The Daggett Solar and Storage project is a solar power generation and storage development in San Bernardino County, California, US. Clean energy company Clearway Energy Group is developing the project with 482MW of solar generation capacity and 394MW of energy storage capacity.
The project is part of climate solutions investor Hannon Armstrong’s 1.6GW renewable energy portfolio investment, which was announced in December 2020.
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The project began commercial operations in October 2023 with 482MW solar and 280MW energy storage. It is expected to reach full commercial operations in 2025, which will bring the total battery storage capacity to 394MW.
Once fully operational, the project is expected to become one of the largest operating solar and battery storage hybrid facilities in California.
The project is being developed in collaboration with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 477, providing more than 500 union jobs during construction. The site will also sustain up to 12 permanent onsite roles for operation, maintenance and management.
Location
The Daggett Solar and Storage project is located near the decommissioned Coolwater Generating Station, a coal and gas-fired power plant in San Bernardino County.
Project details
The Daggett Solar and Storage project is being developed in three phases. The first and the second phases comprise a solar and storage facility with 482MW solar and 280MW battery storage capacity. The third phase is yet to be implemented and will consist of a battery storage facility with a capacity of 113.5MW.
The project uses the pre-existing infrastructure from the former Coolwater Generating Station, which includes the existing high-voltage substations and transmission lines.
It deploys GridSolv Quantum, Wärtsilä’s fully-integrated, modular and compact energy storage system, and the GEMS Digital Energy Platform, an energy management platform for power system optimisation.
The first phase of the project commenced construction in October 2021, while the second phase of construction works commenced in the second quarter of 2022.
The third phase will begin commercial operation in 2025, which will bring the project’s full battery capacity to 394MW.
Offtake agreements
The energy generated from the project will be supplied to the Clean Power Alliance, Constellation, East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), Marin Clean Energy (MCE), Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), and Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA).
A 65MWac of solar capacity and a 33MWac/132MWh battery energy storage system will be supplied to SCPPA.
PG&E will receive 61MW transmission-connected battery energy storage resources from the project under a 15-year power purchase agreement with Clearway.
MCE will receive 110MW solar and 55MW/220 MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage resources from the project for 15 years.
Law firm Wilson Sonsini advised Clearway in the negotiation of each offtake agreement and assisted with the construction financing.
Clearway Energy Group acquired the indirect owner of the first phase of the project, Daggett 3 Solar, for $21m.
Project benefits
The Daggett Solar and Storage project will generate enough electricity to power 200,000 homes per year and reduce CO2 emissions by approximately one million metric tonnes per year. The project will also help in providing reliable grid and grid relief during peak hours in California.
The project will also provide employment opportunities, including roles in project operation, maintenance and management.
It will generate up to $18.5m in local tax revenue over its operational life.
Contractors involved
Wärtsilä provided the battery storage system for the project. The contract was awarded in 2021 and included a long-term service and guaranteed asset protection agreement with the company. Wärtsilä will provide maintenance and performance services for the lifecycle of the energy storage systems.
