Four projects move forward
-May 7,2021-
Fresno County is processing two new solar project applications, each near the Tranquility area part of a West Fresno county cluster of solar projects on mostly marginal ag land.
The Scarlet Solar Energy Project is proposed by RE Scarlet LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of EDP Renewables North America LLC. The seek a Conditional Use Permit to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generating facility and energy storage system and associated infrastructure. The Solar Facility would generate up to 400 megawatts (MW) of alternating current on approximately 4,089 acres in unincorporated western Fresno County.
Also Luna Solar would generate and store up to 200 megawatts alternating current on approximately 1,300 acres of land, primarily owned by Westlands Water District , north of the existing Tranquillity Solar Project.
The proposed energy storage system would extend the period of time each day that the Project could contribute PV-generated energy to the electrical grid. To interconnect the Project with the electrical grid, PG&E would extend the footprint of its existing Tranquillity Switching Station by approximately 200 feet to the north, and would construct a new, approximately 1,300-foot-long 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line.
In Tulare County a permit for a new 80MW battery storage facility is being processed by the Planning Commission this month.The applicant is Viridity Energy Solutions of Philadelphia, PA who wants to construct a 43,560 square foot structure and operation of an 80 MW/320 MWh Battery Energy Storage System.The site is at 21642 Avenue 24, Richgrove next toe SCE Vestal Substation. Viridity owns battery storage facilities across the US.
Advanced battery storage applications offer multiple benefits: greater system resilience, enhanced flexibility in managing peak demand, increased uptake of renewable energy, and greater overall efficiency.
Also being processed –Tulare 40 Generation Facility Project, a
Mitigated Negative Declaration for a 40 MW solar generation facility located on approximately 237 acres.The site is 5 miles east of the City of Tulare and is east of Road 152. The proposed Project would include the construction of an on-site substation, wiring and inverters, fence, access roads, and a new distribution interconnect power line along public road rights of way to the existing substation located approximately 2.5 miles southeast of the Project location at the Southern California Edison (SCE) Bliss Substation. The southern proposed development areas of the Project would potentially include a 5 megawatt-hour (MWhr) storage component in the form of batteries. The applicant is Coldwell Solar I, LLC 500 Menlo Dr. # 100 Tulare CA .