Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Board of Commission unanimously voted September 10 to approve power purchase agreements for the Eland Solar and Storage Center, claimed to be the largest solar and battery energy storage system in the United States. (See “US Southwest Power Pool to get largest wind, solar & storage in US,” also in this issue, for another project that claims the title for largest, incorporating wind as well as solar.) The agreements are subject to City Council approval.
Located on 2,650 acres in Kern County, California, the project will include two large-scale solar facilities that will capture 400 megawatts of solar energy and store up to 1,200 megawatt-hours of energy — all of which can be distributed to meet peak demand, reducing the need for natural gas at night or on cloudy days.
The Eland proposal, which will be built in two phases, was selected out of a pool of 130 proposals because of the project’s scope and competitive price, which includes a fixed cost of less than 2 cents per kilowatt-hour for solar power, the lowest price offered in U.S. history. 8Minutenergy will also cover all costs associated with the development, maintenance, and operation of the facility.
The unanimous vote from the LADWP Board of Commissioners approves two power purchase agreements with 8Minutenergy to develop the project and begin commercial operation no later than December 31, 2023. The contract will cost less than $5 per year for each LADWP customer.