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. Don't see your company listed? Lightsource bp is developing the project, which will be located 30 miles northwest of Baton Rouge in Pointe Coupee Parish. 21 and Parish Road 88. Silicon Valley has been the main high tech and venture capital hub in the US for decades. 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. John Bel Edwards' climate initiative calls for a vast "decarbonization" of Louisiana's industrial sector which contributes about 62% of Louisiana's greenhouse gases powering boilers and other equipment and sees the push toward renewable power as one of the ways to drive the state to "net-zero" carbon emissions by 2050. Two solar farms controlled by New York-based D.E. Louisiana is a rare Deep South state with a climate plan. San Francisco-based Ecoplexus, which owns 400 megawatts, looks to build Bueche PV1 LLC and Willis Pond PV I LLC. 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. 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. Complete our National Solar Database Survey! Wind projects create an average of 0.9 jobs/MW (50 projects/7,125 megawatts), and Louisiana (49 projects/6,714 megawatts). The projects would support hundreds of construction jobs but create only a handful of permanent jobs once completed. 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 But now he's. D.E. Kontiki was registered in Delaware as of August 2020 on behalf of Next Era, which is the publicly traded umbrella company for utilities such as Florida Power and Light, records show. Climate change denial on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and TikTok is as bad as ever, False claim that replacing cornfields with solar panels exacerbates climate change, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Shaw was founded in 1988 by David E. Shaw, who holds a Ph.D. from Stanford and has expertise in computational biochemistry. Gov. Shaw's known projects total 410 megawatts, while other players propose an additional $1.6 billion worth of projects producing more than 1,500 megawatts. Southeast Louisiana is emerging as the hub for six of seven solar farms that would produce nearly 600 megawatts of electricity combined. These tax benefits would normally be touted by local officials. "So you know before we just hurry up and jump up and approve all these things, we want to know what the long-term effect is going to be for St. James Parish," Dufresne said. Thibodaux Solar Project LLC looks to spend $200 million on a 200 megawatt solar farm in Lafourche Parish near Rosedown Drive and Levert Road in Thibodaux. WebTo date, we operate solar projects in 29 states, and the Beauregard Solar Project will be among the first solar projects in Louisiana. Tripp Roy, director of development for D.E. The farm, owned by the hedge fund D.E. According to Auroras zoning exception application, the Chalkey project would use roughly one million solar modules and have a nameplate capacity between 300 and 400 MW. . Neither of those companies were the original developer of the project. There was a problem saving your notification. Read our policy. Shaw Renewable Investments, supplies power to Entergy New Orleans. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. St. James Solar III LLC is looking at the same intersection in Vacherie for a $100 million project to produce 90 megawatts of electricity. WebWe are planning to build, own and operate a privately funded $170 million renewable energy project that will deliver electricity into the local grid, helping with Louisianas energy independence and energy security. Cleco and Lafayette Utilities System are also in the market for renewable energy. 3127 and west of La. DESRI has executed a 20-year Renewable Energy Purchase Agreement (REPA) with SWEPCO to support the utilitys growing renewable energy portfolio and help power local customers electricity needs. Capital Region Solar is a planned 50-MW facility being built in West Baton This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. That's being driven by environmental, social and corporate governance initiatives that institutional investors have embraced and by customer demand, he said.. American Electric Powers SWEPCO Adds 200 MW Solar Project in Louisiana, 150 MW Lund Hill Solar Now Powering the Grid in Washington, New Report Analyzes Power Losses at Solar Facilities, Lightsource bp Inks Another Huge Order with First Solar, Silicon Ranch Commits to Purchasing 1.5 GW of Thin-Film PV Modules, AEP Energy Partners Signs PPA with Lightsource bp for Honeysuckle Solar, OCI Solar Power, Mitsui USA Joining Forces on Texas Projects, New Illinois Law Wipes Out Local Government Ability to Squash Renewables Projects, Dozens of NY Clean Energy Transmission Projects Obtain Regulatory Approval, California Utility Turning to Solar, Storage for Demand Response Program, Offshore Wind Startups Get a Spotlight During IPF 2023, Volvo Trucks Introduces Connected Vehicle Analytics Tool. Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. Some votes head to rural residents. If you like what we do and want to support us, please chip in a bit monthly via, 70%, 80%, 99.9%, 100% Renewables Study Central, Clean tech and sustainability market research, Climate Change Solutions: Why 1.5C Is So Important, Electric Vehicle Sales Charts, Graphs, & Stats, Engage Global Competition: Technology for a Sustainable Future. 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 Yes, but it's not cheap. 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. The company said "as existing resources are retired, replacement capacity is expected to come primarily from new renewable technologies.". I mean these thousands of acres of solar farms is not bringing any jobs, and who's getting the benefit? I am confident that it will provide reliable and inexpensive power to these Louisiana co-ops for years to come.. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled. Brookfield Properties Retail, Walmart, and Abita Brewing 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. Louisiana solar farms could see millions in incentives. 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. Solar developments on farm land are likely to be far less than 1% of Louisianas 7 million acres of land available for agriculture today. The legislation passed. Some also called into question the local officials authority to grant the specific type of zoning exemption that was granted. One, released in June 2020, is for 300 megawatts. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS, Washingtons largest solar project now connected to grid, McCarthy opens new craft workforce center to train current and future workers, Renewables increased energy output by more than 12% in 2022, NREL: Western RTO would decrease cost of clean energy production, transmission. EDP RENEWABLES:A U.S. subsidiary of Portuguese electric utilities giant Energias de Portugal is behind a $78.5 million solar project in Morehouse Parish near Bastrop. Capital Region Solar Project . The $89 million project would produce 80 megawatts of power, support 250 construction jobs and employ one person once completed in 2023. The company has developed and financed more than 75 projects in California, North Carolina, Georgia, Colorado and Minnesota, with more than $750 million in projects totaling 1 gigawatt around the world. 20. State 20. Shaw's projects were initiated by and acquired from other developers. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. New state legislation requires regulation for large-scale solar projects through the Department of Natural Resources, an agency that oversees natural gas and oil drilling. Since Entergy announced it would be buying solar power, the demand for solar farms has increased. With the exception of Petroplex, however, which would have been in residentially zoned areas in Vacherie near where the solar farms are proposed, critics haven't seen parish officials as willing to oppose the facilities, make changes to the land use plan that targeted new industry in majority Black areas or consider a call for a sweeping moratorium on new industry in 2019. 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.. There was a problem saving your notification. 3127 and west of La. We've already went through the dairy farms having to sell out and shut down. 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. Near Vacherie would be St. James Solar, 20 megawatts for $30 million; St. James Solar II, for which further information was not available; St. James Solar III, 90 megawatts for $100 million, Vacherie Solar Energy Center LLC, 80 megawatts for $89 million; and St. Jacques Solar, 120 megawatts for $134 million. At least one company, San Francisco-based Ecoplexus, has emerged as a potential bidder for two of the three solar farms: a $308 million project in Pride in East Feliciana Parish and $240 million project in Bueche, north of Port Allen, in West Baton Rouge Parish. 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. 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. Solar Energy Industries Association. However, some residents have pushed back to include a local permitting process. At least two of D.E. This 74.5 MW project produces enough electricity to power 7,991 homes. Tim covered project development, legal issues and renewable energy legislation, as well as contributed to the daily Morning Brief. Shaws Louisiana projects are among a much larger nationwide portfolio 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. "It's a low-impact, high-value project. While some have welcomed the farms, several other parishes have tried to slow things down at least until better controls are in place. Amid public opposition, the parish Planning Commission denied them in May. 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 project includes 199 MW Sundance, 287 MW Maverick and 998 MW Traverse wind projects. You have permission to edit this article. A 50 megawatt, $67 million solar power farm in West Baton Rouge Parish operated by Helios Infrastructure is operational. 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. ; 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. Patrick Courreges, DNR spokesman, said the rulemaking process is expected to start in August. Diversion is expected to reach commercial operation in December 2024. Ecoplexus executives did not respond to repeated requests for comment. The officer of the Louisiana incorporated business is John Clifford, an executive at Galehead, records show. Parish officials estimate that Pointe Coupee probably has room for one more solar farm at least for the next decade. The state has approved all of the solar farms proposed for economic incentives so far. Canadian Solar's subsidiary told the state board that approves economic incentives that it already has an agreement with Entergy, which has said that the project is not contingent on a contract with the utility. However, the process is not far enough along for companies to start submitting proposals for projects. 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. D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) announced the signing of a long-term renewable energy off-take agreement with Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO). 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. Shaw Investments, which has emerged as the developer of seven of Louisiana's 16 proposed large-scale solar farms. Of those that showed permanent jobs, four projects would create one job each; two of them five each; and another three permanent jobs. Your email address will not be published. Louisiana solar farms could see millions in incentives. Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. Louisiana farmers already have complained that they cannot compete with the per-acre lease price solar companies are willing to pay for land. 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. Rural residents have complained the solar farms are unsightly. Here's a glance at the other proposed projects in the state and their developers: HELIOS INFRASTRUCTURE:Its 50 megawatt project cost $67 million to construct in West Baton Rouge Parish and is operational. This solar project will deliver economic development benefits to Caddo Parish and the surrounding communities for years to come.. Some votes head to rural residents. The projects could support 1,000 construction jobs if built, but yield only two full-time positions once completed. "I think one of the big challenges that we're seeing here is that solar power, wind power or renewable energy shouldn't just mean a higher cost (for ratepayers)," said Jessica Hendricks, state policy director for the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a New Orleans-based nonprofit organization. Five of D.E. 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. Shaw's projects near completion. A state board that oversees economic development incentives for manufacturers previously voted to pause any new property tax incentives for solar farms, but recently reversed course and approved contracts to be reviewed at the local level for 10-year tax breaks. Solar facilities also help diversify Louisianas electric generation sector. Shaw's projects are Iris Solar, 50 megawatts for $75 million, and Sunlight Road Solar, 50 megawatts for $56 million, both near Franklinton. D.E. From raw materials straight through to end-user applications, we capture and analyze the critical details that help professionals stay current and navigate the solar market. By Davon Cole. 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