The largest solar energy storage project in the United States has come online. The Edwards & Sanborn project has 875 NW of capacity, nearly two million solar panels and provides nearly 3.3 GWh of energy storage. Terra-Gen and Mortenson have completed the Edwards & Sanborn Solar + Energy Storage project, this major solar storage initiative in the United States. Mortenson is the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for solar and energy storage.
The program covers 1,860 hectares and includes more than 1.9 million First Solar modules. In total, it provides 875 MW of solar energy and has 3,287 MWh of energy storage with a total interconnection capacity of 1,300 MW. It notably supplies the city of San Jose, Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric Co, Clean Power Alliance and Starbucks. Part of it is located at Edwards Air Force Base and is the largest public-private partnership in the history of the U.S. Department of Defense. It also uses batteries from LG Chem, Samsung and BYD.
Brian Gorda, Terra-Gen vice president of engineering, said: “This facility, which is now fully operational, is a transformative project in the industry and brings resiliency to the grid. The Mortenson team s We were given the extremely difficult task of building this project, and they proved to be the right partner for the job. We are very excited to put Edwards & Sanborn into operation and benefit the people of California.
America’s largest solar energy project takes another step toward a clean world
More than 1,000 employees contributed to the proposal with more than 1 million injury-free work hours and a safety award from the California General Contractors Association.
“Mortenson is honored to help Terra-Gen deliver the Edwards & Sanborn project and provide the region with clean, resilient energy,” said Mark Donahue, senior vice president of Mortenson. He added: “I am proud of the world-class facility our team designed, built and commissioned for Terra-Gen.
This project, the largest solar energy project in the United States, was delayed for two years for a number of reasons, including the COVID-19 health crisis. Its opening comes at a crucial time for the United States, a country that has become one of the world’s leading storage markets. This reality has been driven by falling storage costs and increased adoption of renewable energy in the grid.
This initiative is the precursor to at least six other projects of this type which are expected to see the light of day over the next two years.
The United States continues to gain ground in energy
Further evidence of the progress the United States is making in the field of solar energy is the ambitious schools project in Virginia, specifically in Wayne County Country. Famous for its coal production, this county has reached a major agreement to completely convert to solar energy. This proposal results in savings of $6.5 million over 25 years.
The initiative was encouraged thanks to the incentives provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Joe Biden on August 16, 2022. This measure aims to combat inflation, promote energy security, reduce the budget deficit and to fight climate change.
According to Fox News, this solar project is the largest in state history. With every step, the United States is gaining ground in the energy field.