Sunrise brief: Wärtsilä to supply solar-plus-storage tech to RWE Renewables project

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Wärtsilä will provide a 40 MW/80 MWh DC-coupled solar-plus-storage system to RWE Renewables’ 200 MW Hickory Park Solar project under construction in Georgia.

Wärtsilä said its GridSolv Quantum energy storage system is being designed to operate with CATL batteries. RWE will sell the energy and renewable attributes from the facility to Georgia Power through the utility’s Renewable Energy Development Initiative program. The project is expected to be online in late 2021.

Wärtsilä said its technology will provide Georgia Power with a day-ahead firming solar-plus-storage profile, intended to improve the predictability of intermittent solar generation. Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for September.

In March, Wärtsilä said it would supply energy storage technology for two projects with a combined rated capacity of 200 MW in south Texas. The Madero and Ignacio plants will provide grid support, including frequency regulation, to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

The order was placed by Able Grid Energy Solutions, a utility-scale energy storage project development arm of MAP RE/ES. Wärtsilä has also signed 10-year guaranteed asset performance agreements for the equipment. As part of the deal, Wärtsilä is supplying its GridSolv Quantum energy storage technology as well as a management platform to monitor and control energy flow.

The agreement includes maintenance services, an availability guarantee, and a flexible capacity guarantee based on usage. The systems are expected to enter service in January 2022.

Design milestone

Aurora Solar said that its software has been used to design 5 million solar projects worldwide, a gain of 1 million projects in five months. The company’s technology that enables solar professionals to remotely design and sell solar and storage projects. In November, Aurora said that it had raised $50 million in a Series B led by Iconiq Growth, along with existing investors Energize Ventures, Fifth Wall, and Pear VC. That fundraising brought the company’s total investment to more than $70 million.

Our new hydrogen hub

Green hydrogen could be the clean fuel to unlock hard-to-electrify sectors of the economy. Recently, we’ve seen a wave of change in this industry, with advancements in technology and new projects. As a result, we’ve created the pv magazine Hydrogen Hub to keep you updated. As solar PV professionals, let us know which topics are of most interest to you by emailing editors@pv-magazine.com!

Portfolio investment

A group of Nebraska investors completed a $9.9 million solar tax equity deal for a portfolio of projects in New York State. The portfolio is expected to generate over 19,900 MWh of solar energy per year for community solar subscribers.

Nelnet Renewable Energy will serve as the lead investor and fund manager. Co-investors include Adams Bank & Trust and West Gate Bank, both of Nebraska.

iSun expands market reach

In a deal worth $2.7 million, iSun bought all of the intellectual property of Oakwood Construction Services, a utility-scale solar EPC company. Under terms of the sale, $1.0 million is due immediately with the remaining $1.7 million contingent upon achieving certain milestones.

The deal is expected to provide iSun with access to the build-transfer utility-scale solar EPC market and expand its geographic reach to South Carolina, Utah, and Colorado. The strategy is to develop, build, and sell large projects directly to utility clients.

 

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