Nexamp completes two colocated storage projects in Massachusetts
US community solar provider Nexamp has completed two energy storage projects colocated with solar in Massachusetts.
The two battery energy storage system (BESS) sites adjoin existing Nexamp community solar farms in and projects will provide critical frequency regulation and capacity services for the ISO New England market.
Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis
- Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
- In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
- Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
- Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual
Or continue reading this article for free
The first, Brockelman Road, has a 1.7MW solar park combined with a 1MW/2MWh BESS while Clark Road has 7.1 MW of solar power and a 3MW/6.1MWh BESS. Nexamp says these are located in a particularly-grid congested area in Central Masachussetts in a service area managed by UK operator National Grid.
Both participate in the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program and the Massachusetts Clean Peak Energy Standard program. The latter provides incentives to clean energy technologies that can supply electricity or reduce demand during seasonal peak demand periods.
The SMART programme incentivises households to invest in residential or community – I.e. utility-scale but ownership shared amongst local people – solar power by being guaranteed payment by their utility for 10 years for residential systems and 20 years for community ones.
Developer chosen for Canadian’ province’s first battery storage project
Saskpower, the main utility in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan, has chosen Quebec-based power solutions provider On Power to build its first BESS.
On Power will build Saskatchewan’s first ever utility-scale BESS totalling 20MW/20MWh of capacity in northeast Regina, the province’s largest city. Construction will begin this spring and be completed in 2023.
It will cost an estimated CA$26 million (US$20.7 million) and will be funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
The facility will balance the power system and support the integration of renewable energy sources like wind and solar into the Saskatchewanian grid, Saskpower said.
The Regina facility will also serve as an opportunity for SaskPower to gain experience operating and maintaining BESS projects, the company said.
Greenko bags another deal for pumped hydro
Indian renewables firm Greenko Group’s pumped hydro storage capacity will flatten out the intermittent generation of a new 975MW renewable energy project in India being developed by Greenko and metals giant ArcelorMittal.
The two companies are developing a US$600 million wind and solar project in Andhra Pradesh which will provide 250MW of power to ArcelorMittal’s Hazira steel plant under a power purchase agreement (PPA).
Greenko will use its nearby pumped hydro project to ensure the PPA delivers a consistent supply of power to the plant though has not revealed more details.
Last month, it tied up with fellow independent power producer (IPP) Ayana to deliver round-the-clock renewable power to customers. Greenko is bringing 6GW of power to that deal with 1.5GW being PHES. According to reports, a similar deal has been signed with Adani.
Greenko Group claims to be the world’s largest energy storage company and one of the largest clean energy companies globally. It has 30GWh of ‘low-cost’ storage capacity under construction as part of its plan to develop as much as 100GWh of storage.
Its ‘low cost’ claim has some merit. A few years ago, it won a government tender for the Pinnapuram Pumped Storage Project at a tariff of US$0.054 per kWh, which was considered the lowest cost solar-plus-storage project proposal in the world.
It achieved a US$5.75 billion valuation in 2020 when a Japanese investment firm ORIX injected US$1 billion in equity.
