TWW congratulates Arizona’s SRP for recently announcing the purchase of the state’s largest solar powered battery project. The Sonoran Energy Center will be an approximately 250-megawatt system with the solar array charging a 1 gigawatt-hour energy storage system and will be built in Little Rainbow Valley, south of Buckeye. SRP also announced the purchase of a second solar plus storage facility, the Storey Energy Center will be an approximately 88-megawatt solar and energy storage system and is scheduled to be built south of Coolidge.
“These integrated solar and storage plants will allow SRP to meet its summer peak demand, reduce carbon emissions, and provide clean energy to our customers while optimizing energy output using state-of-the-art battery technology,” said SRP General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Mike Hummel. “In addition, these plants will get SRP more than 60 percent toward our goal of adding 1,000 megawatts of new utility-scale, solar energy to its system by the end of fiscal year 2025.”
Combined, these plants will generate enough solar energy to power approximately 100,000 homes and will store excess energy in state-of-the-art battery storage systems that will be available to customers during the peak energy usage period when demand is at its highest.
SRP used a transparent “All-Source” solicitation to select the best contract for the project, awarding it to NextEra Energy Resources. Earlier this year, TWW released a study on the economic impact of similar solar plus storage project in Arizona and found that these projects lead to significant economic development opportunities for the state by providing jobs and millions in local and state tax revenues. The study found that rural renewable projects in Arizona annually contribute an estimated $63 million in economic activity and sustain over 700 jobs with combined wages of over $33 million. The facilities also contribute nearly $1 million in annual property tax revenue benefiting Arizona schools.
“We are pleased to help SRP serve its customers with more clean, affordable, renewable energy, combined with the flexibility of battery energy storage systems,” said Matt Handel, vice president of development for NextEra Energy Resources, the world’s largest generator of renewable energy. “These projects will also provide a significant economic boost for their local communities and for Arizona, including good jobs and millions of dollars in additional tax revenue.”
Click here for a video from SRP detailing the projects.