Our latest push into developing solar will come in 2021 when we complete the Permian Energy Center, combining a 420 MWAC solar PV facility with a 40 MWAC battery storage system.
Utility-scale solar offers multiple advantages:
- Cost-competitive
- Generates power when needed
- Increasingly predictable output due to improved solar forecasting
Coupled with batteries, solar becomes a dispatchable source of power that reliably delivers electricity during peak demand.
In addition, batteries provide other attractive services to the grid that have yet to be fully explored. Batteries have the ability to respond quicker to requests for power than conventional generation, making them a valuable and nimble tool for grid operators.
From a system perspective, as more variable wind and solar resources are added to the grid, large batteries help balance the system. Likewise, as more batteries are added, more solar can be reliably integrated into the grid, creating a mutually beneficial system.
