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Wartsila, a technology company, is providing a portfolio of 500-megawatt (MWac), / 2 gigawatt-hour (GWh), energy storage systems to Clearway Energy Group, a clean energy developer and operator. Five sites are located in Hawaii and California. The contracts include one of the largest ever global solar-plus-storage project portfolios. Combining energy storage with solar photovoltaic resources will ensure grid reliability and balance the increasing number of renewable generation sources.
The United States (USA) is determined to be the global leader in clean energy adoption. It has a goal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% by 2030. Clearway and Wartsila projects show the importance of solar and storage in meeting these goals and speeding the transition by creating low-cost, clean energy at scale.
“The US is a beacon for global energy transition, and projects such as these show that decarbonization can be achieved anywhere on the planet. The key component to a 100 percent renewable energy future is energy storage. These significant projects are a major indicator of Wartsila’s leadership position in global flexibility solutions for the clean energy transition. We are proud of them and grateful. Our focus is on power system optimization and the integration of different generating assets. This ensures our customers have the highest reliability with the lowest energy costs. We have been providing energy storage systems in increasing scale and scope all over the world to help our customers achieve their decarbonization goals,” stated Hakan Agnevall (President and CEO of Wartsila).
“Wartsila shares our vision for a world powered clean energy.” Clearway Energy Group CEO Craig Cornelius stated that Clearway Energy Group is excited to launch a portfolio of solar and storage projects on this scale in order to provide reliable and affordable clean electricity for customers.
Daggett 2 & 3 are part of the portfolio. Together, they make up the largest co-located photovoltaic and storage facilities in California at 482 MWac solar PV and 275MWac / 1.1 GWh of storage. The Daggett projects can be found in San Bernardino (California), near the former coal- and natural gas plant. AC-coupled energy storage systems will provide renewable energy during volatile peak periods. This will help the state achieve its goal of 100 percent carbon-free electricity in 2045. Wartsila received the Daggett 3 order in Q3 2021 and Daggett 2 in Q4 2021. Both projects are currently under construction and will be completed by 2023.
Clearway Energy Group’s Mililani I Solar Power and Waiawa Solar Power plants on Oahu, Hawaii, have two projects that combine 75 MWac / 300MWh (megawatt hour), of energy storage. Clearway Energy Group will be able to provide reliable energy delivery and help Hawaii achieve its goal of 100 percent renewable energy generation by 2045 with the addition of energy storage. Orders for Mililani I Solar Power and Waiawa Solar Power was received by Wartsila in Q1 2021. Construction is expected to be completed in 2022. These are Wartsila’s first large-scale storage systems of energy in Hawaii.
Fifth project in portfolio is a 147 MWac/ 588MWh energy storage system. It will be connected to Kern County’s 192 MWac Rosamond Central PV facility. The California Independent System Operator will benefit from the energy storage system’s ancillary services. These include solar shifting and increasing the efficiency of the solar facility. Wartsila received the order in July 2022. Construction is expected to begin in December 2023.
Each facility will have Wartsila’s GridSolv Quantum energy storage system. It is fully integrated, modular, and compact. Wartsila also has the GEMS Digital Energy Platform which Wartsila uses to optimize power system performance. Each project will include Wartsila’s long-term Service+ GAP agreements, which provide capacity and maintenance guarantees with performance guarantees throughout the lifecycle of energy storage systems.
