Renewable Properties, a developer and investor in small-scale utility and community solar projects, and Sonoma Clean Power (SCP), a community choice aggregator (CCA), have signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for two solar projects. One of the projects, located in Ukiah, California, will include energy storage. Both projects will contribute to SCP’s local resource plan for its EverGreen service, which offers subscribers 100% renewable, locally generated energy 24/7 through solar, energy storage and geothermal power.
One of Renewable Properties’ two solar projects will include a 4 MW/16 MWh battery that will primarily be used to capture solar energy generated during the middle of the day and redeploy the energy in the evening hours when customers need it most. In addition to energy shifting, the battery can smooth variable solar production and provide frequency regulation, dispatch reserves, and other grid services that increase the resiliency of the local power distribution network.
The solar and storage projects will complement the baseload energy generated by The Geysers, SCP’s existing local geothermal power plant and one of the largest geothermal plants in the world.
“Renewable Properties is committed to developing small-scale utility renewable energy projects that directly serve the communities we operate in,” said Brian von Moos, chief operating officer at Renewable Properties. “We’re pleased to support Sonoma Clean Power, a pioneer in delivering locally generated renewable energy, with these projects that provide renewable energy when their customers need it most.”
The projects, both located in Mendocino County, will commence construction in March 2024 and are expected to be completed by early 2025. The 4.99 MWac Twin Pines Circle Solar project, in Laytonville, California, will produce enough energy to power 1,108 homes per year. The 4 MWac Redemeyer Road Solar project in Ukiah will incorporate a 16 MWh battery that will produce enough energy to power 934 homes per year. The Redemeyer project will also be the first locally sited solar + storage project for Sonoma Clean Power.
“These Renewable Properties projects will be instrumental in helping SCP to bring our customers the many benefits of generating locally sited renewable energy,” said Deb Emerson, managing director, power procurement, at Sonoma Clean Power. “By combining solar and energy storage with our geothermal plant, these groundbreaking projects can serve as a model for other regions seeking to achieve local renewable energy goals.”
Twin Pines Circle Solar and Redemeyer Road Solar add to Renewable Properties’ growing portfolio of local renewables projects for CCAs. To date, Renewable Properties has partnered with four other California CCAs on solar projects, and Redemeyer Road Solar will be the second storage project with a CCA. Projects including storage are increasing due to the new energy storage incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, which are making projects like these more cost-effective.
— Solar Builder magazine
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