RWE Supercharges U.S. Battery Storage Platform With 3 New Projects Totaling 190 MW & 770 MW Under Construction – CleanTechnica

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

---

• 14 GW of BESS projects in RWE’s U.S. renewables development pipeline 
• Globally, RWE’s battery storage capacity now stands at about 700 MW, with more than 1 GW of battery storage projects under construction

Austin, Texas — RWE continues to deliver on its Growing Green Strategy, further expanding its green energy portfolio in the U.S. with the recent completion of three new battery energy storage systems (BESS) totaling 190 MW (361 MWh), and 770 MW (2280 MWh) BESS under construction. The three new BESS — Bright Arrow, Big Star and Mesquite 4 — bring RWE’s total U.S. battery storage capacity to about 512 MW (1370 MWh). Additionally, at 14 GW, BESS comprises more than a third of RWE’s 36 GW onshore wind, solar and battery storage development pipeline in the U.S. Globally, RWE’s battery storage capacity now totals about 700 MW, with more than 1 GW of battery storage projects under construction.

“Battery storage is growing even more critical to enable the rapid deployment of wind and solar projects, help stabilize the U.S. power grid and better ensure that enough electric supply is available to meet demand,” said Andrew Flanagan, CEO of RWE Clean Energy. “As part of our Growing Green Strategy, we’re planning to increase our battery portfolio globally to 6 gigawatts by 2030, and these three new systems are contributing to that goal.”

Battery energy storage systems supply flexible and affordable electricity when it is needed most, making them an ideal partner for renewables. The three new BESS are paired with solar, allowing them to store excess electricity that is generated and send it back to the grid at a later time. They include:

• Bright Arrow: 100 MW (200 MWh) battery storage with 300 MWac solar PV project in Sulphur Springs, Texas. The project came online in December, with an additional 200 MWac of solar scheduled to achieve commercial operation in spring 2024. The BESS will participate in the ERCOT market and the solar PV electricity output will be provided to an affiliate of NRG Energy, Inc.
• Big Star: 80 MW (120 MWh) battery storage and 200 MWac solar PV project in Bastrop County, Texas. Big Star is completing testing and is scheduled to achieve commercial operation in March 2024. The BESS will participate in the ERCOT market and the solar PV electricity output will be provided to a third party.
• Mesquite 4: 10 MW (40 MWh) battery storage and 52.5 MWac solar project in Maricopa County, Arizona, which is expected to come online later this month. The addition of Mesquite 4 brings the total operating capacity of the Mesquite Complex to approximately 530 MWac. The solar PV electricity output and BESS services will be provided to Modesto Irrigation District (MID).

RWE has leveraged its in-house solid technical battery energy storage experience and project design, modeling and system integration capabilities to ensure the operation of safe, high-performing and reliable assets. Additionally, the company markets its energy storage assets through its proprietary dispatch and optimization algorithms to extract maximum market value from its battery and renewable asset portfolio.

Battery storage@RWE

As a driver of the energy transition, RWE develops, builds and operates battery storage systems in Europe, Australia and the U.S. RWE is planning to expand its battery storage business to 6 GW worldwide by 2030.

At the start of 2023, RWE commissioned a battery system in Lingen and Werne with a capacity of 117 MW. In March, the company acquired UK solar and battery developers JBM Solar with an advanced battery project development pipeline of 2.3 GW. RWE is planning, building and operating innovative combined solar and storage plants in its German opencast mining sites. In addition, the company has won the bid for a long-duration battery storage system (50 MW / 400 MWh) in Australia. In the U.S., the company connected its first utility-scale battery storage system to the California electric grid in 2023. The 137 MWac (548 MWh) installed capacity BESS — the company’s largest storage facility in operation to date — is collocated with a 150 MWac solar PV array at the Fifth Standard complex in Fresno County, California.

For more information, visit americas.rwe.com.

Courtesy of RWE.