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

Macquarie Asset Management announced the final close of Macquarie Green Energy Transition Solutions (“MGETS” or the “Fund”) with over $US3 billion of total Fund and co-investment commitments. 

MGETS is Macquarie’s first dedicated energy transition fund that targets opportunities beyond mature renewables. MGETS is focused on investing in companies that leverage proven technologies and infrastructure to provide the solutions to decarbonising energy sectors across the economy. The Fund’s target subsectors include energy storage, distributed energy, renewable fuels, clean transportation, carbon capture, and circular economy.

MGETS is well progressed in its portfolio construction, with 12 closed investments and over 65 per cent of the Fund committed to investments. The MGETS global portfolio is well-diversified, spanning across geographies, technologies, and underlying sectors. MGETS portfolio companies include Eku Energy (battery energy storage in Europe and APAC), SkyNRG (global sustainable aviation fuel business), Calibrant Energy (distributed energy solutions for industrial and commercial clients in North America), and Verkor (French EV battery manufacturer).

MGETS has raised over $US2.4 billion of Fund commitments along with an additional $US647 million to date of committed co-investment to MGETS’ portfolio companies. This enables it to address the growing scale of energy transition opportunities and capitalise on attractive follow-on investments.

The Fund exceeded its target size of $US2 billion, attracting commitments from a diversified global investor base, spanning pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, and asset managers across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas.

A portion of the co-investment was secured via a dedicated Macquarie-managed investment vehicle established for Vertelo, a fleet electrification solutions platform in India. A total of $US405 million of commitments have been secured for the Vertelo investment vehicle, with approximately $US133 million from MGETS as the Fund’s 12^th investment. Combining commercial capital with catalytic concessional capital, the Vertelo transaction demonstrates Macquarie’s ability to mobilise capital at scale in the growing Indian market through innovative partnerships, while delivering an attractive proposition to investors. 

Chris Archer, Executive Director, MAM Green Investments, said: "The significant investment requirements of the global energy transition present an opportunity to build the infrastructure of tomorrow while delivering attractive risk-adjusted returns for our investors. Key to this will be building out proven technical solutions that are now becoming more widely deployed. Drawing on our global asset management expertise and green investment capabilities, we are proud to be able support the growth and de-risking of businesses and bring them to scale. We are delighted to reach the final close of MGETS and thank our investors for their continued confidence and support.”

Macquarie has been driving practical climate solutions for almost 20 years, with its first investments in renewables dating back to 2005. Today, through Macquarie Asset Management’s Green Investment team, its green investment strategies manage $US17 billion in global assets supporting the energy transition, working with over 30 portfolio companies. The team of dedicated specialist green investors are committed to delivering solutions at scale that enable the transformation of energy systems and provide the secure energy required by communities and businesses into the future.

Macquarie Asset Management | macquarie.com

Encore Renewable Energy (Encore), a leading renewable energy developer, delivered a $20,000 donation to the Town of Georgia, Vermont. The company co-hosted a small event with the Town Selectboard this week. The donation is supported by Mill River Solar, a 4.95 megawatt ground-mounted solar array under construction in Georgia and a part of Encore’s recently launched Community Impact Program. 

Pictured left to right: Carl Rosenquist (Georgia Selectboard), Brian Dunsmore (Vice Chair of Georgia Selectboard), Chad Farrell (Founder and co-CEO, Encore Renewable Energy and Kristina Senna (Chair of Georgia Selectboard)

The donation enabled the town to purchase and install a new electronic sign in front of the Georgia Town Hall, capable of displaying images and videos to keep the town better informed with timely updates about various community events. The Town will use the sign for emergency alerts, event notices, and general information for the community. 

“Many solar projects are sited in smaller communities with incredibly tight budgets,” said Chad Farrell, founder and co-CEO of Encore. “Projects like Mill River Solar already contribute to local economies supporting local jobs and property tax revenue, but it’s critical that we maximize the positive impact of these projects to the local community. The Town Selectboard told us how challenging it was to update the previous static sign, and we’re honored to help make the vision for improved communications a reality.”  

“This sign is something we have been talking about for a while,” added Stacy Katon, a representative of the Georgia Town Selectboard. “Because of the high upfront costs, it’s been challenging to make the purchase until now. We are excited to leverage this new tool for years to come and see how it can bring the community closer together.”

This donation is part of Encore’s recently-established Community Impact Program to support community initiatives with every project they build, and contributes to the company’s broader mission to be a trusted partner for all stakeholders in the projects they develop and deliver. 

Encore Renewable Energy | encorerenewableenergy.com

Marmota Solutions Inc., a Canadian leader in environmental asset creation and sustainable decarbonization, has reached a groundbreaking milestone with the successful registration of its Marmota EV Charging Carbon Offset Program (MEVCCOP) under Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. Registered as VCS Project ID 5199, MEVCCOP utilizes the VM0038 methodology and has been independently validated by Earthood, an accredited VCS Validation and Verification Body (VVB). This pioneering initiative is now available to EV charging network owners and operators across the United States and Canada, excluding California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, to prevent double-counting with regional Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) programs.

MEVCCOP aims to accelerate the shift to electric mobility by generating high-integrity voluntary carbon credits from EV charging activities. It standardizes every step of the process—enrollment, data reporting, verification, and credit issuance—making participation seamless and transparent. The program supports ChargePoint Operators (CPOs), Mobility Service Providers (MSPs), Site Hosts, and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) with eligible Level 1, Level 2, and Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFC), both public and private.

“This registration marks a transformative step forward in scaling electric mobility and channelling carbon finance to support EV infrastructure. It is an exciting step for Marmota as we position ourselves to be the first to be able to support municipalities and organizations in Canada and the United States to meet the demand for high-quality, technology-based carbon credits,” said Marmota CEO Brian Storseth. “This Program empowers municipalities and organizations to align their sustainability goals with tangible climate action while also creating a new income stream.”

“MEVCCOP combines operational simplicity with environmental rigour,” said David Oliver, Head of Carbon Program Development. “By leveraging Verra’s robust framework, the world’s most widely recognized greenhouse gas crediting standard, and Earthood’s validation, we’re delivering a scalable solution that transforms EV charging into a powerful tool for decarbonization.”

Participants can join for free via Marmota’s online portal (app.marmota.ca) and report charging data annually, with Marmota managing verification and credit issuance through Verra.

Marmota Solutions I www.marmota.ca

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/