(Credit: Pixabay)In Texas, construction has begun on the Lily solar plus storage project, which integrates a renewable energy plant with utility-scale battery storage. By pairing the two technologies, the county can store energy generated by the renewable plants to be delivered when needed, such as to help smooth the supply of electricity to the grid or during periods of high electricity demand.
Located southeast of Dallas in Kaufman County, Texas, the Lily solar plus storage project comprises a 146 MWac photovoltaic (PV) facility paired with a 50 MWac battery and is expected to be operational by summer 2021.
Lily's 421,400 PV bifacial panels are expected to generate over 367 GWh each year, which will be delivered to the grid and will charge the co-located battery, equivalent to avoiding the annual emission of over 242,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. The battery storage system is capable of storing up to 75 MWh at a time to be dispatched when solar power generation is low, while also providing the grid access to a clean supply of electricity during periods of high demand.
The Lily solar project was initiated and developed by Red River Renewable Energy, LLC, a joint venture among affiliates of Sun Chase Power and MAP Energy, LLC. Enel Green Power is constructing the solar and battery storage operation.
Enel is exploring a multi-purpose land use model at the Lily site focused on innovative, mutually beneficial agricultural practices in concert with bifacial solar development and operations. In particular, the company plans to test growing crops under the panels as well as cultivate groundcover plants that support pollinators for the benefit of nearby farmland.
