482-MW California solar + storage project built with union labor – GWC Mag

Clean energy non-profit MCE is powering up its first utility-scale solar + storage project, one of the largest operating solar and storage hybrid facilities in the country.

Clearway Energy Group’s Daggett Solar-Plus-Storage project in San Bernardino County, California, generates 482 MW of solar, combined with 280 MW of energy storage. It supplies enough energy to power more than 181,000 homes. The project will store and deploy solar power when it’s needed the most to support a reliable grid.

“Flipping the switch on our first solar + storage project is a huge milestone for MCE,” said CEO Dawn Weisz. “The more we can couple solar with battery storage, the more renewable energy we can harness to maintain a reliable energy supply. This is yet another significant stride toward advancing California’s clean energy transition while supporting green jobs.”

Built in partnership with I.B.E.W. Local 477, the project created over 500 union jobs during construction.

“The Daggett Solar-Plus-Storage project embodies the path we’re on to California’s clean and reliable energy future,” said Craig Cornelius, CEO of Clearway Energy Group. “The project has brought a billion-dollar investment to an energy transition community and will provide clean, reliable, and low-cost power to California homes and businesses for years to come.”

The Daggett Solar-Plus-Storage project added 110 MW of solar and 60 MW of battery storage to MCE’s energy portfolio, enough to power over 75,000 home when it came online in August 2023. The project is contracted with five other energy providers aside from MCE.

MCE plans to add a second solar + storage project to its portfolio with Clearway’s Golden Fields project in Kern County, California, in 2025.

News item from MCE