Big solar projects in the U.S. are back in style and growing in number.
We’re not talking about the super massive projects such as the 895 MW Gemini project or the 550 MW Desert Sunlight First Solar project.
We’re talking about the proliferation of 100 MW-plus solar projects now in development that are happening in unexpected places.
WoodMac expects the number of solar projects larger than 120 MWac commissioned in the U.S. to grow from 11 in 2019 to 32 in 2021.
These large solar projects are no longer driven by RPS edicts but by corporate buyers and the sheer competitive pricing of solar or solar-plus-storage compared to other generation sources.
And if there’s one solar segment that can weather a pandemic, it’s utility-scale photovoltaics. Utility-scale supply chains are delayed, not broken — and it’s easier to work safely on a 1,000-acre solar project than on a home. Solar construction firms like Rosendin and developers like 8-Minute Energy continue to build big solar projects.
We’re rounding up and tracking these big construction sites. (Last week saw Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Arkansas develop record-size projects.) Here’s this week’s collection of big project news.
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Fern Solar: Unique 134 MW project in North Carolina
Global renewables developer BayWa r.e. secured a tax equity investment and construction term financing for the 134 MW Fern Solar project in Edgecombe County, North Carolina — with RBC Capital Markets syndicating the tax equity investment. Construction is already underway with the project due for completion and commissioning in the second half of this year. Rabobank and Banco Sabadell will provide construction and term financing.
The project will provide solar power to six U.S. brands (Bloomberg, Cox Enterprises, Gap Inc, Salesforce and Workday) through a market-first, multi-party virtual PPA (VPPA) with the Corporate Renewable Energy Aggregation Group, and Starbucks, which has also signed a VPPA.
The VPPA, facilitated by LevelTen Energy, contracted a total of 42.5 MW from the Fern Project’s output. Starbucks also entered into a VPPA with BayWa r.e. for 46 MW.
When complete, the Fern solar field will comprise 353,276 solar panels and 42 inverters.
200 MW Prairie Wolf in Illinois powers Cargill
Geronimo Energy, a National Grid company, and Cargill executed a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) for the Prairie Wolf solar project in Coles County, Illinois.
Prairie Wolf is a 200 MW solar project in the MISO market, anticipated to begin operations at the end of 2021. Once operational, Prairie Wolf is poised to represent the largest single solar investment in the State of Illinois, as well as one of the largest solar developments east of the Mississippi and one of the largest single project VPPAs in the country.
“In addition to being climate-positive, Prairie Wolf is also an agriculture-positive project,” added Blake Nixon, CEO for Geronimo, in a release. “Renewable energy projects like Prairie Wolf provide much needed stability and predictability for America’s farming communities.”
500 MW Pecan Prairie in Leon County, Texas
ConnectGen, a Houston-based renewables developer, is planning a 500 MW solar power project in Leon County, Texas.
The Pecan Prairie Solar project would be built on 1,300 acres in the southwestern part of the county. The first phase of the project would install about 150 megawatts of capacity, said CEO Caton Fenz, quoted in the Houston Business Journal.
330 MW from Belltown in ERCOT
Belltown Power Texas, a developer of solar photovoltaic projects in ERCOT, completed a transaction with an investment partner for a portfolio of shovel-ready PV projects totaling 330 MW. The projects are located in the ERCOT North Zone and construction is expected to start immediately across all three sites with commercial operations expected between December 2020 and March 2021.
The projects include: the 81 MW Rippey site in Cooke County, contracted with an affiliate of Vistra Energy for the offtake of 100% of its power generation; as well as the 81 MW Kellam site in Van Zandt County and the 168 MW Coniglio site in Fannin County, both contracted with Rayburn Country Electric Cooperative.
Belltown’s co-founder Lloyd Pope said, “This represents a key milestone for the Belltown portfolio, having developed these projects from greenfield all the way to NTP. We are pleased with the partner we have found to bring these projects forward to COD and beyond.”
God bless the TVA
The Tennessee Valley Authority selected First Solar and Origis Energy to develop 212 MWAC of solar power to fulfill the Knoxville Utilities Board’s March 2020 commitment to new renewable energy. KUB is using the TVA Green Invest program to produce carbon-free energy equivalent to 8% of KUB’s annual electric load.
As part of the initiative, TVA has entered into a 20-year PPA with the 177 MW Ridgely Energy Farm in Lake County, Tennessee, developed by First Solar. With this agreement, TVA has now contracted for a total of 404 MW of First Solar developed projects, including an existing 20-year PPA for the 227 MW project in Muscle Shoals.
Earlier this year, TVA announced a contract with Origis Energy to develop a 200-MW solar site in Lowndes County, Mississippi, for TVA, with 35 MW of this facility supporting KUB’s Green Invest purchase.
That’s the big project news from just the last week.
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“These large solar projects are no longer driven by RPS edicts but by corporate buyers and the sheer competitive pricing of solar or solar-plus-storage compared to other generation sources.”
This is the trend since the mega to gigawatt solar PV projects floated in the 2003 to 2007 time frame. The problem, way too much power generation during the solar PV peak generation portion of the day and no place to sell it. Curtailment of a non-fueled generation asset is wasteful and inefficient. Now smaller projects with energy storage as part of the project, creates one project with many stacked grid service applications and multiple revenue streams from one asset. It didn’t make sense to electric utilities to sign a 25 year PPA on a 500MW solar PV farm and have to “curtail” the plants output or pay another State to take the excess generation and pay ‘them’ to take the excess. Now, smaller projects, 100MWp and energy storage could be used for grid regulation, storage of excess solar PV generation during the day and use of this energy in the evening hours to service grid demands. Sooner or later the utility will figure out solar PV farm, save most of the daily generation into a large energy storage facility and use time shifted daytime non-fueled generation to service the grid at night time. The distribution of these “smaller” projects with energy storage can become the new normal generation and use electricity market.
I am so glad to see solar grow. Wind farm on land are a menace in my opinion. They secretly invade a region, have land owners sign non disclosure agreements, divide a community and then won’t put up money to dismantle the turbines after the 20 year lifespan is over! We fought this in the northern Adirondack town of Parishville and Hopkinton, so far.
Go safe quiet low to ground solar. Only drawback is takes away production of crops and hay fields.