Longroad’s largest solar project to begin commercial operations in mid-2025

Longroad Energy announced it is on track to complete the construction of its Sun Streams 4 solar and storage facility in Maricopa County, Ariz.

First Solar will provide Longroad with 800,000 Series 6 Plus solar modules. The cadmium telluride bifacial panels have a 455- to 480-watt capacity and offer up to 19% efficiency. Nextracker will supply its NX Horizon trackers, which have been configured to withstand Arizona’s extreme heat and overall climate. Sungrow’s utility-scale inverters feature an integrated current and voltage monitoring function that allow remote analysis and troubleshooting.  

Powin, a U.S.-based energy storage system manufacturer, will provide a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a duration of 1200 MWh. It will include SMA inverters and cells from the Automotive Energy Supply Corporation, a Japanese lithium-ion electric vehicle battery developer. 

Powin says its modular and scalable Centipede Energy Storage platform arrives at the field built, pre-integrated and performance-tested in an outdoor enclosure, reducing installation time by 50%. The BESS has built-in emergency features that detect hydrogen levels and activate ventilation when necessary. 

U.S.-based national construction business McCarthy Building Companies Inc. is providing engineering, procurement and construction services for this project, which is the third Sun Streams 4 complex in the area. Other Longroad plants include Sun Streams 2, a 200 MWdc solar plant that began operations in mid-2021, and Sun Streams 3. The facility consists of a 285 MWdc solar array and BESS with a 215 MWac capacity and 860 MWh duration. The project, which is still in development, is expected to start commercial operations next year. 

McCarthy said it plans to hire over 250 people during Sun Stream 4’s peak construction phase, expected to run through July of next year. McCarthy is paying prevailing wages and leveraging over 65 registered operators and carpenter apprentices per Inflation Reduction Act tax incentive requirements. McCarthy states it is paying apprentices 70% to 95% of the project’s workers in the same occupation and receiving the Investment Tax Credit as a result. 

“Longroad is proud of the solar workforce we are helping to build and support in Arizona through our partnership with McCarthy,” said Paul Gaynor, CEO of Longroad. “Sun Streams 4 is one of our first projects to incorporate provisions from the IRA.”

The solar and storage facility is expected to generate over $100 million in revenue for Arizona schools and communities through long-term leases with the Arizona State Land Department and tax remittances. 

Longroad will collaborate with Powin and NovaSource Power Services, a solar O&M service provider, to manage Sun Streams 4’s long-term operations.