United States utilities roll out big solar and storage plans as coal flags

Energy storage technology is increasingly helping United States energy utilities make the shift away from fossil fuels to renewable generation. Two major power providers have announced plans to add solar, storage and gas infrastructure. These are PNM in the Western US state of New Mexico and the TVA in the Southern state of Tennessee. It’s part of a gradual move by American energy firms from coal power towards renewables and grid-level energy storage. New Mexico power utility PNM made this link directly in its application to the public regulator. It has applied for the “abandonment” of its ageing San Juan coal power station in June 2022. In its place the company will install 280MW of gas peaker plants, 350MW of solar and 130MW of energy storage technology. This, says PNM, would ultimately save customers around US$7.11 a month on energy bills in 2023. It would also create one of the largest combined solar and battery storage facilities in America. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s latest Integrated Resource Plan calls for a massive 14 gigawatts of solar and 5 gigawatts of energy storage over the next 20 years.