Southern Power, a U.S. wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Co., is retrofitting a pair of its California solar farms with battery storage resources and has secured two 20-year power purchase agreements from Southern California Edison (SCE).

Southern Power said it will be adding 88 MW/352 MWh of energy storage at the Garland Solar Facility, located in Kern County. Southern Power’s Tranquillity Solar Facility, located in Fresno County, is slated to get 72 MW/288 MWh of energy storage. Both solar projects are 200 MW and went online in 2016.

According to Southern Power, the battery additions will enhance California’s grid reliability by providing SCE and the California Independent System Operator with additional flexible resource capacity that will assist in further integrating intermittent renewable energy into the grid.

The energy storage projects will be owned in partnership with AIP Management (on behalf of Danish pension funds PKA and PenSam) and Global Atlantic Financial Group, both of which have existing ownership interests in the Garland and Tranquillity solar facilities.

Southern Power operates the solar farms and will be responsible for operating the co-located energy storage projects upon completion. The company said the storage projects align with its growth strategy of developing and acquiring projects covered by long-term contracts with strong credit counterparties.

This article is reproduced at www.pv-magazine-usa.com