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Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Photo voltaic-Plus-Storage Challenge Brings New Vitality to California


Clearway Vitality’s Daggett Photo voltaic + Storage energy plant in San Bernardino County is a mannequin for producing renewable vitality, and making the most of present infrastructure, on the website of a closed thermal energy plant.

The vitality transition has many aspects. A outstanding characteristic is the repurposing of retired fossil fuel-powered amenities, with these energy vegetation usually changed by renewable vitality initiatives that may make the most of present onsite electrical energy transmission and different infrastructure.

Clearway Vitality Group’s Daggett Photo voltaic + Storage undertaking, positioned in Daggett, California, in San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles, is among the many largest initiatives of its sort within the U.S. The set up, a part of the Daggett Vitality Advanced, options 482 MW of photo voltaic vitality era capability, together with 280 MW of battery vitality storage, which can rise to 394 MW (1.12 GWh) of storage capability when the ultimate storage part comes on-line subsequent yr. The ability was constructed adjoining to the retired Coolwater Producing Station, a 636-MW pure gas-fired energy plant that was closed by NRG Vitality in January 2015.

Clearway, which started working as an unbiased enterprise in summer time 2018, was fashioned when NRG offered its renewable vitality platform to World Infrastructure Companions (Clearway’s co-owner). The Daggett website was shortly recognized as one the place Clearway might leverage pre-existing infrastructure, and repurpose present high-voltage substations and transmission traces, to construct a renewable vitality undertaking.

Clearway’s fleet consists of about 9 GW of web owned producing capability in 26 states. The entire consists of greater than 6.5 GW of photo voltaic, wind, and vitality storage property, together with about 2.5 GW of pure gas-fired era.

The Daggett undertaking is a part of local weather options investor Hannon Armstrong’s 1.6-GW renewable vitality funding in Clearway’s portfolio, a deal introduced in December 2020. Building of Daggett started in 2021.

“The Daggett Vitality Advanced is Clearway’s largest self-developed undertaking thus far and was a catalyst in Clearway’s broader vitality storage technique,” stated James Kelly, senior director, Challenge Improvement, for Clearway Vitality Group. “It performs a serious position in Clearway’s general portfolio and in Clearway’s expertise as a number one photo voltaic and storage developer, proprietor, and operator.”

Kelly advised POWER, “The Coolwater Producing Station, beforehand owned by Clearway’s predecessor firm NRG, is positioned in one of many sunniest areas of the nation and was additionally the positioning of one of many first utility-scale photo voltaic initiatives within the U.S. The realm’s high-voltage substations and transmission station from the retired gasoline plant additionally offered a chance to faucet into present vitality infrastructure.”

A number of teams, together with the American Clear Energy Affiliation (ACP), have touted Daggett as a mannequin for repurposing a retired thermal energy plant website right into a renewable vitality facility, supporting its choice as a POWER High Plant award winner for renewable vitality.

“This undertaking is clear vitality poetry,” stated Jason Grumet, ACP’s CEO. “The Daggett facility gives a number one local weather answer whereas bringing jobs and new investments to a neighborhood economic system that has lengthy relied on conventional vitality manufacturing. By transitioning a fossil gasoline website to offer clear, inexpensive energy, Clearway has demonstrated that every one communities can profit from the clear vitality transition.”

Mentioned California Gov. Gavin Newsom: “That is precisely the kind of innovation and large considering that California wants, repurposing outdated fossil gasoline infrastructure to construct one of many greatest photo voltaic and battery initiatives within the nation. With initiatives like this, we’ll obtain a 100% clear electrical grid and drastically lower air pollution to fight local weather change—all whereas creating good-paying jobs.”

Business Operation in October 2023

Daggett Photo voltaic + Storage entered business operation in October 2023. Together with offering energy to hundreds of consumers throughout Southern California, officers have estimated the undertaking will offset greater than 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions yearly.

The undertaking’s energy is contracted with six load-serving entities, together with Clear Energy Alliance, Constellation, Ava Group Vitality (previously East Bay Group Vitality), MCE (a group alternative aggregation group), Pacific Gasoline and Electrical (PG&E), and Southern California Public Energy Authority (SCPPA). Kelly famous that “San Diego Gasoline & Electrical [SDG&E] is contracted for Daggett’s last 113.5 MW battery storage part, which is anticipated to achieve business operations in 2025.”

The undertaking’s development created greater than 500 native union jobs from the Worldwide Brotherhood of Electrical Employees Native 477, and now employs greater than a dozen fulltime operations and upkeep positions. Officers stated that the undertaking throughout development contributed $210 million to the native economic system and donated an extra $50,000 to native organizations that serve the group, together with colleges, fireplace departments, and group facilities. The ability is anticipated to contribute one other $18.5 million in tax income over the lifetime of the undertaking.

Kelly stated the undertaking “completely” might be thought of a mannequin for the repurposing of a thermal energy plant website to host a renewable vitality set up. “The infrastructure that interconnects standard energy vegetation to the grid doesn’t must turn out to be out of date when these energy vegetation retire,” stated Kelly. “The chance just isn’t solely about making the most of that present infrastructure; it was additionally about persevering with investments in a group that had lengthy relied on the financial advantages of the previous gasoline plant.”

Overcoming Challenges

Vitality initiatives constructed lately have virtually universally needed to overcome challenges, significantly in relation to buying wanted tools. Kelly stated Daggett was no exception.

“Like many different builders throughout this era, Daggett was impacted by provide chain delays and transport points that brought about delays to the development schedule. We labored carefully with our suppliers and off-takers to revise dates and plan accordingly,” stated Kelly. The ability makes use of GridSolv Quantum, Wärtsilä’s absolutely built-in, modular, and compact vitality storage system, and the GEMS Digital Vitality Platform, an vitality administration platform for energy system optimization. Wärtsilä additionally will present upkeep and efficiency providers for the lifecycle of the vitality storage methods.

1. Technicians focus on their work as they stand among the many battery vitality storage models on the Daggett website. The undertaking’s last part of vitality storage is anticipated to come back on-line subsequent yr. Courtesy: Clearway Vitality Group 

The primary part of the Daggett undertaking started development in October 2021, and a second part of development began within the second quarter of 2022. As Kelly stated earlier, the third part—an extra 113.5 MW of vitality storage (Determine 1)—is underway and will probably be full subsequent yr.

Ted Bardacke, CEO of the Clear Energy Alliance, on the October 2023 ceremony marking the undertaking’s business operation, stated, “The Daggett facility is an important asset for the Clear Energy Alliance, offering sufficient vitality to energy roughly 85,000 properties in Southern California. There have been quite a few challenges in getting this undertaking throughout the end line together with the pandemic, provide chain delays, photo voltaic panel tariffs, and extraordinary world crises such because the conflict in Ukraine. I’m glad we have been capable of work collectively to deliver us to the place we’re right this moment.”

Kelly stated “unknowns” round battery vitality storage methods (BESS) additionally have been a serious consideration. “When Clearway started growing the Daggett Vitality Advanced, it was slated to be the most important photo voltaic and storage undertaking within the county on the time,” stated Kelly. “[BESS] was nonetheless a nascent know-how with excessive prices and plenty of unknowns within the early days of Daggett’s growth, but it turned clear that the undertaking might attain vital scale as BESS know-how matured.”

Kelly continued, “Daggett additionally got here on-line at a time when California’s grid wanted it most. BESS has confirmed a necessary characteristic of grid reliability within the state, and right this moment the undertaking is among the many greatest photo voltaic and storage initiatives in California offering low-cost solar energy throughout peak demand.”

Officers not too long ago stated California now has greater than 10 GW of battery vitality storage on-line, and introduced that on April 16 of this yr, batteries contributed extra energy to the grid than every other know-how for a short while in the course of the night peak of electrical energy demand.

Group Engagement

Vitality undertaking builders usually say having the area people concerned and engaged in the course of the growth interval helps easy the event course of. Kelly famous that Clearway embraced that idea from the beginning with Daggett.

“The workforce’s give attention to early and frequent group engagement proved important to the undertaking’s success,” stated Kelly. “The undertaking growth workforce’s proactive outreach to space residents and establishments, together with engagement in local people occasions and donations amounting to over $50,000 over the course of growth, went above and past a typical undertaking’s group engagement technique.”

Kelly advised POWER, “An important lesson from Daggett and plenty of of Clearway’s different initiatives is that early and frequent group engagement pays dividends. The event, development, and now operations groups have all prioritized proactive outreach to space residents and establishments. These relationships have been important in constructing belief and getting forward of native issues.”

Darrell Proctor is senior editor for POWER. 

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