With the 268 MW Helena Wind and 250 MW AC Sparta Solar Farm, the co-located hybrid Helena Energy Center of Denmark-based renewable energy group Ørsted is now operational in Texas, US.
The project with 518 MW AC installed capacity saw Ørsted invest more than $1.8 billion to realize 5 wind energy projects and a solar facility. The co-located facility in Bee County will generate electricity for American Electric Power's grid. The power generated will be enough to power more than 11,000 Texan homes and businesses annually.
The Sparta Solar Farm is designed to generate 550,000 MWh annually from some 600,000 monocrystalline bifacial PV panels installed on site.
The entire project has secured contracts with multiple corporate offtakers, including Google and Johnson & Johnson.
"Helena Energy Center is unique in that it's Ørsted's first co-located wind and solar project and the largest renewable energy project in our global onshore portfolio," said Ørsted's Executive Vice President and CEO of Region Americas, David Hardy.
The company now has more than 1.3 GW onshore renewable energy assets under construction of which close to 1.1 GW is set for commissioning in 2024.