Intersect Power energizes 828 MW DC solar plant; NY State announces 'Solar for All'; EDF Renewables North America & Enbridge commission phase I of Ohio's 'largest' solar complex; more RE for Whirlpool; Plenitude to invest in US solar projects; HASI invests in AES portfolio.
828 MW DC solar plant online: Intersect Power has announced the commercial operations of its Lumina Solar Project with 828 MW DC/640 MW AC capacity in Scurry Town, Texas. With this, the clean energy company has fully operationalized its base portfolio of 2.2 GW solar PV and 1.4 GWh co-located storage in Texas and California. Intersect says renewable energy credits generated by the Lumina project will be purchased by 2 Fortune 100 companies. It uses First Solar's PV modules.
New York's clean energy plans: New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a comprehensive Energy Affordability Plan that can save half a million New York households up to $500 a year. It includes the Solar for All initiative, which can deliver an electric bill credit of $40/year to more than 800,000 households. It will combine the 2 state programs of Energy Affordability Program and Community Solar. Hochul also directed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to begin construction of New York's largest customer-sited solar plus storage project: a 12.3 MW PV with 7.5 MW battery storage solar carport canopy at JFK Airport. It will help reduce energy use of the airport during peak periods.
Hochul also proposed the Renewable Action Through Project Interconnection and Deployment (RAPID) Act to streamline the buildout of transmission infrastructure for a flexible, reliable and clean grid.
Ohio's 'largest' solar complex: EDF Renewables North America and Enbridge have commissioned 150 MW AC phase 1 of what they call Ohio's 'largest' solar complex Fox Squirrel Solar. The entire complex is proposed to have 749 MW DC/577 MW AC capacity on completion with 1.4 million solar panels and 159 inverters. Phase 2 of the project will have 325 MW DC/250 MW AC capacity that's due for completion in mid-2024, and phase 3 will bring online 230 MW DC/177 MW AC capacity by end of 2024. It is contracted under 20-year power agreements with a strong investment grade counterparty for the full generation capacity.
More RE for Whirlpool: Home appliances multinational Whirlpool Corporation has entered into agreements with One Energy to add 40.8 MW onsite wind and solar power at its Findlay and Clyde manufacturing plants in Ohio. The company called these among the largest behind-the-meter renewable energy projects in the US, and includes a ground-mounted solar array at each location. Once online by early 2025, these will cover at least 70% of the energy needs of the manufacturing plants. Whirlpool already has 9 onsite wind turbines at 4 of its Ohio plants in Findlay, Marion, Greenville and Ottawa that combined supply 22% of the electrical needs of these plants, according to the company.
Plenitude expands in the US: Eni New Energy US, the wholly owned subsidiary of Plenitude of Italy's Eni, is acquiring an 80% equity stake in 3 operational solar PV plants from EDP Renováveis in the US. It includes a combined 478 MW DC/340 MW AC solar PV capacity in Texas and Ohio. Plenitude CEO Stefano Goberti said, "This transaction represents Plenitude's entry into the PJM energy market in Ohio with already operational, medium to large size projects and consolidates the company's presence in Texas. The agreement allows Plenitude to reach over 1,2 GW of installed capacity in the US contributing to the goal of reaching 7 GW worldwide by 2026."
HASI and AES join hands: Climate solutions investor HASI will make structured equity investments in close to 605 MW solar and solar+storage assets developed, owned and operated by The AES Corporation in the US. These facilities are spread across 7 power markets and 11 states. This operational renewable energy project portfolio of more than 200 facilities comprises mainly community solar and commercial & industrial assets, with more than 1/3rd of the total capacity paired with battery energy storage systems (BESS). AES will continue to own and operate the portfolio whose cash flows are contracted with a diverse group of predominantly investment-grade corporate, utility, and municipal off-takers, stated HASI.