Lorna RomeroNextEra Energy Resources and Salt River Project announced the opening of Pinal Central Solar Energy Center an integrated solar plant equipped with a battery system that will store energy.
The solar photovoltaic generation facility will generate enough solar energy to power 5,000 homes and will store excess energy in a state-of-the-art 10-megawatt (MW) lithium-ion battery storage system.
“The project’s design allows SRP to utilize solar and battery storage together to optimize clean energy output to benefit our customers,” according to SRP General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Mike Hummel.
Solar generation starts to ramp down in the late afternoon when customers are typically using energy at the highest level. With this battery system, the stored energy will be available to customers during that critical time.
PCSEC is comprised of 258,000 solar panels on 257 acres of land east of Casa Grande.
Matt Handel, vice president of renewable development for NextEra Energy Resources, said the project will also bring “significant economic benefit to the region, creating jobs and providing additional tax revenue to the communities that host it.”
This project will generate over $7 million in additional revenue for Pinal County over its operational lifetime.
Danny Seiden
Guest Contributor
