Morning Brief: 39 GW of new solar generation likely online in US by end of 2024

Also in the brief: 6 practical steps to improve community safety near lithium-ion energy storage systems, plus Electriq Power, LS Power and building solar on old mining sites.

September 30, 2020 Eric Wesoff

Prospero 1 project

There are 38,846 MW of U.S. solar power projects planned for completion by the end of 2024 that include distinct, disclosed utility interconnects. U.S. solar projects that are planned for completion from 2020 through 2024, including those with and without interconnect information, totaled 92,874 MW, or roughly 93 GW. Southern California Edison and Virginia Electric and Power were the top two utilities, with respectively 3,453 MW and 2,907 MW of potential solar projects targeted for interconnection to their corresponding systems by the end of 2022 and 2023. Source: S&P Global

6 practical steps to improve community safety near lithium-ion energy storage systems (a contributed piece by Steve Kerber, VP of research at UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute.): As the lithium-ion battery energy storage system (ESS) industry grows and demand for renewable energy increases, ESS facilities will likely continue to proliferate in communities and urban areas around the world, providing multiple benefits, along with some risks. Lithium-ion batteries are generally very safe, but they have been linked to fire, explosion and hazardous material exposure under certain conditions. The April 2019 explosion at a 2.16 MWh lithium-ion battery ESS site in Surprise, Arizona, left four firefighters severely injured and spurred the energy industry and first responders to grapple with new safety considerations. So what can be done right now to improve safety? Read more at Utility Dive

LS Power has entered into an agreement to sell its interests in the Dover Sun Park, the Arlington Valley Solar Energy II and the Centinela Solar Energy projects to Capital Dynamics. LS Power was the original developer of these projects, which entered commercial operations in 2011, 2013 and 2014 respectively. The projects in the sale agreement are:

Dover Sun Park – 11 MWdc; Dover, Delaware
Arlington Valley Solar Energy II (LS Power’s 30% interest) – 53 MWdc; Maricopa County, Arizona
Centinela Solar Energy – 252 MWdc; Imperial County, California Source: LS Power

Two former Michigan mine sites will be repurposed as large-scale solar power operations: Circle Power of Royal Oak has been awarded a 5-year land lease agreement with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to develop large-scale solar arrays at the sites, which will be developed through its affiliate, Copper Country Power. The two sites to be developed for solar power include the Groveland Mine in Dickinson County, a former 347-acre iron mine tailings site gifted to the state and 7 Mile Pit in Crawford County, a 169-acre property previously use for sand and gravel mining the state acquired through tax reversion. “An installed project could provide $50,000-$100,000 per year in lease payments to the DNR in addition to generating state and local revenue through property taxes,” Jordan Roberts, managing partner at Circle Power, said. Source: mlive

Electriq Power, a developer of integrated home energy storage entered into an agreement with Lilypad Energy, a provider of data analytics solutions for the energy industry focusing on battery energy storage applications. Lilypad Energy will enhance the performance capabilities of Electriq Power’s fleet of residential and small commercial battery systems that can be paired with or without solar. Source: Electriq Power

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