Massive 1.1-GW Misae solar complicated in Texas moves to Phase II

• The 1.1-GWdc Misae comes furnished with Texas brio in the person of Dr. Miguel Alejandro Oneto, a radiologist by training as well as solar programmer by calling. He's establishing the enormous project in the Texas panhandle together with LAE American Energy.

Large solar projects in the U.S. are back in style and the Lone Star state is a hotbed of programmer task.

These huge solar projects are no more driven by RPS orders or federal government funding programs-- however by company clean energy customers, utility offtakers and also the large competitive pricing of solar (or solar-plus-storage) contrasted to various other generation sources.

Big solar is a good fit for Texas. Although the state has no eco-friendly portfolio requirement, it has Texas sun, lots of level land, a competitive energy-only market and relatively reduced development prices. Texas is projected to be the No. 2 state in brand-new solar capacity over the next five years, according to SEIA, as well as stays one of the fastest growing solar power markets in the nation.

This week's focus project, the 1-GW Misae, comes outfitted with Texas brio in the person of Dr. Miguel Alejandro Oneto, a radiologist by training and also solar developer by calling. He's establishing the substantial project in the Texas panhandle together with LAE American Energy.

Misae I

The initial phase of Misae I, built by Mortenson Renewables and financed by Goldman Sachs and also the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, was offered to CIP in 2018. IKEA acquired 49% of the project from CIP.

When we last reported on Misae I, the tools consisted of:

• Jinko provided mono-crystalline solar panels for the project
• 80 DC-to-AC inverters from Power Electronics
• 588 single-axis trackers from Grupo Clavijo, version SP1000

The 240 MWac/330 MWdc Misae I "is currently operational-- as well as we are eager to get Misae II constructed," Oneto informed pv magazine.

Our earlier coverage kept in mind that the financing for phase I consisted of a hedge to secure buyers against unpredictable vendor electrical energy market pricing. The terms also allow the owner to capitalize on upside rates potential when demand is high.

Misae II

Dr. Oneto stated that phase II development is "mostly full and ready to develop with a performed affiliation agreement" for the 517 MWac/693 MWdc leviathan. Right here are several of the vitals.

• Established on 3,800 acres of level farming land alongside Phase I and attached to the Tesla substation's 345 KV line
• The complete affiliation research study (facility, short circuit, steady state and dynamic research studies) has been uploaded as last by AEP
• Expected to proclaim Notice to Proceed in December 2020 as well as get to COD in December 2022

Oneto told pv magazine, "The daytime generation profile of this solar project reduces the influence of curtailment threat." Texas has considerable wind capacity online, particularly in the Panhandle area where this project lies and solar generation "much better lines up with the state's demand account."

Relaunching the sale of equity

" Tax equity is not that easy to locate-- yet we do see serious passion that will support the project," stated the doctor programmer.

Oneto kept in mind, "We are collaborating with our expert, Rubicon Capital, to relaunch the sale of the equity passion in the project. Throughout our first outreach last year, we got responses that the projects requires to be more developed ... Since after that we have been able to secure multiple off-taker alternatives that ought to provide customers with a higher degree of flexibility."

30 GW of new utility-scale PV contracted in the U.S.

There's still concerning 30 GW of brand-new utility-scale solar acquired in the U.S., according to Wood Mackenzie. The expert company recommends that even with a 26% shortage from its forecast, "2020 would be the most significant year for utility solar."

There's an expansion of record setting 100-MW-plus projects currently in growth in unanticipated areas such as Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Arkansas-- and also the variety of commissioned projects of this dimension is mosting likely to balloon this year as well as next.

As well as critically-- there are, or were, concerning 300 solar installers and also regarding 10,000 solar work in Texas since the fourth quarter of 2019.

"We remain to highly believe in the exceptional economic potential of big solar centers," stated the solar Dr. Oneto.