A California-headquartered vitality firm introduced the beginning of business operation of one of many nation’s largest solar-plus-storage hybrid energy crops.
Officers with Clearway Power Group, together with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, on Oct. 18 stated the Daggett Photo voltaic + Storage mission in San Bernardino County is now on-line. The set up options 482 MW of solar energy technology capability, together with 280 MW of vitality storage. The Daggett facility is situated adjoining to the decommissioned Coolwater Producing Station, a former 636-MW pure gas-fired plant in Daggett that was retired in 2015.
“That is precisely the form of innovation and large pondering that California wants, repurposing outdated fossil gasoline infrastructure to construct one of many largest photo voltaic and battery initiatives within the nation,” stated Newsom. “With initiatives like this, we’ll obtain a 100% clear electrical grid and drastically minimize air pollution to fight local weather change—all whereas creating good-paying jobs.”
The Daggett mission, which is being in-built three levels, has created greater than 500 union jobs throughout its development. An extra 113.5-MW battery storage portion, which is individually contracted with a utility offtaker, is predicted to start working in 2025, bringing the mission’s full battery capability to 394 MW.
Six Teams Taking Venture’s Energy
Daggett Photo voltaic + Storage is contracted with six load-serving teams, together with Clear Energy Alliance, Constellation, East Bay Neighborhood Power (quickly to be rebranded as Ava Neighborhood Power), MCE, Pacific Gasoline and Electrical, and Southern California Public Energy Authority.
“Flipping the swap on our first solar-plus-storage mission is a big milestone for MCE,” stated Daybreak Weisz, the corporate’s CEO. “The extra we will couple photo voltaic with battery storage, the extra renewable vitality we will harness to take care of a dependable vitality provide. That is yet one more vital stride towards advancing California’s clear vitality transition whereas supporting inexperienced jobs.” MCE is a not-for-profit public company serving greater than 1.5 million residents and companies throughout Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano counties. MCE is contracted for 110 MW of solar energy technology, and 60 MW of battery vitality storage from the Daggett facility.
Wärtsilä is supplying the mission’s batteries. “Wärtsilä is proud to companion with Clearway on the Daggett Photo voltaic + Storage mission, which delivers dependable, sustainable, low-cost vitality to California residents,” stated Andrew Tang, vice chairman of Power Storage & Optimization at Wärtsilä. “We stay up for deploying secure vitality storage techniques at extra of Clearway’s photo voltaic services throughout the nation in a shared effort to speed up the transition to 100% renewable vitality.”
“The Daggett Photo voltaic + Storage mission embodies the trail we’re on to California’s clear and dependable vitality future,” stated Craig Cornelius, CEO of Clearway Power Group, which has partnered with Wärtsilä on a number of vitality initiatives. “The mission has introduced a billion-dollar funding to an vitality transition neighborhood and can present clear, dependable, and low-cost energy to California properties and companies for years to come back. We prolong deep gratitude to our prospects, companions, San Bernardino County, and the Daggett and Newberry Springs communities for the assist that helped deliver this vital mission to life.”
Financial Affect
Officers on Wednesday stated the mission will generate as a lot as $18.5 million in native tax income, with an annual financial impression from spending of about $5 million. The set up is predicted to maintain greater than a dozen onsite, full-time jobs.
“This mission is clear vitality poetry. The Daggett facility supplies a number one local weather answer whereas bringing jobs and new investments to an area economic system that has lengthy relied on conventional vitality manufacturing. By transitioning a fossil gasoline web site to offer clear, reasonably priced energy, Clearway has demonstrated that every one communities can profit from the clear vitality transition,” stated Jason Grument, CEO of the American Clear Energy Affiliation. “Clearway’s success combining photo voltaic and storage applied sciences will assist California obtain its formidable decarbonization objectives and set an instance for the remainder of the nation. It’s a win for the state of California and for the way forward for clear vitality in the USA.”
“We’re proud to be a co-investor within the Daggett Photo voltaic + Storage facility, one of the vital vital working photo voltaic and storage initiatives within the nation,” stated Susan Nickey, Chief Shopper Officer of HASI, which joined Clearway Power in a 1.6-GW joint fairness settlement in 2020. “This mission showcases the transformative promise of photo voltaic and storage applied sciences to satisfy California’s sturdy vitality wants and bold decarbonization objectives whereas concurrently driving substantial native funding and job creation.”
—Darrell Proctor is a senior affiliate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
