louisiana solar projects

Observers and analysts say the solar farms are being driven into rural Louisiana because of the simple economics of cheaper power and the broader drive to stem climate change, which a United Nations panel said in February would amount to an existential threat to south Louisiana over the next half century. "Solar projects represent an excellent community development opportunity for our rural parishes. Local elected leaders will direct these new tax revenues to meet their current or future needs," LED Secretary Don Pierson said in the statement. Shaw Investments is supporting seven utility-scale projects in Louisiana, while eight other businesses from startups to big players from inside and outside the United States are behind nine other large-scale solar projects in various stages across the state. Several Louisiana utilities have shown interest in solar. Washington Parish officials are looking at infrastructure and recreation with the new money, Parish Council member Carley King said. . When it comes to the Dieselgate Settlement, the most well-known outcome (at least among EV enthusiasts and investors) is probably Electrify America. The developer of the solar farms in St. James, D.E. A petition in opposition of the Chalkley Solar Project on change.org was able to garner 681 supporters before closing, calling the project a metal/mirror wasteland that can potentially destroy or at least harm vast amounts of wildlife.. 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. Smoke from burning sugar cane fields creeps into this part of the West Baton Rouge Solar Farm. 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. Another big chunk comes from already carbon-free nuclear power, but the utility says it has been seeking solar developers since 2020 and hopes to have them to build 2,575 megawatts of solar power by 2025. Who's getting the real benefit of these solar panels," he added. pv magazine offers daily updates of the latest photovoltaics news. WebTo date, we operate solar projects in 29 states, and the Beauregard Solar Project will be among the first solar projects in Louisiana. 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. Thibodaux Solar is not yet registered in Louisiana but is in Delaware, incorporated in mid-June this year as a shell business. Recurrent Energy has completed more than 70 projects since 2006, with customers such as Google, GE Energy, Duke Energy and Dominion Energy. Ecoplexus has done seven tax equity funds for financing 170 megawatts of solar projects worth $300 million since 2017. Some parishes have sought more control over solar project development, even going so far as to issue moratoriums on incentives and require special permitting.. By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment. 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. John Bel Edwards. Dismuskes, the LSU energy analyst, said that while it is true industrial operations are looking for renewable power, it may not be that all of them want that power from Entergy. Bayou Galion Solar Projfect LLC, which is a subsidiary of Recurrent Energy Development Holdings, proposed building a 98.1-megawatt solar farm on 1,000 acres leased from landowners outside of Bastrop. 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. 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. Fact check:False claim that replacing cornfields with solar panels exacerbates climate change. You have permission to edit this article. The solar arrays are massive, with hundreds of thousands of individual panels collecting sunlight to generate electricity sent to the power grid. The latest plans roughly double the number of solar power projects planned in Louisiana to more than a dozen. Construction is expected to begin soon with operation to start in 2023. The five co-ops banded together to develop a replacement for their soon-to-expire power-supply contract with CLECO Cajun, a Louisiana company that is part of CLECO Power in Pineville. The answers may surprise you. Created by, the average costs for installing solar in Louisiana. RECURRENT ENERGY:Outside of Bastrop in Morehouse Parish, a subsidiary of publicly traded Canadian Solar, which manufactures solar panels and constructs projects, is buildingBayou Galion Solar Project. That's the most valuable real estate, accessible to rail and river, and it's just taking away so many opportunities that could be other clean projects, as well, you know, that could actually bring jobs, and that's what our concern is," Dufresne told a few solar, utility and media representatives after a recent Parish Council meeting. Over the next three years, there could be enough solar-generated electricity in Louisiana to power 60,000 homes in a state rich with oil and gas and crisscrossed with pipelines. Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Rocking R represents DESRIs first contract with SWEPCO, DESRIs first solar project in northern Louisiana, and the first utility-scale solar project built in the parish. The Vacherie Solar Energy Center (Vacherie) will be a 150-MW AC facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana; The SJ Louisiana Solar Project (SJ Solar) will be a 150-MW AC The project is being developed by San Francisco-based Lightsource Renewable Energy Development LLC, which is the renewable energy arm for BP. Another big chunk comes from already carbon-free nuclear power, but the utility says it has been seeking solar developers since 2020 and hopes to have them to build 2,575 megawatts of solar power by 2025. Our DESRI team is pleased to partner with SWEPCO to deliver cost-effective clean power to customers across Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas, said Hy Martin, chief development officer of DESRI. 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. Tim covered project development, legal issues and renewable energy legislation, as well as contributed to the daily Morning Brief. Other energy options chosen to be part of the 1803 collection include solar plants in central and south Louisiana, a gas-fired power plant to be built in Iberville Parish and a power-supply component by the Exelon Corp. Our commission staff took several months to review this plan, Campbell said. Shaw's projects near completion. Parish officials hope to create new land use rules for the solar facilities. The state has approved all of the solar farms proposed for economic incentives so far. Walmart has been at the table for discussions through the Louisiana Public Service Commission about the potential for what is called a green tariff option that allows customers to tie their electricity purchases to renewable energy sources. The Chalkley Solar Project, if approved, will become the second project in the 300 MW range coming to Louisiana, a state not historically known for its utility-scale solar. Shaw Renewable Investments, supplies power to Entergy New Orleans. To make that happen, the company expects in the future to stop using coal at Nelson 6 in Louisiana and at its Arkansas coal plants by 2030. Photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays capable of generating up to 100 As of July, the only outside utility-scale solar project already selling power is in West Baton Rouge Parish and operated by a subsidiary of Helios Infrastructure, which acquired that project from its initial developers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Bookmark, share and interact with the leading solar construction magazine today. KONTIKI HOLDINGS: A solar project in the town of Singer in Beauregard Parish owned by Kontiki Holdings LLC would span 1,970 acres and could produce 200 megawatts of electricity, at a construction cost of $145 million. The publicly traded utility that serves 1.3 million customers in the state has pledged to becarbon neutralby 2050. Diversion is expected to reach commercial operation in December 2024. Rocking R is expected to deliver significant community benefits, including the creation of construction jobs. Southeast Louisiana is emerging as the hub for six of seven solar farms that would produce nearly 600 megawatts of electricity combined. It would support 250 jobs and one job once built by June 2024. Next Era Energy, which has a significant renewable energy portfolio, particularly solar, dubbed the project as Beauregard Solar. Please be mindful of our community standards. You don't have to hire new teachers or first responders; it's quiet, passive, creates revenue and actually preserves the land. Louisiana solar farms could see millions in incentives. 20. Since Entergy announced it would be buying solar power, the demand for solar farms has increased. A second solar project of previously unforeseen capacity could be coming to Louisiana, as local officials in Calcasieu Parish on Lake Charles, midway between New Only one of the 16 is operational so far, with two of D.E. Some of the groups involved in the fight over industrial operations, like the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, say the parish should apply the same level scrutiny over petrochemical plants as it's applying to solar farms. Local governments have been left to balance those concerns against the rights of landowners seeking lucrative solar leasing arrangements and the demand from utilities and big users, including major industrial operations, for more renewable power. Web4 Utility-scale solar projects create an average of 3.3 jobs/MW according to SEIA. The company doesn't typically invest in projects unless "power purchase agreements" at least 15 years or longer are available to justify financing used for solar power development. Privately held Savion LLC is under Green Investment Group and an indirect subsidiary of publicly traded Macquarie Group in Australia. WebWashington, D.C. Today, Helios Infrastructure (Helios), a joint venture between Nationwide and Sol Systems, announced its acquisition of the largest solar power project in Louisiana. Will state leaders follow through. Shaw Renewable Investments) is enthusiastic about the opportunity to invest in a welcoming state economic environment while working in close partnership with local communities," said Hy Martin, commercial development officer for the company. 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. In St. James, the solar farms are popping up in a parish where, for several years, new petrochemical and oil storage facilities, like Formosa, Petroplex, Wanhua, South Louisiana Methanol and others, have been proposed in primarily Black communities, riling environmentalists and some residents. You have permission to edit this article. The Prairie Ronde Solar project is expected to generate 327,000-megawatt hours, the average annual electricity consumption of 30,700 US homes. That was Eagle Solar Group, which hails from Arizona. Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy. Commissioner Foster Campbell, North Louisiana representative on the LPSC, said the Bayou Galion Solar Project will generate 98 megawatts of clean, renewable 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 agency hosted contentious hearings this week to solicit comments from landowners, farmers and solar developers about potential regulation. This summer, Cleco sought help from an independent consultant to structure its new venture into building a solar farm portfolio, according to Louisiana Public Service Commission records. Dufresne adds he worries what impact the loss of sugar cane acreage could have on local mills that also offer jobs, though some experts doubt DESRI's plans would have much more impact over broader trends cutting into agricultural acreage already. Following state regulatory approvals, AEP will file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for approval to transfer the projects from Invenergy. Separately, Pineville-based electric utility Cleco, which has a regulated unit serving 24 parishes primarily in central and south Louisiana and an unregulated unit serving nine Louisiana electric cooperatives, announced it's looking to add 400 megawatts of solar electricity. New Orleans plummets, Baton Rouge hits bottom of national clean energy rankings. `` solar projects create an average of 3.3 jobs/MW according to SEIA, the. Daily Morning Brief 250 jobs and one job once built by June 2024 about potential regulation 250! 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