Oregon, US based public utility Portland General Electric (PGE) has announced a new renewable energy project comprising 300 MW wind power, 50 MW PV and a 30 MW battery energy storage system (BESS). To be developed with NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, PGE says this project is the country's 'first major energy facility co-locating wind, solar and battery storage.
Originally developed by Swaggart Wind Power, LLC in 2009 as a wind farm, the Wheatridge project was acquired by NextEra Energy. Solar and BESS components were then added to the project scope by NextEra and PGE, after the utility selected the project under a request for proposals it sent out for renewable resources.
While the Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility will have one of the largest solar farms in Oregon and the largest battery storage system in the state, PGE says the 300 MW wind power under the project will increase its wind generation portfolio to a nameplate total of over 1 GW.
GE Renewable Energy, Inc., will supply 120 wind turbines for the facility to be located north of Lexington, Oregon in Morrow County. The developers are yet to decide on the equipment for the solar farm and battery storage components.
NextEra will build and operate the entire facility and barring 100 MW of wind capacity which will be owned by PGE, it will own the rest and sell generated power to PGE under a 30-year power purchase agreement.
By December 2020, the wind power component is scheduled to enter operations to be able to qualify for the full federal production tax credit. Solar and battery components will enter construction in 2021.
In February 2019, China's CATL connected an even larger RE hybrid storage system – a 100 MWh BESS combined with 400 MW wind, 200 MW PV and 50 MW CSP projects in China (see Largest Multi-Hybrid RE+Battery System In China).