charging station in downtown on Mar. 24. Revel’s new charging station features 12 chargers that can utilize Kempower's dynamic charging technology to charge at speeds as high as 320 kW.

“At Kempower, our mission is to make EV charging as accessible and user-friendly as possible. Seeing our chargers powering this new Revel station in San Francisco is a proud moment for our team and a step forward for sustainable urban mobility,” said Jed Routh VP of markets and products, North America.

Both charge sites demonstrate Kempower’s commitment to accelerating the transition to electric mobility, alongside partners like Revel, with reliable and user-friendly DC fast charging solutions.

“Our mission at Revel is to bring reliable fast charging to dense urban areas where EVs can have the biggest impact on quality of life, but where charging is hardest to come by,” said Paul Suhey, Co-Founder & COO of Revel.

Kempower | www.kempower.com

Revel | gorevel.com

FlexGen Power Systems, LLC. ("FlexGen"), a leading battery energy storage solution and energy management software provider, announced an impactful update to the State of Health (SOH) feature in HybridOS that gives customers a clearer, more reliable view of battery degradation and enables long-term site planning by providing both battery management system-reported SOH and proprietary FlexGen-calculated SOH.

SOH measures a battery’s remaining capacity by comparing its current capacity to its originally expected capacity, which gives an indication of how much its ability to store and deliver energy has diminished and when it will need to be replaced. SOH is critical to monitor and understand because it impacts overall system performance, financial planning and operational strategies. As battery health declines, usable energy and power performance degrade limiting how much energy can be dispatched and reducing revenue potential.

While many operators rely on vendor-reported SOH, which assumes uniform usage based on laboratory test conditions, HybridOS calculates a proprietary SOH based on actual site conditions, ensuring a more accurate reflection of battery degradation. The new feature continuously evaluates the amount of energy flow during charge and discharge events to estimate the rate of degradation and computes a site-specific degradation curve, helping asset managers and site operators more accurately plan around site augmentation timelines, warranty claims, and day-to-day operational strategies that extend battery life.

“Our proprietary battery state-of-health algorithm delivers precise, site-level diagnostics, providing customers with deeper insights into their battery’s performance and health,” said Hugh Scott, Chief Technology Officer at FlexGen. “FlexGen remains dedicated to providing advanced, actionable data analytics that help our customers optimize their asset’s performance.”

With global energy demand growth set to accelerate by 4% annually through 2027, according to the IEA- due in large part to data center growth, AI and electrification- battery energy storage systems are critical to meeting this growing demand. The EIA states that the U.S. alone is set to bring 18 gigawatts of new utility-scale energy storage capacity onto the grid in 2025. To ensure success, battery energy storage systems need to operate with the highest availability and reliability. FlexGen’s new SOH feature will provide the key insights needed to maximize efficiency, plan ahead for system upgrades, explore operational changes to extend battery life and predict the outcomes of capacity tests with confidence.

FlexGen | https://www.flexgen.com

Avangrid, Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, announced that its True North Solar project has achieved commercial operation. As Avangrid’s largest solar project to date, the 238 Megawatt-AC (MWac) (321 MWdc) project plays a dual role in responsibly powering U.S. data centers to ensure grid reliability and cementing Texas’s position as a leader in American energy production.

True North is delivering electricity to the Texas Grid and supporting Meta’s operations, including its upcoming data center in neighboring Temple, its second data center facility in Texas. According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy, data centers could rise to 12% of U.S. power consumption by 2028, roughly three times last year's level. Projects like this are critical to support this demand growth while ensuring local communities have resilient power for homes and businesses.

“True North is a milestone project for Avangrid and we are proud to see it generating electricity for the Texas grid,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO.“With a projected boom in data center construction over the next several years that will significantly increase energy demand, projects like True North are and will be vital to ensuring the resiliency and reliability of the Texas electrical grid. Furthermore, these facilities represent new sources of locally produced power that will support the state’s growing economy for decades to come."

True North created about 300 jobs at the peak of construction, most of which were filled by people from the surrounding region. True North represents $369 million in investment in central Texas. It is projected to contribute over $40 million in property taxes throughout its lifetime, directly benefiting public services in Falls County and the surrounding communities, especially schools. True North also supports several permanent, full-time jobs for ongoing operations at the facility.

“I’m happy to see this project completed,” said Falls County Judge Jay Elliot. “They contribute a lot to the non-profits and schools in our community.”

“Avangrid has been a fantastic partner to Mart ISD and we are glad to see their project is now operating,” said B. Springston, superintendent of schools at Mart Independent School District (ISD). “True North will deliver significant additional revenue to Mart ISD, which we can use to improve the experience for all of our students for years to come. These funds help provide materials for STEM education and learning, materials for teachers, busing for students, updated athletic facilities for students and the community, and helps provide for the total well-being of our community."

Construction of True North also contributed to the growth of U.S. manufacturing. Notably, Avangrid partnered with New Mexico-based ARRAY Technologies, a longstanding supplier, to procure solar trackers for the project. These are key components to solar projects, which move the solar panels to track the sun and maximize energy production. Many of the project’s tracker materials were sourced from ARRAY’s Albuquerque, New Mexico facility and other regional supplier partners.

“ARRAY Technologies is proud to support Avangrid in delivering reliable, renewable energy through the True North solar project,” said Kevin G. Hostetler, ARRAY’s chief executive officer. “Our domestically manufactured solar trackers are supporting American jobs and designed to optimize energy production, ensuring that projects like this can meet the growing demand for electricity. This milestone highlights the strength of American manufacturing and the critical role of innovative solar technology in powering the future.”

Avangrid worked with Black & Veatch, a leading engineering, procurement, construction and consulting (EPC) firm, to design and construct the True North solar project. Black & Veatch is one of the top utility-scale solar design and construction firms in the United States and has supported more than 50 GW of solar projects globally.

“We extend a heartfelt congratulations to our partner in Avangrid on the achievement of first commercial operation of True North Solar,” said Jim Doull, president, Power Providers for Black & Veatch. “Our teams endured many challenges during this project. Accomplishing such a monumental task takes grit, determination and strong cross-collaboration. Black & Veatch is proud to have been part of this project to help deliver reliable energy to power central Texas.”

With over 488,000 solar panels, True North will generate enough energy annually to power the equivalent of nearly 60,000 U.S. homes.

Avangrid has operated in Texas for over 15 years, delivering much needed energy to the growing state. With True North, the Company now has seven projects in Texas with a combined installed capacity of nearly 1.6 GW. These projects represent over $2 billion in direct investment in the state, support over 65 full-time jobs, and have paid a combined $118 million in taxes since 2009.

Avangrid | www.avangrid.com

Scanifly, the solar industry's leader in PV design and field operations software, announced an integration with Pegasus, a California-based innovator in rooftop mounting systems. The integration automatically transfers Scanifly design data and panel placement directly into the Pegasus Design Tool, eliminating platform switching and duplicate work.

The direct API integration connects Scanifly's design environment with Pegasus's racking layout, bill of materials (BOM), and engineering document capabilities. Solar contractors can now select optimal mounting equipment and generate a comprehensive BOM in one unified workflow.

"Accurate racking systems require precise roof measurements, exact panel placement, and actual onsite structural data," said Jason Steinberg, CEO of Scanifly. "Scanifly's drone-based photorealistic design outputs are uniquely detailed to provide this data. Pegasus is pioneering the creation and promotion of racking solutions, and we're excited to deliver on this with a much faster path from initial survey to final installation."

The integration delivers key advantages:

• Unifies the PV design, racking, and BOM workflows
• Eliminates the need to recreate designs in multiple systems
• Saves 1-3 hours per project
• Ensures accurate inventory for install day
• Prevents costly revisions and equipment shortages

The integration combines Scanifly's inch-level accuracy from drone-based 3D models with Pegasus' mounting expertise, ensuring perfect fits for their SkipRail, Rail System, and InstaTilt products. Contractors can instantly specify InstaFlash2 and other flashing solutions based on actual roof conditions. This direct connection ensures that Pegasus receives only the highest quality inputs for building the desired racking system and BOM.

"This integration connects two critical parts of the process—accurate roof measurement and proper mounting specification—ensuring what looks right in the design will perform right on the roof," said Andrew Jones, VP of Sales at Pegasus. "Pegasus and Scanifly share many contractor relationships, especially some of the most high-quality and reputable companies in the industry, including SunnyMac, Freedom Solar, and Good Faith Energy. These contractors will truly benefit from this cutting-edge integration."

Solar contractors can access the Scanifly + Pegasus integration starting today. Visit scanifly.com/product/integrations/pegasus/ to learn more.

Scanifly | https://scanifly.com/

Pegasus | www.pegasussolar.com

Ameren Missouri, battery developer and manufacturer GS Yuasa, and Siemens have recently marked a milestone in the clean energy transition by successfully implementing a cutting-edge, first-of-its-kind Managed EV Charging and Microgrid platform. Powered in part by stationary advanced lead-acid batteries, and soon-to-be integrated solar panels, this innovative system is now operational at Ameren's St. Louis campus.

“This groundbreaking project has far-reaching implications for economic development and industry advancement,” said Alex Rojas, director of innovation implementation and strategy at Ameren Services. “By demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of electrifying fleet vehicles, Ameren aims to inspire commercial and institutional fleet vehicle owners and operators to embrace cleaner, more sustainable transportation solutions. The system's ability to address relevant business and operational needs, such as fire safety, energy resiliency, demand charge management and demand response offers a compelling value proposition for these organizations.”  

The installation is a result of collaboration between companies to develop a more economical and sustainable option for EV fast-charging.  Fleet vehicles’ EV batteries can be fast-charged to 50% of full capacity in 8 – 20 minutes. The Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI) guided and supported the industry towards this type of innovation. Ameren Missouri will use the station to power its fleet of electric service vehicles. 

The new charging station employs stationary advanced lead batteries. The EV chargers pull energy from the electric grid, the stationary lead battery and solar panels as needed. The information technology system optimizes the use of energy by the EV chargers to maximize clean energy sources and minimize cost.   

“This is potentially game-changing for EV charging in the United States,” said CBI’s Director of Technology Dr. Matt Raiford.  “The system is easy to replicate, will use renewable energy and adopts the latest battery and battery management technologies to provide efficient EV charging. This is a sustainable and intelligent charging system. It can be housed virtually anywhere, which opens up the ability to extend efficient and cost-effective charging facilities in both rural and city locations.” 

The sustainable process uses advanced lead batteries in an energy storage system forming a microgrid which backs-up the EV chargers – reducing cost and improving reliability as two of its capabilities.   

The charging system is a first in the United States and if it continues to prove its safety and performance, could be rolled out across the country improving access to EV charging facilities and reducing cost. 

“This project is the result of concepts and conversations initiated by The Doe Run Company and Ameren during meetings of Missouri’s Microgrid Consortium, which was a joint effort funded by Ameren and Doe Run at Missouri University of Science & Technology,” said Chris Neaville, Doe Run Business Development Director. “The group included representatives of the battery industry, utility providers, academia, and researchers. It is fitting that this first-of-its-kind installation takes place in Missouri, where the closed-loop process of mining, battery manufacturing, distribution, collection, and battery recycling occur and contribute $2.3 billion dollars in economic impact.” 

Demand for EV charging infrastructure and smart grid technology is substantial, with forecasts that the number of charging points could grow nearly five-fold in the near future. The deployment of this innovative Ameren facility using advanced lead batteries from GS Yuasa could prove to be a model for both improving access to charging facilities as well as reducing cost for operators. 

“The battery energy storage system (BESS) we have designed utilizes our advanced nano-carbon lead batteries along with battery management and power conversion systems, housed in containers on site,” said Bill Cunningham, GS Yuasa’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing.  “This is an energy storage process that can be adopted virtually anywhere because our batteries are reliable, high-performing and cost-efficient over their lifetime.”  

The one-megawatt-hour microgrid includes GS Yuasa’s advanced lead batteries capable of more than 5000 cycles, making the system durable, long-lasting and cost efficient.  Lead batteries are more than 99% recycled at the end of their use and their components used to manufacture new batteries. The Doe Run Company, an Ameren customer and fellow Missouri business, is a global supplier to the lead market and recycles more than 8 million lead batteries each year.  Doe Run was instrumental in bringing Ameren together in collaboration with CBI and GS Yuasa to develop this technology. 

Ameren | https://www.ameren.com/

GS Yuasa | https://www.gs-yuasa.com/en/