Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) began construction of the Chaparral Springs solar project in 2022, and at the time had plans for future a 52 MW / 208 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). That BESS is now online and provides 88 MW / 352 MWh of storage for energy produced by a nearby 174 MW solar plant.
The BESS is part of a broader, multi-phase initiative, according to LRE, that includes over 500 BESS storage containers. An LRE spokesperson told pv magazine USA that, Willow Springs, one of the Chaparral Springs project phases contains 228 containers each hold 28 battery packs. The Chaparral Springs storage facility includes 323 containers with 28 battery packs.
The batteries, provided by Powin, a U.S.-based energy storage specialist, are lithium iron phosphate (LFP). In an article by David Bly, he notes that is LFP is a completely different chemistry that that in the more common lithium battery. “With a much higher thermal runaway temperature… the potential for cell rupture due to thermal runaway is well outside of normal operating conditions, even on the hottest of days,” Bly noted.
LRE reports that the Chaparral Springs BESS is a 4-hour energy storage system designed to store solar energy during low-demand periods or when solar production exceeds grid capacity.
The energy generated by the solar facility will serve Peninsula Clean Energy and Valley Clean Energy, both community choice aggregators, under two 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs).
“Chaparral Springs BESS helps Valley Clean Energy deliver on its promise to provide clean, affordable, and reliable electricity to the communities we serve,” said Mitch Sears, Valley Clean Energy chief executive officer. “As the energy demand grows for homes and businesses, projects like this are critical for adding carbon-free capacity and improving grid reliability.”
“We are excited to have Chaparral Springs come online as one of our first hybrid solar+storage projects,” said Peninsula Clean Energy chief executive officer Shawn Marshall. “Our customers will benefit from the solar power it generates, along with the added capacity and reliability that comes with the battery component of the project.”
LRE is the developer, owner and operator of Chaparral Spring solar-plus-storage facility. The company was founded in Texas in 2003 and now owns and operates 30 utility-scale wind, solar and energy storage projects across the United States, totaling 4 GW of capacity.
In California, LRE’s six projects total 470 MW of capacity or enough clean electricity to power what the company reports is approximately 184,445 homes annually while offsetting nearly 198,410 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions each year.
LRE has a goal of achieving 10 GW of operating assets nationwide by 2028.
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