The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is making $30 million in funding available for the third round of the Future Grid Challenge for projects that identify solutions to the technical challenges of integrating renewable resources into the electric grid. Up to $3 million per project is available for single or team providers that propose to study, develop or demonstrate innovative technologies that support modern transmission and distribution. These efforts support New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) goal to achieve 70% renewable electricity by 2030.

“With the release of this latest round of the Future Grid Challenge, we are seeking to support critical technology solutions that will allow the electric grid to continue to handle increasing amounts of renewable energy,” says Doreen M. Harris, NYSERDA’s president and CEO. “Investments in innovation are investments in a grid of the future that incorporates clean energy and allows for dynamic management and operation to ensure resilient and reliable transmission and distribution, even when factoring in the impacts of climate change.”

NYSERDA is seeking proposals that support implementing advanced technologies that can play a vital role in ensuring reliability of the transmission and distribution system, reducing cost, and allowing for faster integration of renewables, while helping the state to meet its ambitious climate goals. This challenge seeks to address high-priority grid technologies including power flow control devices; energy storage for transmission and distribution services; tools for improving operator situational awareness; transformer monitoring; advanced high-temperature, low sag conductors; compact tower design; distribution energy management systems; and grid impacts from offshore wind interconnection.

Solicitation proposals are due by 3:00 p.m. on November 2, 2022.

“Supporting the development of new technology is critically important as we deal aggressively with the need to create a clean energy grid,” comments Rory M. Christian, CEO of the Department of Public Service. “The new technology that will be created will help ensure transmission and distribution system reliability, while speeding integration of renewables that will assist New York in meeting its nation-leading climate goals.” 

The Future Grid Challenge is part of NYSERDA’s Smart Grid Program included in the State’s Clean Energy Fund (CEF) Grid Modernization Program, which is providing a total of $110 million through 2026 to further research, develop and provide funding for innovative solutions that support the advancement of a smart, modernized electric grid, remove barriers and enable the utility investments necessary for full deployment at scale of advanced technologies for the power grid. Since 2016, NYSERDA’s Smart Grid program has awarded approximately $57 million under 100 contracts to grid technology companies and research organizations for projects including low-cost, high-accuracy grid sensors, modeling and simulation tools, and advanced engineering solutions for more effective integration of renewable energy resources.

Administered by NYSERDA, the Future Grid Challenge offers funding to grid technology companies and research institutions that address challenges ranging from the need for greater real-time system data to incorporating smart technologies and energy storage into power grid planning and operations. Challenges are developed in partnership with the Joint Utilities of New York members Con Edison, Central Hudson Gas & Electric, National Grid, New York State Electric and Gas, Rochester Gas & Electric, and Orange & Rockland to accommodate renewable energy sources and understanding their impact on the transmission and distribution systems. Together, these utilities provide electric service to over 13 million households, businesses, and government facilities across the state.

Image: “Solar Panel” by redplanet89 is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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David Dunlap

Global renewable energy company BayWa r.e. is bringing new options to solar installation partners across the U.S. by adding Duracell Power Center‘s suite of turnkey residential energy technology products to its line card.

Duracell Power Center’s integrated energy storage solution works with new or existing rooftop solar installations to allow homeowners the energy freedom to self-power their home, giving them the security of 100% reliable, fully automated back-up power and reducing dependency on the grid with their own microgrid. These AC-coupled, scalable battery systems – available in modular units of 5 kW and 10 kW with 14 kWh to 42 kWh of storage – feature automatic islanding during outages, load shifting to take advantage of time-of-use electricity rates, and 24/7 real-time monitoring via a mobile app user interface for both installers and homeowners.

BayWa r.e. will distribute Duracell Home Ecosystem, a comprehensive solar-plus-storage solution which includes the energy storage system, as well as solar PV microinverters and EV charging products, with mobile app monitoring for the entire ecosystem. 

“The home storage segment has struggled with à la carte solutions, as you typically have equipment from different manufacturers that must work together and communicate in order to provide energy management services in the home,” says David Dunlap, vice president of product strategy at BayWa r.e. Solar Systems LLC. “Because Power Center seamlessly brings everything together in one system with an iconic brand name that customers trust, this partnership will give our installer partners an attractive home storage offering.”

“We’re excited to expand the market for our residential energy technology products, reach more homeowners and provide greater access for our national network of certified installers through BayWa r.e.’s national distribution network,” states Aakar Patel, Power Center’s president.  “Homeowners and installers alike want residential energy systems to be easy to integrate and simple to use, and this combined with Duracell’s brand recognition and desirability gives customers the confidence they need to make this major investment in their home.”

The Duracell Home Ecosystem energy storage system line uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries backed by a 10-year warranty and performance guarantee and has been proven in the field for more than a decade across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. These systems ship fully integrated on a single pallet and offer an easy installation process that is compatible with any new or existing solar PV system and inverter. They also work seamlessly with Duracell Home Ecosystem solar PV microinverters and EV charging products, which further expand homeowners’ choices from the company’s suite of turnkey residential energy solutions. Power Center products are in stock and available through the BayWa r.e. online store.

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The Maverick ground mounted solar PV arrays at Palen Solar. Image: Business Wire.

EDF Renewables North America has fully commissioned Palen Solar, a multi-stage solar PV project on public lands in California administered by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The clean energy independent power producer (IPP) subsidiary of French energy multinational EDF said yesterday that the project’s 457MWac/620MWdc of ground mounted PV with horizontal single axis trackers and its 50MW/200MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) are now all fully up and running.

This follows an update from the Department of the Interior – of which BLM is an office – earlier this month reported by our sister site PV Tech to that effect, with EDF’s release yesterday adding a few project details.

Palen Solar includes four separate phases, the first of which went online in December 2020. The battery storage system was the final piece to be commissioned. They are as follows:

Maverick 1: 173MWdc/125 MWac

Maverick 4: 137MWdc/100 MWac

Maverick 6: 131MWdc/100 MWac with 50MW/200MWh battery storage

Maverick 7: 179MWdc/132 MWac

The power plants are all in California’s Riverside County, and received approval from the BLM in 2018, on unincorporated land designated suitable for renewable energy development.

EDF signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with fellow energy major Shell for a 100MW tranche of the project, also in 2018.

“The renewable energy industry has experienced significant volatility over the past years battling both unprecedented pandemic and supply chain constraints. We are excited to now have all four projects operating at full capacity and to contribute to California’s climate goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030,” EDF Renewables North America’s senior VP for implementation and project management Benoit Rigal said.

Operations and maintenance (O&M) of the plant will be carried out by EDF’s own asset optimisation group, including maximising power production through NERC compliance support, remote monitoring, and balance-of-plant management.   

Yesterday, Energy-Storage.news reported that another battery project on BLM-managed land in Riverside County has gone online. A 230MW BESS adjacent to an existing solar power plant has achieved the start of commercial operations, the Department of the Interior said. The project, Desert Sunlight, was developed by NextEra Resources, which also owns the solar farm of the same name next door.

It is part of a concerted effort for BLM to open up otherwise unused lands or brownfield sites to clean energy developments. PV Tech has reported on several other such development projects that have been granted approval, including a 250MW solar-plus-storage project in Arizona by Revolve Renewable Power and Oberon Solar, a 500MW solar project with 500MW of battery storage from developer Intersect Power, also in Riverside County.  

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The ribbon cutting ceremony at Agilitas’ Rhode Island BESS. Image: Business Wire.

Duke Energy and Agilitas Energy have completed utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) deployments in the US states of Florida and Rhode Island, respectively, totalling 14MW of power.

The projects are relatively small compared to large-scale deployments in leading energy storage markets like Texas or California but exemplify the diversification of the market across the US away from the handful of leading states. They are also noteworthy for, in some cases, going well past one-hour durations.

Duke Energy Florida completed the Micanopy battery site in Alachua County, a 8.25MW system, and a second one in Hamilton County totalling 5.5MW.

The energy company did not reveal the discharge duration of the projects, but a report provided by the company to Florida’s public service commission in April last year said the Micanopy unit was a 8.25MW/11.7MWh system, a 1.42-hour duration, while Jennings had a one-hour duration.

The Micanopy project is providing a solution for power quality and reliability for the local town of the same name and the Hamilton site was an alternative solution to installing new distribution infrastructure.

The two new facilities build on three other projects in the state that Duke brought online back in March, reported at the time by Energy-Storage.news. The five combined bring its total MW deployed to just under 50MW online in Florida, its aim for end-2022. That will be reached when a 2.475MW BESS attached to a 3.5MW solar farm comes online at John Hopkins Middle School.

According to the same report to the commission from April, the latter battery system has an energy capacity of 18MWh meaning a 7.3-hour duration, indicating it is most likely using a non-lithium technology. Energy-Storage.news has asked the company to comment on this and will update the story in due course.

The company has come to energy storage relatively late compared to other some big energy groups and utilities in the US but has ambitions to deploy between 3,700MW and 5,900MW of energy storage in its service area in core markets of North and South Carolina alone by 2035.

Meanwhile, developer Agilitas Energy has brought into commercial operation a 3MW/9MWh BESS in the town of Pascoag, in the US’ smallest state, Rhode Island.

The three-hour project, the largest BESS in the state as previously reported by Energy-Storage.news, will participate in markets managed by grid operator ISO-New England and serve as a peak load reducer for utility Pascoag Utility District (PUD).

“As demand grows due to increased electrification and extreme weather conditions, we want to ensure Pascoag and Harrisville residents experience the same service and value they’ve come to expect,” said Mike Kirkwood, General Manager and CEO of Pascoag Utility District.

“This project from Agilitas Energy was an easy, no-risk way to keep our operating costs down and deliver cleaner energy in the most cost-effective manner.”

Agilitas Energy said its load forecasting and operational experience allows it to provide peak clipping and reliability services to utilities and to participate in non-wires alternative solutions.

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GAF Energy, a Standard Industries company and provider of solar roofing in North America, has launched sales of its Timberline Solar roof to Hawaii residents. Timberline Solar is a system to directly integrate solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials. The system, launched earlier this year, incorporates a nailable solar shingle, the Timberline Solar Energy Shingle (ES), which is assembled at GAF Energy’s U.S. manufacturing and R&D facility.

“We’re thrilled to launch our Timberline Solar roof in Hawaii through our roofing partners in the state. Hawaii residents, who have some of the highest energy costs in the country, now have access to our award-winning solar roof that can pay for both itself and the new roof over the lifetime of the solar roof,” says Martin DeBono, president of GAF Energy. “Solar roofs are the future of clean energy, and Timberline Solar is in a class of its own: reliable, durable, cost-effective, easy to install and aesthetically superior. We’re excited to bring the next generation of solar to Hawaii.”

Earlier this year, GAF Energy announced that it’s building a second manufacturing facility, in Texas, to meet the growing demand for Timberline Solar.

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Rendering of a proposed battery gigafactory in Subotica, Serbia. Image: ElevenES.

A render of FREYR’s combined ‘double-gigafactory’ plan. Image: FREYR Battery.

Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory. Image: Michael Wolf.

Tesla’s original Gigafactory in Nevada. Image: Tesla

Northvolt’s first Sweden plant, Northvolt Ett. Image: Northvolt.

Many of the battery gigafactory projects in Europe are likely to see delays, analysts covering the sector tell Energy-Storage.news, as Chinese battery major CATL announced a second site on the continent.

A total of 1,416GWh of lithium-ion battery cell annual production capacity is currently planned in Europe according to upstream-focused publisher Battery-News.De, as of July 2022 (an infographic map produced for the publisher is pictured below).

Projects are being launched by newcomers like FREYR and Northvolt, automotive OEMs like Tesla and VW, and established cell producers from East Asia like BYD, LG Chem and CATL. Most planned capacity is set to go to the EV market rather than stationary energy storage, but a bottleneck in the supply affects of the former has knock-on effects on the latter.

CATL this week announced a second battery gigafactory project in Hungary, after its first in Germany which it told Energy-Storage.news was ‘going smoothly as planned’ and is set to start battery cell production by the end of 2022 as scheduled.

However, many projects will not open on time according to analysts looking at the market.

A snapshot of Europe’s gigafactory projects, taken from Dr Heiner Heimes’ ‘Battery Atlas’ of the European sector. Image: Battery-News.De.

Long lead times

Dr Heiner Heimes, an academic specialising in battery production at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, and co-author of Battery-News.De‘s reports on the topic, told Energy-Storage.news that long lead times for equipment are proving a major challenge.

“Nearly all of the projects have some delay, though not all talk about it. But if you look at the current delivery times it’s clear we’ll see delays because it’s very hard right now to get the different components for the production equipment,” he said.

“But, these delays won’t be critical. A delay of three or six months won’t lead to investors saying ‘we have to stop everything’. And the good thing is, we haven’t seen one project that’s been cancelled entirely.”

Another analyst, research firm Delta-EE’s head of flexibility and storage Jon Ferris, did suggest that some gigafactories might not open at all. He cited a shortage of lithium carbonate as the main bottleneck affecting plans, and that some of the earliest projects have switched to producing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries due to shortages in nickel, manganese and cobalt (NMC).

Delta-EE’s data shows that roughly a quarter of the c.40 major gigafactory projects, outlined in Battery-News.De‘s map, have been delayed. But many have also increased their nameplate capacity plans so overall the picture is still one of growth rather than volumes being pushed back.

First pulled gigafactory project?

One project which has has been widely reported as substantially delayed or even pulled entirely is that of Chinese company Farasis Energy, partner to automotive group Daimler, in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany. An initial production start date of 2022 was reportedly pushed to 2024 and there are now doubts it may happen at all.

Outlet Mitteldeutsche Zeitung reported in May that the urban development contract between Farasis and the local council for the project had been terminated, citing official statements by both parties. But, as Dr Heimes alluded to, plans for a gigafactory project in Europe have not been officially cancelled by the company.

FREYR Battery

One of those to have both pushed back its initial planned start date for commercial production but doubled annual production capacity targets is Norway-based gigafactory company FREYR Battery. Company presentations as recent as February 2022 expected the start-up of production lines in its first gigafactory in late 2023 while the company is now targeting the start of production in the first half of 2024.

However, CEO Tom Jensen told Energy-Storage.news in a recent interview that this change in timeline was due to the company’s capital raise through going public last year happening 4-5 months later than planned, along with the process to combine and optimise its first two gigafactories into one.

“Given Covid, given everything, we like to say that we’re reasonably in line with what we’ve said previously. Of course, there is a month here and there because of things like the China shutdown and so on, but we’ve been able to mitigate the worst of that. In that way we can get up to the nameplate capacity a steady run rate of volume more or less in line with what we’ve been saying before,” he said.

“But it’s been a very difficult environment in which to do that. So when we’re saying that we’re reasonably on track, of course, it’s not one-to-one but it’s roughly there.”

Discussing how the company has been able to double capacity targets, he explained: “We see that we can upscale production with the 24M platform, that we have a replicable industrialisation blueprint which can be exported to other jurisdictions, and of course we see that both the incentives and demand in the market are booming.”

Kontrolmatik

In the same press release announcing an expansion of its planned US facility, Turkish company Kontrolmatik Technologies said its LFP gigafactory on home soil ‘…will begin production by the second quarter of 2023’.

When asked if this meant a delay, considering previous statements by the subsidiary responsible for the projects that its first phase of capacity would ‘head to production by end of 2022‘ and ‘be fully operational by 2022 Q4‘, Kontrolmatik’s USA CEO Bahadir Yetki told Energy-Storage.news:

“There are no delays in our factory construction in Turkey indeed as planned. Factory will be completed at the end of this year, but commercial production will start as of second quarter of 2023 following a quarter of commissioning, training, testing and certification.

“Factory will be finished by the end of 2022 to start its production but commercial production will take another 3 months of pilot production, testing and certification. You can still accept end of 2022 as the completion of the construction and start of the production. We will only start “selling” by the 2Q 2023. If we can make all testing and certification ready before that we can always start commercial operations earlier.”

Changing battery chemistry to get around lithium shortages

One way to get around delays due to difficulties in securing the raw materials needed for production is to switch battery chemistry. Ferris and Dr Heimes both pointed to the switch to LFP amongst some projects although Dr Heimes said the majority are still planning for NMC ones, which have a higher energy density reflecting the market’s focus on EVs.

But shortages in lithium carbonate may open up an opportunity for non-lithium batteries which can at least partially slot in to lithium battery production lines. The founder of potassium-ion battery startup Alex Girau recently pitched its technology as the one most well-placed to do this.

Handful of gigafactory projects online this year

Lithium-ion gigafactories reported to start production this year in Europe include CATL’s in Germany, a second facility in Hungary from SK Innovation, and two in Germany and France from from Automotive Cells Company, a new company backed by Saft, Stellantic and Mercedes.

But with announcements generally only revealing the annual production capacity for latter stages of facilities’ ramp-up, it is unclear how much production capacity these will cumulatively add initially.

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Another DESRI project, the Cuyama solar project in California

Cleco Power and D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) have signed a long-term renewable energy off-take agreement. The Dolet Hills Solar Project includes a 240 MW AC facility to be constructed at the recently retired Dolet Hills lignite-fired power plant in DeSoto Parish, La.

The Dolet Hills Solar Project supports Cleco’s growing renewable energy fleet and follows the company’s recent announcement of Project Diamond Vault, a major economic development and decarbonization initiative to build a state-of-the-art carbon capture facility at its central Louisiana Brame Energy Center.

“This solar project is another step forward in Cleco’s journey to becoming Louisiana’s leading clean energy company,” says Bill Fontenot, president and CEO of Cleco Corporate Holdings. “This project continues our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint while affordably and reliably serving our customers.”

Pending project approvals, Dolet Hills will boast one of the largest solar facilities in Louisiana and will represent more than $250 million invested towards powering approximately 45,000 homes. While Dolet Hills Solar is the first power purchase agreement between the companies, DESRI’s portfolio in Louisiana will now total nearly 700 MW AC in construction and contracted clean power projects.

“DESRI is proud to deliver low-cost, clean, reliable power to Cleco and its customers from this landmark solar energy facility,” states Hy Martin, chief development officer of DESRI. “Alongside our partners at Cleco, the project will provide local economic benefits to DeSoto Parish and the surrounding communities for years to come. In addition, the project will replace lignite-fired electricity with renewable power sited on reclaimed mining lands.”

“Cleco has been an integral part of the DeSoto Parish community for over 70 years and we look forward to our continued partnership,” comments Ernel Jones, DeSoto Parish’s president. “At the same time, we welcome DESRI and believe the Dolet Hills Solar Project will lead the way for future economic growth in our area.”

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Fluence is the largest battery storage system integrator in the world, and recently moved some of its own production processes into the US. Image: Fluence.

The Inflation Reduction Act should accelerate current efforts to move battery cell production nearer to the US, the senior director of manufacturing for Fluence told Energy-Storage.news.

The Act, signed by US President Joe Biden on 16 August, means the introduction of tax incentives for siting production within the energy storage value chain in the US as well as an investment tax credit (ITC) for standalone storage projects, reducing the capital cost of equipment by 30% or more. The latter is considered the most significant part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for the energy storage sector.

Fluence’s Peter Silveira told Energy-Storage.news: “This common sense measure recognises that whether energy storage is co-located or deployed at a separate location, the power system benefits either way in the form of reliability, efficiency and reducing emissions. It will help incentivise accelerate storage deployment.

“Diversification has always been part of our strategy, and the IRA provisions will also strengthen that strategy by providing more options for Fluence by increasing the number of parties interested in manufacturing in the US. So I think it’s a win-win for not only the customer but for us as well and even our competitors in the space.”

Asked to elaborate on the upstream and supply-side implications of the IRA, Silveria said that he expects an acceleration of major suppliers’ efforts to move battery cell production closer to the US market. He added that Fluence is keen to secure its share of that new production capacity when it comes online and gave an idea of when he expects it to happen.

“We have strategic meetings with our battery suppliers, so we get an overview of their roadmap of when and how they’re transitioning so that when it goes live, we’re able to secure supply from those regional areas to better serve our customer needs and, more importantly, improve our total cost of ownership,” he said.

“Some of our key strategic partners today have a roadmap of the latter part of 2024 to start that transition and go live, with an expectation of being in a sustaining production by 2025.”

Although unlikely to be one of its major suppliers, Turkish company Kontrolmatic announced today it was increasing the output of its planned US lithium-ion battery cell gigafactory by 50% to 3GWh a year, in light of the IRA.

Fluence recently onshored its own production into the US region, opening a contract manufacturing facility in Utah. Energy-Storage.news will publish an more in-depth interview piece with Silveira next week about this and the group’s wider thinking around moving its supply chain closer to core markets.

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ReNew Power CEO, chairman and founder Sumant Sinha visits one of the company’s wind projects in Jagalur, India. Image: ReNew Power via Twitter.

US$1 billion financing has been secured for a ‘Round-The-Clock’ (RTC) renewable energy project in India, marking the biggest single-project clean energy deal in the country, developer ReNew Power has claimed.

Renewables-focused independent power producer (IPP) ReNew Power said yesterday that it has reached agreement on a project finance loan with 12 different international lenders for the 1,300MW mixed technology project.

Anticipated to include 900MW of wind and 400MW of solar PV deployed across regions in three Indian states: Karnataka, Rajasthan and Maharastra, the inclusion of battery energy storage system (BESS) technology is designed to make the energy dispatchable 24/7 throughout the year.

This means it can be competitive technologically to thermal energy sources like coal to provide baseload energy, the IPP claimed.  

ReNew Power said interest in the financing deal was oversubscribed. The brokering of the External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) project finance loan was led by Dutch finance group Rabobank and included seven first-time project lenders to the IPP as well as five existing lenders.

A 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) has been signed for the project with the national Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), as reported by our sister site PV Tech in April last year.

Electricity from the RTC project will be sold to SECI at a tariff of ₹2.90/kWh (US$0.036/kWh) for the first year. From there the rate increases by 3% each year to the end of the first 15 years of the PPA term, before levelling out for the final 10 years.

Japanese global trading and investment firm Mitsui & Co. acquired a 49% stake in the project in April.

ReNew CEO, chairman and founder Sumant Sinha described the loan as “the single-largest project finance in India’s renewable sector,” and one that “shows its continued ability to access financing at much lower rates than several years ago, despite the current volatility in the currency markets and a rising interest rate environment”.  

In related news, ReNew Power and global energy storage system integrator and tech provider Fluence are in the process of launcing a joint venture (JV). The first project the pair is working on will see Fluence provide a 150MWh BESS to a 300MW hybrid wind-solar-battery project in Karnataka through which ReNew Power is providing renewable energy to the grid at peak times.

Fluence has also opened a global technology centre in the country and highlighted the strong potential it sees in India’s energy storage market ahead. That potential has also drawn rival Powin Energy to form a JV of its own with IPP O2 Power to take on the market. Another US company, GE Renewable Energy, has opened and then expanded a hybrid PV inverter and energy storage equipment factory in the country.

As viewers of Energy-Storage.news’ recent webinar with Clean Horizon on key national tenders and other opportunities in India’s energy storage market heard, central and state government and private entities alike are convinced of the need for large amounts of energy storage to integrate a targeted 500GW of non-fossil fuel energy by 2030. India also needs to enhance stability of its grid and increase energy access for millions of people in rural and remote areas, all of which renewables and energy storage will play a leading role in enabling.

The IPP is NASDAQ-listed since August 2021, when it merged with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), RMG Acquisition Corporation (RMG II). ReNew Power received US$610 million from that transaction, with the company claiming that made it India’s largest publicly traded renewable energy company by total electricity generation.

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EDF Renewables North America’s (EDFR) Palen Solar site is fully operational and delivering decarbonized energy to the grid. The site consists of four projects totaling 620 MW DC of solar photovoltaic (PV) plus 200 MWh of battery energy storage.

The projects, which utilize horizontal single-axis tracking technology, are located adjacent to each other on unincorporated land in Riverside County, Calif., administered by the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM designated this area as a Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) and Development Focus Area, land set aside for utility-scale renewable energy development.

The sites are Maverick 1 at 173 MW DC (125 MW AC), Maverick 4 at 137 MW DC (100 MW AC), Maverick 6 at 131 MW DC (100 MW AC) plus 200 MWh (50 MW) battery storage, and Maverick 7 at 179 MW DC (132 MW AC).

In addition to economic benefits for Riverside County, including an average local spend of $24,000 a month during construction, the projects combined generate enough decarbonized energy to meet the consumption of up to 217,000 average California homes. This is equivalent to avoiding more than 1 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually which represents the greenhouse gas emissions from 227,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven over the course of one year.

Construction activity commenced in early 2020 with Maverick 1 and Maverick 4, followed by Maverick 6 and Maverick 7 in early 2021. The projects were completed in sequence starting in December 2020. At peak construction, the sites employed over 500 personnel, majority of which were local to Riverside County.

“The Maverick projects are the cornerstone of our large-scale solar and storage growth and expertise,” comment Benoit Rigal, senior vice president of implementation and projects management for EDFR. “The renewable energy industry has experienced significant volatility over the past years battling both unprecedented pandemic and supply chain constraints. We are excited to now have all four projects operating at full capacity and to contribute to California’s climate goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.”

EDF Renewables’ Asset Optimization group will perform operations and maintenance services for the life of the project. The group will provide NERC compliance support, remote monitoring and balance-of-plant management to maximize power production.

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