Los Angeles’ municipal utilities aim for big solar-plus-storage procurements at low, low prices

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) last week approved power purchase agreements for what is thought to be the cheapest solar-plus-storage project so far in the US. Eland 1 will boast 175MW of solar and 87.5MW / 350MWh of battery energy storage, with scope to expand that first phase to 150MW / 600MWh of energy storage, while Eland 2 looks set to comprise 200MW of solar and 100MW / 400MWh of energy storage, again with the potential for expansion to 150MW / 600MWh of energy storage. The two-stage hybrid, planned at California’s Kern County, should be commercially operational by 31 December 2023, PV Tech writer Jose Rojo reported last week, with the LADWP Board of Commission unanimously voting to purchase power from the hybrid project(s) for a 25-year period, at record-breaking fixed tariffs for solar (US$0.01997/kWh) and energy storage (US$0.013/kWh).