Pinal County, Arizona has seen the official start of operations of the Eleven Mile Solar Center , a joint project between Ørsted , the renewable energy company, and Salt River Project ( SRP ).
Ørsted and SRP create solar and energy storage project
This innovative complex integrates a 300 megawatt ( MW ) solar plant and a battery storage system with a capacity of 300MW/1200MWh . It is the largest simultaneous solar and energy storage project connected to SRP’s electricity grid.
David Hardy, CEO for the Americas at Ørsted , highlighted the importance of this project in a state like Arizona, which has one of the fastest electricity demand growth rates in the country, driven in part by the expansion of data centers and the return of manufacturing on American soil.
In addition to contributing to the advancement of clean energy, the Eleven Mile Solar Center ensures substantial economic benefits for the region. The project is valued at approximately $1 billion, and will generate approximately $80 million in tax revenue to fund local public services.
Representatives from US companies, local officials and community members took part in a groundbreaking ceremony at the site. Ørsted worked with suppliers including First Solar , Fluence and NEXTracker to procure the solar panels, batteries and necessary equipment.
With this project, SRP achieves nearly 3,000 MW of carbon-free energy on its grid, of which more than 1,400 MW comes from solar installations. Additionally, SRP plans to double its generation resources over the next 10 years to meet the growing energy demand in the Phoenix metropolitan area, while preparing to phase out 1,300 MW of coal-based capacity.
SRP Planning and Sustainability Executive Bobby Olsen highlighted the Eleven Mile Solar Center ’s pivotal role in the company’s decarbonization goals. The project will also generate clean energy for Meta’s data center in Mesa, AZ, highlighting its relevance in powering high-demand technology companies.
A demonstration of the solar and storage plant. Source: Orsted
The Eleven Mile Solar Center is the latest milestone in Ørsted ’s growing portfolio of onshore projects in the United States, which now totals more than 5,000 MW in operation. With several additional projects planned before the end of the year, Ørsted continues to position itself as a leader in the transition to a clean and reliable energy grid.
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Source and photo: Ørsted
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