Kern County solar project to generate 2000MW
The Buttonbush Solar and Storage Project site straddles Interstate Highway 5, east of Buttonwillow Raceway Park, just north of Highway 58, and south of Kimberlina Road, with the majority of the site being on the northeastern side of the I-5. The eastern section of the project site is approximately six miles west of the City of Shafter, while the northern section is 5.5 miles southwest of the City of Wasco.
The huge 12,785 acre solar farm is a proposal by 29SC 8me LLC, the same project developer of the big Rexford Solar Farm near Ducor in Tulare County, already one of the largest projects in the nation at 1200 MW of solar and the same in battery storage.The new company name is now Avantus.
Said to be 8 years in the planning this new Kern County project appears to be by far the largest solar power plant in the US when built at 2000MW and 2000MW of battery storage.Thats the power output of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant
It would rival the largest in the world- the Bhadla Solar Park in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India that sprawls over 56 square kilometers and has a total installed capacity of 2,245 megawatts.
The Kern project would be supported by a 500-kV, overhead gen-tie and/or underground electrical transmission line(s) originating from one or more on-site substations and terminating at the Pacific Gas & Electric Midway Substation. PG&E will modify the Midway Substation’s 500 kV yard, within PG&E’s Midway Substation property boundary, to accommodate the proposed interconnection.
The Buttonbush project would be located on 132 parcels, scattred farm parcels that would require cancellation of approximately 413 acres of active Williamson Act Land Use Contract.
In late March, the US private equity firm KKR & Co Inc (NYSE:KKR) said they signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in California-based solar and solar-plus-storage developer Avantus via KKR-managed investment funds and accounts.
KKR said that it will invest, alongside EIG, more than USD 1 billion in growing Avantus, encompassing equity and financing facilities, including commitments from third parties
Avantus, formerly 8minute Solar Energy, has developed and sold 6.5 GWp of solar and 6.3 GWh of storage projects since its founding in 2009, according to KKR. Today, the California-based developer owns a project pipeline filled with 30 GWp of solar and 94 GWh of battery storage projects, which could power as much as 20 million people if realised, the private equity firm added.
Analysts say in the next two decades, the Valley could accommodate the majority of the state’s estimated buildout of solar energy under a state plan forecasting transmission needs, adding enough capacity to power 10 million homes as California strives to reach 100 percent clean electricity by 2045. as fewer acres are planted, facing water scarcity.
The Buttonbush project will get its first hearing Wednesday, May 15 at the Kern county Planning Department in Bakersfield. The hearing will cover a notice of preparation, a step that proceeds the filing of a full EIR.
New 300MW solar project near Avenal
BayWa r.e. Solar Projects LLC, based in Irvine, is proposing a 300MW solar farm a few miles from Avenal in Fresno County. The company currently has a pipeline of solar and storage projects totaling over 10 GW across the US. Since 2014 they have brought over 1 GW online and manage over 1 GW. The Cornucopia Solar Project would sit on 2446 acres of ag land 4 miles west of Interstate 5.The project site is intersected north to south by State Route 33 -South Lost Hills Road- and east to west by Sutter Avenue.It would also feature 300 MW of alternating current (MWac) battery storage. Fresno County is processing the company’s draft EIR.
Amazon big rigs go electric
Amazon is rolling out 50 all-electric big rigs in Southern California, eight of them out of the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles saya the WSJ.Already, the state has banned brand new diesel trucks from seaports in California, although diesel trucks purchased through 2023 will be allowed inside for years under certain conditions.
The batteries in the big rig tractors, manufactured by Volvo, can travel up to 275 miles before a recharge, “with zero tailpipe emissions,” Amazon said. The trucks will haul shipping containers from the ports to the Amazon freight center in Sante Fe Springs, where containers will be unloaded and the goods shipped to distribution centers and airports, and finally to delivery stations, where vans load up on packages for homes and businesses.
The company won’t say how much it’s paying for the trucks. The full price currently ranges from $300,000 to $500,000, compared with about $120,000 for a diesel truck. But California and the federal government offer big subsidies to buyers of low-carbon trucks, and Amazon is in a position to buy in bulk and extract a discount.