National Grid Renewables has started commercial operations at its Noble Solar and Storage Project in Denton County, Texas. Noble is a 275 MW solar and 125 MWh energy storage project located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market that began construction last year.
“With the start of operation at our Noble project, National Grid Renewables brings online our first utility-scale energy storage project, as well as our largest solar energy project to-date,” states Blake Nixon, president of National Grid Renewables. “Clean energy projects like Noble are tangible examples of how National Grid Renewables’ commitment to doing the right thing benefits local and global communities both economically and environmentally.”
The Home Depot and NRG Energy Inc. have each executed individual 100 MW solar power purchase agreements (PPA), and The Hershey Company has contracted for a 50 MW solar PPA for Noble.
“The Home Depot is proud of our efforts to reduce our carbon emissions,” says Ron Jarvis, chief sustainability officer for The Home Depot. “This partnership will further our renewable energy capacity, as we work towards our pledge of producing or procuring 100 percent renewable electricity equivalent to the electricity needs for all Home Depot facilities by 2030.”
“Power plays a significant role in decarbonizing our economy, and we are proud to stand together with other corporate leaders as we bring new renewable developments online,” states Robert Gaudette, executive vice president of NRG Business. “We look forward to bringing more energy solutions to our customers and our communities as we all embark down a more sustainable and resilient path.”
“Noble and similar solar projects make a meaningful impact toward achieving our ambitious science-based targets,” says Leigh Horner, vice president of global sustainability and corporate communications at The Hershey Company. “Through continued investment in solar energy and other initiatives, we’re on track to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by more than 50 percent and Scope 3 by 25 percent by 2030.”
Noble utilizes next-generation Series 6 thin film solar modules developed and produced by First Solar Inc. Recently, First Solar and National Grid Renewables announced a 2 GW supply of solar modules scheduled for delivery 2024-2025.
“As America’s solar company, we’re proud that our technology will power this project, which, in turn, will power businesses and communities in Texas,” comments Adam Smith, First Solar’s vice president of global business development. “This is yet another milestone in our journey with National Grid Renewables, and we thank them for their continued trust in our technology.”
Noble also utilizes Fluence Energy’s sixth-generation Gridstack product for energy storage and was constructed by Signal Energy.
“We are honored to be a part of National Grid Renewables’ first utility-scale solar plus energy storage project to help deliver clean and reliable energy in the ERCOT market,” says John Zahurancik, SVP and president of Americas at Fluence. “This project is a great example of how solar plus storage deployments deliver impactful environmental benefits and reliable energy. We are proud to stand alongside leaders like National Grid Renewables, working shoulder to shoulder with energy users and suppliers to support the clean energy transition.”
“The Noble project is a great example of what can be accomplished with the right partners that share the same vision,” adds Ryan Johnson, president of Signal Energy. “Signal is truly humbled to be a part of this monumental project that helps create a sustainable energy future.”