SWEPCO is seeking approval from regulators in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas to acquire the 200 MW Mooringsport solar project in Caddo Parish, La. St. Jacques Solar LLC is proposing a 120-megawatt solar project in Vacherie, looking to spend $134 million supporting 300 construction jobs and one position once done in 2024. However, some residents have pushed back to include a local permitting process. Likewise, major corporations that are big users of electricity are looking to be more environmentally friendly by sourcing more of the power they use from the sun, wind or water. A $98 million solar farm in Morehouse Parish is looking for tax breaks for manufacturing renewable power, The Advocate reports. That's enough to provide electricity for about 220,000 homes in Louisiana, according toestimatesfrom the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group, and would constitute about a quarter of Entergy Louisiana's current total power production. pv magazine USA offers daily updates of the latest photovoltaics news. So, it's a way that doesn't tax or put on burden on our infrastructure like some other forms of economic development might require," he said. Add to that, more than 100 megawatts of electricity already being generated from privately-owned solar panels sitting on the rooftops of individual residences or on commercial buildings. Businesses which rely on oil and gas activity off Louisiana's coast fear that fossil fuels could track a similar demise as the coal industry a, The climate task force created by Gov. Washington Parish officials are looking at infrastructure and recreation with the new money, Parish Council member Carley King said. Get SEIA emails and stay on top of the latest solar news in your state. We also offer comprehensive global coverage of the most important solar markets worldwide. You don't have to hire new teachers or first responders; it's quiet, passive, creates revenue and actually preserves the land. Grid Constraints Stymie New Projects With many utilities and states in the Midwest and South (Louisiana most recently) aiming for 100 D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) announced the signing of a long-term renewable energy off-take agreement with Southwestern Electric Power Company Local elected leaders will direct these new tax revenues to meet their current or future needs," LED Secretary Don Pierson said in the statement. 2023 www.thenewsstar.com. "The resources that will replace this low-sulfur coal-powered generation will be a diverse mix of power generation, which will include zero-carbon renewable energy resources.". The project would support 160 construction jobs and create five jobs once done in 2024.. The 50-megawatt (MW) system is located in West Baton Rouge Parish, and it is now owned and operated by Helios. Rural residents have complained the solar farms are unsightly. Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy. So would a $145 million project proposed in Singer. The facility was recently acquired by Helios Infrastructure, a joint venture between Sol Systems and publicly traded Nationwide Insurance. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com. Complete our National Solar Database Survey! This investment is another key step in SWEPCOs efforts to secure renewable, affordable energy and achieve a more balanced fuel mix, says Nicholas K. Akins, AEPs chairman, president and CEO. Will state leaders follow through. The farm is located just north of La. Those jobs would end by December 2024. The Bayou Galion solar project is expected to start construction and begin operation in 2024. Both projects are expected to reach commercial operation in mid Shaw's projects were initiated by and acquired from other developers. Solar projects are similar to any other real estate development with landowners, leases and even property flippers active in the market. "I think there's a point to where, you know, you don't want to have this just all over the parish and every time you turn around, you're seeing a solar farm," King said. Dufresne said he isn't against green energy and recognizes the short-term revenue benefits, but said he is looking at another bottom line. EDP Renewables has been investing in its own projects but also buying equity stakes in other projects across the U.S., such as a deal for a portfolio worth $119 million for 89 megawatts from C2 Omega LLC, according to a deal announced in January. Shaw was founded in 1988 by David E. Shaw, who holds a Ph.D. from Stanford and has expertise in computational biochemistry. The St. James Solar farm in Vacherie collects the rays of the sun and turns them into power for the New Orleans area on Thursday, July 7, 2022. The project is expected to generate between $30 million and $40 million in property taxes over its 30-year lifespan, and would create 300 to 500 temporary construction jobs and three to four full-time jobs. David Dismukes, executive director of the LSU Center for Energy Studies, said solar developers are so interested in the Gulf South because in other parts of the nation where the regulatory push for renewables has been stronger and earlier, large pieces of land are less available. The other such installation is the 345 MW Ventress Solar project, set to start construction by the end of this year and slated for completion in 2023. Commissioner Foster Campbell, North Louisiana representative on the LPSC, said the Bayou Galion Solar Project will generate 98 megawatts of clean, renewable ECOPLEXUS:A West Coast solar developer wants to drop $348 million across two solar projects in West Baton Rouge and East Feliciana parishes. Louisianas first utility-scale solar farm, which is 50 megawatts, is in West Baton Rouge Parish and is being connected to the power grid under a 20-year power But it's unclear whether the addition of solar energy to the grid, the cheapest new construction electricity option on the market, would drive down electric bills for commercial and residential customers. San Francisco-based Ecoplexus, which owns 400 megawatts, looks to build Bueche PV1 LLC and Willis Pond PV I LLC. ; the 200.6 LSU baseball analytics: What technology, data do the Tigers use? The project would support 160 construction jobs and create five jobs once built by 2024. The aesthetics of acres of reflecting panels, their hum as they track the sun, long-term cleanup, displacement of the agricultural economy and low long-term job potential have all emerged as worries, despite the short-term boost in construction jobs and sales tax collections and the long-term property tax rise over land under agricultural tax exemptions. ), BidenHarris Administration Announces $74 Million to Advance Enhanced Geothermal Systems, In 2021, 20% Of Electricity In The US Was Generated From Renewable Sources, Stellantis Takes On Two Partners To Reduce EV Production Emissions, Guiding Principles For EV Battery Recycling Policy, NIO Builds Battery Factory, CATL Reacts, Lithium Prices Implode, Central Heat Pump Water Heaters Can Act As Massive Water Batteries, Seattle Pilot Project Shows, Li-Cycle Scores $375 Million DOE Battery Recycling Development Loan, A Conversation on the Latest and Greatest on Vanadium Batteries (Video), PG&E Will Test Tesla & Sonnen Virtual Power Plant Technology, Sonnen & TenneT Power German Grid With Electric Cars, 1st Virtual Power Plant from SolarEdge Supporting UK Grid, Google, Ford, GM, & Solar Companies Partner To Promote Scaling Of Virtual Power Plants, Vehicle-To-Grid Solutions Could Open Fast Lane To Net-Zero Future, Breaking Barriers to Home Electrification Through the EAS-E Prize, We Spend $850 a Year on Clean Energy for Our Home & Car (One Fifth the National Average). Dufresne's and other local officials' concerns reflect the unease that has arisen among some in rural Louisiana over the proliferation of solar farms over thousands of acres agricultural land. Power from those farms would go to Entergy Louisiana, which supplies power to St. James, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and many other parts of the state. The first batch of panels would create just three permanent jobs and ultimately six in all for the entire 3,900 acres planned for development, locking that land up for 30 years or more. Amazon is planning solar farms in St. Landry and Morehouse parishes as part of the online giants efforts to be entirely dependent on renewable energy by 2025. She also gardens, collects interesting minerals and can be found on TikTok. Rocking R is expected to deliver significant community benefits, including the creation of construction jobs. 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Shaw now has nearly 700 megawatts in construction and contracted clean power projects in Louisiana, the statement said. Email David J. Mitchell at dmitchell@theadvocate.com. Check out our Major Solar Projects List for more notable installations. The firm is part of Recurrent Energy Development Holdings, a North American solar-power and energy-storage developer. These tax benefits would normally be touted by local officials. It has also reached power agreements with the Iris Solar and Sunlight Road Solar complexes in Washington Parish, the Capitol Region Solar complex in West Baton Rouge and others. In February, SWEPCO announced plans to add 72.5 MW of solar energy through a power purchase agreement with the proposed Rocking R Solar project in northwest Louisiana. 3127 in Vacherie. The owner of the farm, D.E. Along the Mississippi River, St. James' large tracts of agricultural land with roads, rail, pipeline and power have made the parish one of Louisiana's hot spots for industrial growth with the generally cheap natural gas prices of the past 10 to 15 years. The farm is located just north of La. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Bob Marshall: Could solar panels keep the lights on after a hurricane? Instead, it's likely the new electricity generation cost, as with the addition of any other new capacity, would be added to monthly bills spread across all ratepayers. The startup "identified the sites best suited to host a solar project" for the unidentified customer and is "actively working with this partner to develop a utility-scale solar project," according to its website. We've already went through the dairy farms having to sell out and shut down. There was a problem saving your notification. SWEPCO expects to issue another request for proposal (RFP) in the near term for additional renewable energy consistent with the companys integrated resource plan for its energy and capacity needs. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. "The calls for further evaluation by the Council is especially rich given how freely its members have allowed the petrochemical industry to expand in majority Black areas.". The latest plans roughly double the number of solar power projects planned in Louisiana to more than a dozen. Shaw Investments are under construction: the Iris project in Washington Parish on LSU AgCenter property and in St. James Parish totaling another 70 megawatts of solar power for the grid in 2021. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by and do not necessarily represent the views of CleanTechnica, its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries. State In New Orleans East, the smaller 20-megawatt solar farm tied to Entergy cost $42 million, while a solar farm similar in size to the one in West Baton Rouge cost $78 million. Neither of those companies were the original developer of the project. Note: This story has been updated to accurately reflect the spelling ofAndersen Windows and Doors., Solar power companies are proposing another seven large-scale solar-power projects valued at about $1 billion in rural areas of southeast Loui. NEW ORLEANS (AP) Solar power companies are looking to build at least seven big projects in rural Louisiana, including three in one unincorporated community. Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO), a subsidiary of American Electric Power (AEP), is adding three renewable energy projects totaling 999 MW, representing a $2.2 billion investment. Cleco and Lafayette Utilities System are also in the market for renewable energy. D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) announced the signing of a long-term renewable energy off-take agreement with Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO). The project has drawn significant opposition from locals, however with more than 1,000 names being presented in opposition at the zoning meeting. The project is expected to sit on roughly 2,400 acres of lower-value farmland off of Highway 14, with Aurora specifically choosing lower-value farmland so as not to occupy what could otherwise be lucrative land. The solar and wind projects were identified through a competitive bidding process. These projects would also outpace SEIAs expectations for solar capacity additions in the state over the next five years, which currently sits at 507 MW. Solar developments on farm land are likely to be far less than 1% of Louisianas 7 million acres of land available for agriculture today. It could produce 50 megawatts of power. Two are already constructed in West Baton Rouge Parish and New Orleans East; two are under construction in Washington and St. James parishes; and three more were put out vying for a contract with Entergy for proposals in West Baton Rouge, East Feliciana and Morehouse parishes. 20. Like any other industrial project, it's possible that not all the projects will be constructed. Fervo Energy Plans Direct Air Capture Facility Powered By Geothermal Heat & Electricity, 2023 Global Energy Trends: Crisis, Contingencies, & Climate Change (Video Included! Shaw has backed financially across North America is the nation's first offshore wind project, Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island, which drew offshore and fabrication expertise from companies in Louisiana. Louisianas first utility-scale solar farm, which is 50 megawatts, is in West Baton Rouge Parish and is being connected to the power grid under a 20-year power supply contract with Entergy, which has two open requests for proposals. 20. The farm, owned by the hedge fund D.E. Please be mindful of our community standards. All Rights Reserved. Lightsource bp is developing the project, which will be located 30 miles northwest of Baton Rouge in Pointe Coupee Parish. Thibodaux Solar is owned by Kansas City, Missouri-based Savion Energy, which has more than 100 solar projects in various stages across 27 states. "We have a whole lot of interest from our customers," he said. Shaw is planning $484 million of investment in Louisiana spread across six disclosed projects that are seeking economic incentives or already had them approved. I mean these thousands of acres of solar farms is not bringing any jobs, and who's getting the benefit? That requires big tracts of land, often former family farms, which has created pushback from farmers in Louisiana, who say they can't compete with the solar industry's lease payments for land. Features of the Beauregard Solar project: Photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays capable of generating up to 200 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Bookmark, share and interact with the leading solar construction magazine today. Shaw's Louisiana projects are among a much larger nationwideportfolio controlled by the hedge fund producing more than 2,900 megawatts of power generated from the sun and more than 500 megawatts from wind, records show.. They could be looking to add renewable power generation on their own often expansive landholdings, potentially adding a future wrinkle to the land use questions raised by solar sites. Last year, legislators had directed the state Department of Natural Resources to create statewide rules for solar facilities, but this year, new legislation limited those efforts to ensuring solar farms set aside resources to remove solar panels once they are decommissioned. Shaw has signed deals with utilities such as Entergy New Orleans,but also with business customers such as Facebook for solar projects out West. Shaw Renewable, also known as DESRI, said his company does not plan to appeal the St. James Parish Planning Commission's ruling but may seek to reapply once new rules are known. Louisiana farmers already have complained that they cannot compete with the per-acre lease price solar companies are willing to pay for land. An empty field sits Thursday, July 7, 2022, just south of the St. James Solar farm located off La. Solar power companies are proposing another seven large-scale solar-power projects valued at about $1 billion in rural areas of southeast Louisiana at a time when the fledgling industry has drawn objections from rural residents and the scrutiny of parish officials, state lawmakers and regulators. The answers may surprise you. It is planning a $145 million solar project in Beauregard Parish to start construction in 2023 and wrap up in 2024, supporting 250 construction jobs and yielding three permanent jobs. Solar Industry offers industry participants probing, comprehensive assessments of the technology, tools and trends that are driving this dynamic energy sector. It would support 250 jobs and one job once built by June 2024. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. I would hate for that to be what Washington Parish is known for.". The hedge fund, also known as DESRI, is seeking to expand around the 210-acre farm by 3,900 more acres in the area with different investors. Savion Energy's Thibodaux project would be $200 million of investment for 200 megawatts of solar power. This information came from an advance notification filed with Louisianas economic development office. If utilities modernize the way they select the resources they run each day, they can save carbon and reduce energy prices. ; the 200.6 MW Diversion wind project in Baylor County, Texas; and the 598.4 MW Wagon Wheel wind project in Logan, Garfield and Noble counties, Okla. Invenergy is developing the three projects. "Even if the electricity were sold to an off-taker outside the state the economic benefits would stay in the parish," said Bryan Garner, director of communications for NextEra Energy Resources. The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Following state regulatory approvals, AEP will file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for approval to transfer the projects from Invenergy. "It would be difficult to make a prediction as of what percent of these projects, and or what other projects that are not listed here, move forward," said Greg Upton, associate professor at the Center for Energy Studies at LSU.. Since Entergy announced it would be buying solar power, the demand for solar farms has increased. The Washington Parish solar farm is estimated to cost $75 million and in St. James $30 million, according to state economic incentives records.. Companies, big plants and utilities want to cut carbon emissions to meet corporate sustainability goals often driven by investor demands for greener operations and to prepare for the potential of regulatory costs associated with carbon emissions. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. Shaw's hedge fund is known among those in California's Silicon Valley and has prominent investors but is managed by an external board of executives. With utilities such as Entergy, Cleco and LUS looking to buy renewable energy, another solar farm is being proposed in Louisiana. Shaw solar farms, said he and many of his constituents accustomed to the parish's pastures and forests don't want to see too many more solar panels popping up even with the new ordinance in place. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. Found in our data Protection Policy. `` infrastructure and recreation with the Federal regulatory... Recreation with the Federal energy regulatory Commission for approval to transfer the will! For manufacturing renewable power, the statement said field sits Thursday, July,! 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