New ERCOT battery rule could limit energy storage use in grid emergencies, operators say .

New state of charge rules “will substantially reduce energy storage participation in the ancillary markets and reduce competition,” Eolian CEO Aaron Zubaty said.

Two new local projects will add 400 megawatts of non-emitting capacity, helping PGE integrate more clean energy into its portfolio

PORTLAND, Ore., April 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR) today announced the procurement of 400 megawatts (MWAC) of new battery storage projects – a critical tool in Oregon's clean energy transition and the largest single procurement of standalone energy storage to date by a utility in the U.S. outside the state of California. These projects, located at substations close to electrical demand, will store enough electricity to power all PGE customer homes in a city the size of Portland for an entire evening on battery-delivered energy alone

BY ISABELLA O MALLEY

Published 7:15 AM MDT, April 28, 2023
Portland General Electric, the utility serving Portland, Oregon, announced Friday it is putting in the second-largest battery storage installation in the United States, at 400 MW of power. The significance of such projects is they diminish the need for power plants that burn fossil fuels that warm the planet.

Lightsource bp closes financing and mobilizes construction on largest solar project in Arkansas under agreement with Entergy Arkansas

• Build-transfer agreement with Entergy Arkansas for the 313-megawatt dc solar project facilitated financing

• At end of construction and start of commercial operation, Entergy Arkansas will assume facility ownership and operations

• Project to create up to 400 construction jobs, utilizing the local workforce and subcontractors

Lightsource bp has successfully closed on a $327 million financing package and mobilized construction on the 313 megawatt dc (250 megawatt ac) Driver Solar project located near Osceola in Mississippi County, Arkansas. Lightsource bp completed development, permitted and financed the project and will construct the facility under a build-transfer agreement with Entergy Arkansas announced last year. Upon completion, at 313 MW Driver Solar will be the largest solar farm in Entergy Arkansas’ portfolio as well as the largest in the state of Arkansas, generating enough energy to power more than 50,000 homes.

Wärtsilä Corporation, Trade press release 27 March 2023 at 11:00 UTC+2

Madero and Ignacio energy storage facility will provide Texas’ ERCOT grid with needed flexibility amidst growing energy demand and extreme weather events. ©Eolian

The facility is also first-of-its-kind financed with the Investment Tax Credit to provide critically needed dispatchable resource to meet urgent and growing demand for flexibility in Texas power market

The technology group Wärtsilä has reached commercial operation date (COD) for two major interconnected energy storage systems in South Texas totaling 200 MW and owned by Eolian L.P. (Eolian), a portfolio company of Global Infrastructure Partners. The Madero and Ignacio energy storage plants will be operated using Eolian software, enabling full participation in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market. This will add much needed year-round reliable operational ramping capacity to the system. The order for Wärtsilä was booked in February 2021.

February 9, 2023 (SAN ANTONIO) – CPS Energy, the largest municipally owned electric and natural gas utility in the United States, has reached agreements with three companies, closing out the utility’s FlexPOWER Bundle initiative stemming from the RFP that was launched in 2020. In total, the FlexPOWER Bundle will deliver 580 megawatts (MW) of solar, 50 MW of storage, and 500 MW of natural gas firming capacity. The utility will issue a new and separate RFP in the first quarter of 2023 to procure up to an additional 320 MW of solar, to include community solar proposals, to add to its generation portfolio.

Albuquerque’s Energy Grid Gets Major Capital Investment: New Mexico’s Energy Storage System Paves Way for a Green Future.

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI), a leading renewable energy producer in the U.S., today announced the signing of a long-term renewable energy off-take agreement with Meta. The Long Lake Project (Long Lake) will be a 200 megawatt (MWac) facility in Phillips County, Arkansas. DESRI has executed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Meta to provide energy and capacity for its growing energy needs in the region.

LEXINGTON, Ore., Sept. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, state and local leaders joined NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, and Portland General Electric (PGE) to celebrate the commissioning of the first utility-scale energy facilities in North America to co-locate wind, solar and battery storage, generating renewable power for customers.

BOSTON, July 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Enel Green Power North America has acquired a 3.2 GW1 portfolio of solar and solar-plus-storage projects from Dakota Renewable Energy, a joint venture between Dakota Power Partners and Eolian. The 24 development-stage projects, including 450 MW of storage capacity, are located in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Western United States and are planned for commercial operation beginning in 2023.

Washington, D.C., June 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Washington, D.C.-based Sol Systems, LLC (“Sol Systems”), announced the acquisition of a 91 megawatt (MWdc) solar development project in Spencer County, Indiana from Orion Renewable Power Resources, LLC (“Orion”), a joint venture between Orion Renewable Energy Group LLC and Eolian, L.P. (“Eolian”). The project, known as Grandview, is part of Sol Systems’ Impact + Infrastructure growth strategy.

“This acquisition builds on Sol Systems’ significant footprint in the Midwest,” said Yuri Horwitz, CEO of Sol Systems. “We are eager to kick-off the construction phase of this project which will bring new clean energy and opportunities to the local community and region.”

May 02, 2022 01:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time

ORANGE, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avangrid Renewables, LLC, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), today announced that it has achieved commercial operation at its 200 Megawatt (MW) Golden Hills wind farm in Sherman County, Oregon. The facility, which provides enough clean, renewable electricity to Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to power over 60,000 homes annually, began operations on April 29, 2022.

The project will help PSE meet its goals to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while providing additional capacity to serve customers, particularly during winter periods of high electricity demand. The project is Avangrid Renewables’ 7th wind project in Sherman County, 11th in Oregon, and 14th in the Pacific Northwest.

“Delivering on this project represents an important milestone for Avangrid Renewables as we continue to build on our robust portfolio of project in the Pacific Northwest region and advance our position as a leading renewable energy developer in the U.S.,” said Jose Antonio Miranda, Avangrid Renewables’ president and CEO, Onshore. “We are pleased to work with Puget Sound Energy to help it meet its ambitious goals to reduce emissions and provide clean, reliable power to its customers.

Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking, acting as Sole Lead Arranger and Letter of Credit Issuer, has announced the closing of a USD $100 million Letter of Credit Facility on November 11, 2021, to support Eolian, L.P. Eolian was formed in December 2020 through a consolidation of energy assets that had been assembled starting in 2005 by the founding management team and today includes an expansive nationwide development portfolio as well as revenue interests in more than 20,000 MW of operating energy storage, solar and wind projects across the United States. Eolian is owned by its employees and funds managed by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a global, independent infrastructure investor. Eolian expands on GIP's global renewables investment strategy, which has a proven track record of value creation. GIP's current portfolio includes approximately $9 billion of equity investments and commitments in the sector, equity ownership interests in over 14 GW of operating renewable and battery storage assets, and 99 GW under construction or in development.

NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI), a leading renewable energy producer in the U.S., today announced the signing of three renewable energy off-take agreements with Entergy Louisiana (ELL). The solar facilities will be built under power purchase agreements (PPAs) or build transfer agreements (BTAs) with ELL to support its growing renewable energy portfolio in the region and help power local customers' electricity needs:

The Vacherie Solar Energy Center (Vacherie) will be a 150 MWac facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana;

The SJ Louisiana Solar Project (SJ Solar) will be a 150 MWac facility in St. James Parish, adjacent to Vacherie;

The Sunlight Road Solar Project (Sunlight Road) will be a 50 MWac solar facility in Washington Parish.

LONGUEUIL, QC, Nov. 17, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. (TSX: INE) ("Innergex" or the "Corporation") announces the tax equity funding of the 200 MW Amazon Solar Farm Ohio – Hillcrest ("Hillcrest"), located in Brown County, Ohio, concluded today. Hillcrest is currently the largest solar facility in operation in Ohio, and since the commencement of commercial operation on May 11, 2021, 100% of its generated electric output and environmental attributes has been sold under a long-term corporate power purchase agreement to an investment grade rated US corporation.

"This is Innergex's second largest solar farm commissioned to date, which adds 200 MW to our solar portfolio," said Michel Letellier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Innergex. "While the commissioning of Hillcrest contributes to Innergex's energy diversification efforts, Ohio represents an exciting new market for us, one that provides the opportunity for us to build clean utility-scale solar that will benefit Ohioans for decades. "

Intermountain Healthcare is taking a major step in sustainability by joining a utility-scale solar project near Huntington, Utah, that will supply 20 percent of the health system’s total electricity needs.

The new power purchase agreement from the Castle Solar Project, owned and being developed by D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI), will supply Intermountain facilities with clean renewable energy for the next 20 years.

Paris, February 5, 2021 – Total strengthens its presence in the U.S. market by acquiring a development pipeline of 2.2 GW of solar projects, and 600 MW of battery storage assets, all located in Texas. The projects are bought from SunChase Power, a renewable energy company focused on developing utility-scale energy projects, and MAP RE/ES, a private energy investment firm.