US-headquartered independent solar power developer 8minutenergy Renewables announced Tuesday that it has expanded into the energy storage sector with a 1GW project pipeline.
8minutenergy’s new venture will focus on standalone storage and hybrid projects and will be led by the company’s storage leadership team.
The company is currently focusing on multiple key PV sectors, including California — where 8minutenergy boasts more than 700MW in operational generation assets. In addition, 8minutenergy is also looking at growing markets in areas such as Texas and the Southeast US. The company has four California offices, one in Houston, one in Singapore and another in India.
8minutenergy’s vice president of storage solutions, Steve McKenery, said: “Utilities and corporations nationwide are looking for reliable, cost-competitive clean energy solutions. Solar PV and energy storage are poised to meet this demand while delivering strong returns. Not only can storage improve project economics, but it can also make renewable power dispatchable – that’s a clear win for the future of clean energy.”
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8minutenergy is collaborating with industry-leading manufacturers to offer energy storage solutions featuring lithium-ion and flow batteries, flywheels, and other storage mediums. 8minutenergy also plans to expand its existing solar PV research and development facility by adding energy storage facilities to test plant performance innovations and grid balancing performances. While 8minutenergy has executed energy storage projects already including a 30MW+ project in the US, the new launch will see it dedicate a team to advancing the aforementioned pipeline, on which 8minutenergy did not give further details.
Carl Stills, 8minutenergy’s vice president of storage integration, said: “Having worked closely with the largest utilities in America for the past few decades allows us to uniquely understand our customers’ needs and system requirements. We are working on storage solutions that are already cost-competitive across the board, improve energy yield, and maximize renewable incentives. Now with fully dispatchable renewable energy, we can complement any existing utility portfolio.”
