Work has been completed on the first project of a planned 550 MW three-part solar power generation complex in Mississippi’s Golden Triangle region that also includes record battery storage capacity at state With 500 MW of battery storage systems, it will also provide the largest such capacity in the state when all projects are built in 2025.
Developed by Origis Energy and built by Renewable Energy Systems, the three-project effort is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Green Invest program, which helps meet the energy demand and sustainability goals of large regional industrial customers . The developer will operate and maintain all TVA facilities for at least 35 years under power purchase agreements.
1,300
Acres for the Sunfish 2 solar project in Calhoun County, Michigan, the first of three that Bechtel announced it will design and build for Hecate Energy to produce a total of 1 GW when completed in 2026. Sunfish 2, which says the contractor will be one of the largest solar energy projects in the state, it will have about 620,000 bifacial panels. No total project cost was noted. Michigan aims to have 50% of its energy come from renewable sources by 2030.
Prevalon Energy, the former battery storage business of Mitsubishi Power Americas, will run that operation for the complex, Origis said.
The first 1,350-acre site, Golden Triangle II, which provides 150 MW of solar power and 500 MW of battery storage, recently began operations. It will support two data centers operated by Facebook parent Meta, the developer said.
Golden Triangle II will support Meta’s operations in TVA’s service area as part of a collaborative agreement for more than 1,000 MW of capacity. “Partnering with TVA on the Green Invest program has made it possible for our operations in the Tennessee Valley to be supported by new solar power built in the region,” says Urvi Parekh, Meta’s head of renewable energy. “This solar farm is Meta’s first renewable energy project in Mississippi.”
Two more projects, the 2,098-acre Golden Triangle I and the 2,000-acre Optimist, both in Clay County, will come online next year, each with 200 MW of capacity and 50 MW of storage batteries The total construction workforce is about 500, Origis said. Together, the three sites will contain 1.5 million solar panel modules.
While construction costs for the three Mississippi projects have not been made public, Origis said it has secured more than $1 billion in outside financing in the past year to support short-term projects and operations in 15 states TVA has said it will add 10 GW of total regional solar generation by 2035, compared to the 2.4 GW currently operating.
Industry sees debut of record 20MW wind turbine in China
Photo: Minyang Wind Power
China fueled global tension over the growing size of its offshore wind turbines to increase efficiency with the launch in late August of a 20MW capacity model in the city of Hainan near Vietnam (in above), announced by domestic producer Mingyang Wind Power Group Ltd.
The firm said its “modular and lightweight design” enables it to generate 80 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually. The model is 260–292 m (853–958 ft) in diameter, with wind sweep up to 66,966 m². The firm said it may also develop a 22MW model, citing lightweight carbon fiber technology and advanced manufacturing.
But U.S. turbine maker GE Vernova last year scrapped plans to develop an 18 MW turbine model, and a U.S. Department of Energy report said the ultra-large turbines add costs to the sector’s supply chain at a financially difficult time for the industry and that could pose risks without proper use. training and testing.
The US and other developers are watching Mingyang’s plan to build a new plant in Italy and a possible European Union investigation into the company’s Chinese government subsidies.
—Debra K. Rubin
