Salt River Project (SRP) and NextEra Energy Resources have commissioned a 100-MW battery energy storage system with a four-hour duration to store the energy produced by the operating Saint Solar Energy Center in Coolidge, Arizona.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently projected that coal-fired power plants will generate less electricity in 2024 (599 billion kWh) than the combined generation from solar and wind (688 billion kWh) for the first time on record.
Solar is the fastest-growing source of U.S. electric power generation. EIA expects at least 37 GW of new solar generating capacity to come online in 2024, up 39% from 2023. The agency projected 23 GW to come online in 2023, a 33% increase from 2022.
SRP has contracted with NextEra Energy Resources for additional Arizona-based solar and battery energy storage projects. These include the Sonoran Energy Center, an approximately 260-MW solar facility with the ability to charge a 1-GWh battery energy storage system. Located south of Buckeye, Arizona, Sonoran Energy Center will be the largest operational battery project in the state, the companies said. Additionally, SRP has contracted for the output of Storey Energy Center, an 88-MW solar and battery energy storage system operating in Coolidge.
SRP expects a 25% increase in energy demand by 2030. To meet this demand, SRP says its future power system will balance adding more renewables and energy storage resources with flexible natural gas to avoid compromising affordability and reliability. This aligns with SRP’s recently announced Integrated System Plan.
In addition to the battery storage SRP will have in operation in 2024, SRP is prepared to add 1,500 MW of new battery resources and 1,000 MW of long-duration energy storage capacity from pumped hydro by 2035. SRP also plans to add 7,000 MW of new renewable resources, which includes 6,000 MW of new, large-scale solar resources by 2035. This will triple SRP’s current extensive portfolio of solar resources scheduled to come online by the end of 2025.
