Energix Brings 152-MWdc Ohio Solar Plant Online on Stem PowerTrack

• Energix US brought its 152-MWdc (120-MWac) Border Basin solar plant in Hancock County, Ohio, online, Stem said on Nov. 3.
• Stem's PowerTrack runs the plant's controls, local SCADA and cloud monitoring, and links the site to the PJM grid operator.
• Energix said the plant lifts its U.S. portfolio in PJM past 1 GW; Stem reports third-quarter results on Nov. 5.

Energix US has brought its 152-MWdc Border Basin solar plant in Hancock County, Ohio, online, with Stem Inc.'s PowerTrack software controlling and watching the site, Stem said on Nov. 3.

The 120-MWac plant now delivers power into the PJM Interconnection market, according to Stem's statement. Energix US owns and developed the project. PowerTrack acts as the plant's control, data acquisition and monitoring backbone. Stem supplied the PJMnet integration, power plant controls, local SCADA, communications and networking hardware and meteorological stations. The cloud layer handles monitoring, performance analytics, alerting, reporting and remote data backup.

Stem's work ran from conceptual design to operator handoff. It assembled and pre-configured control panels in its own shop, ran factory acceptance tests, commissioned the site and took part in utility witness testing.

The Ohio Power Siting Board approved Border Basin I LLC's 120-MW facility in Cass Township on Feb. 16, 2023, under a settlement agreement, the board said.

The plant in numbers

• 152 MWdc / 120 MWac of capacity, owned and developed by Energix US.
• 1.27 DC-to-AC ratio, from 152 MWdc over 120 MWac (list.solar calculation).
• 966 acres occupied inside a 1,378-acre project area, according to the Ohio Power Siting Board.
• About 6.4 acres per MWdc, or roughly 8 acres per MWac (list.solar calculation).
• 44 conditions attached by the siting board to construction and operation.
• 38 GW or more of solar and 1.8 GWh of storage rely on PowerTrack, Stem said on Oct. 26.

Energix Renewables, based in Arlington, Virginia, has worked in the U.S. since 2016 and builds mainly in Virginia and Pennsylvania. Zvi Tvizer, its country manager and chief operating officer, said Border Basin takes the company's U.S. portfolio in PJM past 1 GW.

"Stem's PowerTrack platform gives our operations team the real-time visibility and performance insight we need to maximize production and ensure reliable, long-term operation of the facility," Tvizer said in the statement.

The announcement came a week after Stem's board began a formal review of strategic alternatives, which could include selling the company. Stem reports third-quarter results after the market close on Nov. 5.