Intersect Power, a US clean energy company has begun the commercial operation of its Oberon Solar plus Storage project, located in Riverside County, California. The Oberon project produces 679 MWp/500 MWac of stable solar energy per year which is enough to power more than 207,000 homes, and includes 250 MW/1 GWh of integrated storage. Reportedly, the Oberon project adheres to the principles of the Inflation Reduction Act by utilising American-made equipment and paying fair wages.
Furthermore, the project has been constructed utilising First Solar modules from Ohio, Nextracker NX Horizon smart solar trackers, and structural steel made in the US. Local area hire was prioritised and at the top of construction, over 930 skilled union positions were generated with the help of California’s LiUNA Local 1184, IBEW Local 440, and others. The 1 GWh storage facility was developed utilising batteries from Tesla’s battery factory in Lathrop, California.
In January 2023, Intersect Power began commercial operations at Athos III, a 224 MWac/310 MWp solar project in Riverside County, California. With its 448 MWh of co-located battery storage, Athos III can provide power for roughly 94,000 houses. The project generated 500 peak union employment during the construction phase.
REGlobal’s Views: There have been a series of announcements from the US regarding the completion of solar plus storage assets in the country in the recent months, especially in the states of California and Texas. Both these states are planning significant renewable energy uptake and storage will significantly help in balancing the grid and managing resource intermittency of renewables.
