Lightsource bp said it signed a power purchase agreement with Amazon for a new 375 MW solar project under development in west central Ohio. Once complete, the solar facility is expected to deliver nearly 600,000 MWh annually of renewable energy for local Amazon operations.
Earlier, Amazon announced nine new utility-scale solar and wind energy projects in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Amazon said it aims to power 100% of its activities with renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of its original goal of 2030.
The Ohio solar project will be located in Auglaize and Allen counties and will represent an estimated $314-364 million of investment by Lightsource bp and project backers.
OG&E doubles its Choctaw Nation solar project
Oklahoma Gas and Electric said it will expand its Choctaw Nation/OG&E Solar Energy Center in southern Oklahoma by 5 MW bringing the total solar capacity to 10 MW. OG&E will build, own, and operate the expansion, which is expected to come online by the end of 2021.
OG&E is also building a 5 MW solar facility in western Arkansas which should be completed in the second half of 2021. That project will be the company’s first universal solar offering to Arkansas customers.
Universal solar offers the opportunity for customers to add solar energy to their personal energy portfolios. Part of the new solar expansion in Durant, Oklahoma, will be available for all of the utility’s Oklahoma-based customers.
Montana utility adds 50 MW BESS
Montana-based NorthWestern Energy plans to use a 50 MW lithium-ion battery storage system as one of several resources to deliver 325 MW of new dispatchable capacity resources.
The utility also agreed to acquire energy from a 175 MW natural gas plant and 100 MW of predominantly hydroelectric resources from BC Hydro. State regulators now need to approve the new resources.
The contracts were entered into as part of the utility’s competitive solicitation process for long-term capacity resources issued in January 2020. The new capacity is expected to address more than half of NorthWestern Energy’s expected deficit in its Montana supply portfolio. It said the shortfall is becoming more critical as some coal plants and other capacity resources are being shut down.
The battery energy storage system is expected to be available by the end of 2023, and will enable the utility to store excess wind energy.
Sungrow supplies Iowa inverters
Sungrow said it supplied 34 inverters for a 127.5 MW solar facility in Wapello, Iowa, in the state’s far eastern part. The Wapello Solar project was developed by Clēnera and constructed by RES.
One of the largest solar projects in Iowa, Wapello Solar entered service in early March. The project includes 318,000 Risen Energy bifacial solar panels, which are fixed to FTC Solar’s Voyager single-axis trackers.
Sunnova enters new markets
Sunnova Energy International said it will begin offering services in Ohio and North Carolina. Both states will have access to Sunnova’s SunSafe solar + battery storage service, and +SunSafe add-on battery service. Sunnova said it will be one of the first national residential solar and energy storage service providers to enter the Ohio market.
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