Key Takeaways:
- 700 MW facility combines wind, solar, and storage to serve 21 utilities
- Hybrid project by NextEra is first of its kind in Southwest Power Pool
- Upon completion, Western Farmers Electric Cooperative will get 50% of power from emissions-free sources
Oklahoma will soon be home to the country’s largest hybrid renewable plant encompassing wind, solar, and battery storage. A NextEra Energy Resources project, known as the Skeleton Creek Project, includes 250 MW of wind, 250 MW of solar, and 200 MW of battery storage will serve the Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC).
The WFEC is comprised of 21 utility members and customers. Once the project is finished, at least half the electricity generated for WFEC will be generated carbon-free. Such projects show that America’s wind corridor will be a pivotal region in leading the way for utilities to harness the financial gains of clean energy on the path to 100% renewables. Legacy plants are simply not able to compete with the low costs of renewables. “With the price of wind and solar energy lower than ever, we are now able to pair it with battery storage to make more affordable, renewable energy available to customers for more hours of the day,” said Gary Roulet, the cooperative’s CEO.
The wind portion of the new Skeleton Creek project (which is almost double NextEra’s previous record-breaking 380MW facility in Oregon) will come online later this year, with solar and battery facilities completed by late 2023. Slated to become the Southwest Power Pool’s largest wind, solar and battery storage plant of its kind, the project is seen as an economic boom. “With this combined facility, we can optimize and maximize the amount of low-cost, emissions-free electricity we provide,” said John Ketchum, NextEra’s president and CEO.
What We’re Reading: “NextEra inks 700 MW wind + solar + battery project, largest in the US,” published on Utility Dive