10 projects to watch in the solar-plus-storage pipeline

As the U.S. works to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy demand continues to increase. Developers and utilities continue to increase renewable energy, including solar generation, in the national energy mix to meet the demand.

Today approximately three percent of U.S. electricity comes from solar sources in solar photovoltaics (P.V.) and concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP). The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecast that in 2022, the solar power share would inch up to 5% in the U.S. energy mix, while by 2050, it would meet a fifth of the country’s electricity demand.

In its recent Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, the EIA predicted that by 2022, around 46.1 GW of new utility-scale electric generating capacity would be added to the U.S. power grid. Almost half of this will come from solar generation. Over half of the solar-plus-storage capacity shall be installed in three states during these two years, including 12 GW in Texas, 11 GW in California, and 4 GW in New York.

Source: FirmoGraphs Power Mart; reproduced from Qlik Sense Enterprise

FirmoGraphs monitors infrastructure projects from the concept to commercial operations and maintains this information in a uniform database, dashboards, and maps. This business intelligence is provided to interested parties such as U.S. infrastructure contractors. Data is sourced from industry news and filings with utility regulators in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

These are ten significant solar-plus-storage projects, which are in regulatory permitting stages. As highlighted in the table below, the projects have a combined capacity of generating 7.1 GW of solar power and hundreds of megawatt-hours of storage capacity. The summaries below the table also discuss added transmission lines and battery energy storage system (BESS).

*Estimated that battery will have a 4-hour duration

Chill Sun Solar Project, Nevada
Naturgy Candela Devco LLC filed notices in January 2022 with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to construct the Chill Sun Solar Project. It would consist of the photovoltaic solar facility up to 2,250 MW, a BEES, a 525-kV generation-tie line, and associated facilities. The project site is in the north of the town of Beatty in Nye County, Nevada, and is due to go into service by September 2027. The company will submit another application with PUCN for Utility Environmental Protection Act (UEPA) permit once it obtains other relevant licenses, including clearance from BLM.

American Glory Solar Project, Nevada
American Glory Solar LLC applied with the BLM in January 2022 to set up a photovoltaic power plant and battery storage facility northwest of Silver Peak in Esmeralda County, Nevada. It will generate 1,500 MW of electricity, set up a 230-kV generation tie line running from the site to the Amargosa substation, a BEES, and ancillary facilities. The project will include 1,000 MW DC-Coupled BEES and 500 MW AC-Coupled BESS. The duration of the BESS is expected to be between 4-8 hours, resulting in a total BESS capacity of between 6,000 MWh and 12,000 MWh. After this approval, the company will submit a UEPA application with the Commission seeking more permits to construct (PTC) the project.

Orken Solar Project, Nevada
Orken Solar, LLC plans to construct a 1,500 MW photovoltaic solar facility, a BEES, a 230-kV generation-tie line, and associated facilities. It has submitted a notice with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). After these approvals, Orken Solar will file a UEPA application with the PUCN for one or more permits to construct (PTC) the project. The proposed project is located in Nye County, Nevada.

Outpost Solar Project, Texas
Hecate Energy Outpost Solar LLC initiated the process to construct a photovoltaic electricity generating facility with a 513.7 MW capacity. In January 2022, Hecate Energy Outpost Solar LLC signed an ERCOT Standard Generation Interconnection Agreement with Electric Transmission Texas, LLC for this project. Electric Transmission Texas, LCC (ETT) then filed this agreement with the Public Utilities Commission, Texas (PUCT) for information purposes. It will be located in Webb County, around 17 miles southeast of Encinal, Texas.

Hornet Solar, Texas
Oncor Electric Delivery Company, LCC, and Hornet Solar filed an Interconnection Agreement in January 2022 with the Public Utilities Commission of Texas. It will evaluate its documents and decide whether the project is needed. This project is situated in Swisher County, Texas, with a nameplate capacity of 503.21 MW. It will reach commercial operation in December 2023. Earlier in December 2021, Hornet Solar, LLC (Generator) signed the Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC agreement for the solar project with 690 inverters, each rated at 0.807 MVA with a total gross capacity of 556.83 MVA.

Angelo Solar, Texas
Angelo Solar has submitted with the Public Utility Commission of Texas a Standard Generation Interconnection Agreement between LCRA Transmission Services Corporation and Angelo Solar, LCC. Both parties signed the agreement in December 2021. The plant is a solar generation facility with one Point of Interconnection to the grid. The nominal plant rating will be approximately 195 MW power at the Point of Interconnection.

Springwater Solar Project, Ohio
Springwater Solar, LLC filed a notification letter with the Ohio Power Siting Board to construct a solar-powered electric generation facility in Fairfield Township, Madison County, and Pleasant Township, Franklin County, Ohio. It would span over 1,150 acres, a generation capacity of 155MW, and a 75 MW BESS, with the capacity to power 32,000 homes per year. It is expected to start construction in early 2023 and achieve commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Winnebago Solar Project, Minnesota
Winnebago Solar and Storage LLC has applied in January 2022 for a Certificate of Need (CN) to Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to construct and operate the Winnebago Solar and Storage Project. It will have a generation capacity of 150 MW of photovoltaic energy and an associated BESS of 50 MW. The project spans over 1,208 acres within Verona and Prescott Townships, Faribault County, in South-Central Minnesota. Tracking PV panels are planned. The company plans to construct the plant on a schedule that facilitates an in-service date in late 2023 or early 2024.

Coyote Creek Agrivoltaic Ranch Project, California
Sacramento Valley Energy Center, LCC has initiated under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) a permit to construct (PTC) and operate the Coyote Creek Agrivoltaic Ranch project. It will be the largest solar project in Northern California and is expected to start construction next year. The project name contains “Agri” indicating that the project combines livestock operations with clean energy generation. Operations are slated to begin no later than 2024, with the plan to meet the power demands of 44,000 homes. The project combines a 200 MW solar array with a 100 MW / 400 MWh BESS on about 2,555 acres between Folsom and Rancho Murieta in Sacramento County. D. E.

Shaw Renewable Investments (DERI) is developing the project as Sacramento Valley Energy Center LLC with co-developer Bona Terra Energy. In March 2022, DERI and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) signed a power-purchase agreement. SMUD committed with DERI to buy power from this solar farm.

Beltran Solar Energy Center, California
Beltran Solar, LLC initiated under the California Environmental Quality Act to amend the existing conditional use permit (CUP) for the Beltran Ranch Solar Facility, also known as the Beltran Solar Energy Center. The Stanislaus County Planning Commission originally approved this CUP in April 2013. It was subsequently supported by a Mitigation Negative Declaration (MND). The original plan was to construct and operate this 140 MW solar photovoltaic project in three phases on 606 acres. Thus far, none of the phases have been developed. Recently, Beltran has proposed its construction in a single phase in 18 months and within the original project site covered by the 2013 permit. The construction of a proposed 34.5-kV collector line from the Beltran project to the Proxima solar energy center substation has been added recently, along with other ancillary facilities.