Project ID card Sun Valley
- 250 MW solar PV
- + 100 MW (1hr) BESS
“The demand for electricity in the US will double—or more—by 2050. ENGIE’s Sun Valley solar + battery storage plant in Texas is a ‘pilot project’ for a ‘pilot state’,” explains Philippe Vedrenne, a member of the Executive Committee who supervises GEMS activities in the USA.
Sun Valley is the first of its kind in the US for ENGIE. It combines a solar photovoltaic plant (250 MW) and battery storage (100 MW) in Texas, a state where ENGIE is already an established player with 3.5 GW of wind and solar assets.
“This project brings flexibility to charge the batteries when electricity prices are cheap and then supply additional power to the grid either when the sun is no longer out, or when energy prices are high,” claims Keith Wycoff, Sun Valley site operations manager. It is therefore a pivotal step towards building a resilient renewable energy system.
A Valuable Collaboration: GEMS and the Global Business Unit Renewables
Sun Valley stands as a living testament to ENGIE's integrated model, demonstrating how it yields successful projects. “After years of studying the burgeoning battery storage market, GEMS was poised to collaborate with the Renewables Global Business Unit (GBU) in the construction of the plant. The project served as a golden opportunity for the two entities to share their knowledge and expertise,” Philippe Vedrenne explains. One of the common achievements is that GEMS and Renewables GBU have developed new valuation models and tools to support investments in battery storage. GEMS, verifying the battery business model for Sun Valley, presented multiple scenarios to the Renewables GBU. “The biggest hurdle was to understand the market analytics in order to bring a convincing revenue optimization model,” points out Annamalai Muthu, then business developer at Renewables GBU.
“These new capabilities optimize our combined positions in the battery and solar markets, for the benefit of the Renewables GBU,” Philippe Vedrenne comments. Here again, the integrated model ensures higher revenue and a stronger market position for ENGIE.
Heading for the top five
The landmark moment when Sun Valley goes online is set to take place in September. This launch will be followed by three additional solar + battery plants in Texas, which will bring ENGIE’s total battery storage capacity in the US to around 850 MW, with 1 GW planned for the end of 2024 (*).
Reaching the Group’s target of 6 GW in the US by 2030 will place ENGIE among the country’s top five players.
In other words, we are well on our way to becoming a leader in North American renewables and battery storage.
(*) Excluding the recent acquisition of Texan company Broad Reach Power (August 2023)