Renewable America develops 15 MW of solar + storage projects for California municipal utilities

Renewable America, a distributed energy company, will provide over 15 MW of solar power coupled with 8 MWh of energy storage to four different Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) in California. Through these five projects in total, the CCAs are progressing toward state-mandated Resource Adequacy (RA) goals, which require upgrades like solar projects for more grid stability.

All five projects are now fully subscribed and will complete construction by Q3 of 2023 or Q1 of 2024. Once operational, these projects will provide locally produced clean energy to 3,300 Northern California households, nearly half of which will be located in disadvantaged communities.

“We are excited to be working with Renewable America to help us meet our RA obligation as a ‘Load Serving Entity.’ This community-scale project is on track to be completed in under two years, unlike larger utility-scale projects that can take many years to develop,” said Matthew Marshall, executive director of Redwood Coast Energy Authority. “We are excited to work with Renewable America to accelerate progress on our goals for locally sourced distributed energy resources. With the extensive development experience needed to move this type of project forward, Renewable America is a key partner in increasing our community’s access to clean, resilient energy sources.”

Ever since the 2001 California energy crisis, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has required that every load serving entity, including CCAs, are able to allocate enough resource capacity for their load to ensure energy resiliency. Every year, the CAISO (California Independent Service Operator) opens a new window for applications for cluster studies, which are performed to ensure that system reliability and standards for no adverse impact are met. In March 2021, it received an unprecedented three times more applications than in previous years, earning it the nickname “The Super Cluster”. However, as a result of the overwhelming response, the study’s completion has been delayed by over two years, and CAISO is still in the process of finishing it.

Renewable America is managing everything in-house for all five of these new solar and energy storage projects, including scouting new project sites, interconnection, engineering, permitting and PPAs. Two of the projects are located within disadvantaged communities, ensuring them equitable access to clean energy. These projects preserve agricultural land use and create pollinator-friendly habitats within a five-mile radius of the site.

“With the increase of power outages and Public Safety Power Shutoffs in California, distributed generation local solar projects are more essential than ever to ensure energy resiliency while also mitigating climate change,” said Ardi Arian, CEO of Renewable America. “On top of power outage challenges, CCAs are facing unprecedented challenges when it comes to RA. We are pleased to be able to provide high quality, local solutions in less time for CCAs throughout California who are seeking alternative options to meet capacity needs.”

News item from Renewable America