The technology group Wärtsilä is delivering a 500-MW_AC/2-GWh portfolio of energy storage systems to clean energy developer Clearway Energy Group. The contracts cover five sites located in Hawaii and California.

“The U.S. is a bellwether for the global energy transition and projects like these demonstrate that decarbonization is possible on a grand scale anywhere in the world. Energy storage as a flexible balancing power asset is an essential component for a 100% renewable energy future. We are very proud and grateful for being awarded these significant projects,” said Håkan Agnevall, President and CEO, Wärtsilä.

“Wärtsilä shares our vision of a world powered by clean energy. We are excited to bring online a portfolio of solar and storage projects at this scale to ensure reliable and affordable clean energy for our customers,” said Craig Cornelius, CEO of Clearway Energy Group.

The portfolio includes the Daggett 2 and Daggett 3 projects, which taken together represent one of the largest co-located solar + storage facilities in California, at 482 MW_AC of solar and 275 MW_AC/1.1 GWh of energy storage. The Daggett projects are in San Bernardino, California, adjacent to the site of a retired coal and natural gas plant. The AC-coupled energy storage systems will deliver renewable energy during increasingly volatile peak periods. Construction has commenced on both projects with expected completion dates in 2023.

Two projects, comprising 75 MW_AC/300 MWh of energy storage, are being installed at Clearway Energy Group’s Mililani I Solar and Waiawa Solar Power facilities on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii. Construction is expected to finalize in 2022. The projects are Wärtsilä’s first large-scale energy storage systems in Hawaii.

The fifth project in the portfolio is a 147 MW_AC/588 MWh energy storage system that will be connected to the operating 192 MW_AC Rosamond Central solar PV facility in Kern County, California. The energy storage system will increase the effectiveness of the solar facility by performing ancillary services, primarily solar shifting, for the California Independent System Operator. Construction is expected to be completed in December 2023.

Each facility will include Wärtsilä’s GridSolv Quantum, a fully integrated, modular and compact LFP energy storage system, as well as the GEMS Digital Energy Platform, Wärtsilä’s sophisticated energy management platform for power system optimization. All five projects will also include long-term Service+ GAP agreements with Wärtsilä, thus guaranteeing capacity and providing maintenance with performance guarantees for the lifecycle of the energy storage systems.

News item from Wärtsilä