Developer Terra-Gen has secured $969 million in financing for the second phase of the Edwards Sanborn solar-plus-storage facility in California, which will bring its storage capacity to 3,291MWh.
When Phase 2 comes online in the third and fourth quarters of 2022 and the third quarter of 2023, the Edwards Sanborn solar + storage facility in Kern County will total 755MW of solar PV and battery storage. It combines independent battery energy storage with batteries charged from photovoltaics (PV).
The first phase of the project reportedly went live late last year. This means that 345MW of PV and 1,505MWh of energy storage have been commissioned. The second phase will add 410MW of nominal solar PV (358MW at the interconnection point) and 1786MWh of battery storage.
Solar PV is expected to come online in the fourth quarter of 2022, and the battery storage system should be fully operational in the third quarter of 2023.
Mortenson is providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for solar and energy storage. First Solar supplies the solar modules, while LG Chem, Samsung and BYD supply the cells.
For a project of such size and scope, it is not surprising that the final total size and capacity has changed several times since its initial announcement. Now, the announcement of the third phase makes the combined venue even bigger. Energy storage modules have been added a few times and appear to be growing further, while solar modules may have been reduced or delayed.
Terra-Gen said the master plan of 1,118MW of solar and 2,165MWh of energy storage was first announced in December 2020, and it is now moving forward with future phases of development that will include more than 2,000MW of incremental solar and energy storage. Funding for these future phases will be available in 2023, with commissioning beginning in 2024.
