Two PPAs signed for 250MW solar-storage center in USA
8minute Solar Energy has executed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Monterey Bay Community Power Authority (MBCP) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE). The 250 megawatt (250 MWdc / 200 MWac) Aratina Solar Center is being built in Kern County, California and includes 150 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy storage which will provide enough power for 93,000 homes.
Scheduled to come online before the end of 2023, the Aratina Solar Center will offset carbon emissions by approximately 430,000 metric tons each year, the equivalent of planting 7 million trees annually or removing 90,000 cars from the road.
The Aratina Solar Center will serve approximately 7-8% of MBCP’s retail load with 120 MWac solar generating capacity, 30 MWac battery energy capacity and a 3-hour discharge duration, while SVCE will be contracting for 80 MWac solar generating capacity and 20 MWac battery energy capacity, with a 3-hour discharge duration, serving 6.6% of SVCE’s annual retail load.
Tom Habashi, Chief Executive Officer of MBCP, said: “Securing renewable, reliable, affordable energy to power our community and support our clean energy goals is our top priority, and we have been proud to work with the state’s largest solar developer to ensure that we meet that goal. This large-scale, long-term solar project with storage launches us into an even stronger position in doing our part to reduce carbon emissions while meeting our customers’ needs.”
Girish Balachandran, Chief Executive Officer of SVCE, commented: “Our partnership with 8minute is another success shared with MBCP as we continue to take significant steps to expand California’s renewable energy portfolio. The Aratina Solar Center, complete with battery storage, will allow us to store and deliver solar power when our customers need it — well into the evening hours — reducing our reliance on carbon-emitting gas plants and moving us ever closer to a decarbonized grid.”
