U.S. News
California powers up with US’s biggest solar-battery energy project
By Jake Beardslee · February 10, 2024
In brief…
- The US's largest solar + battery project is now operating in Kern County, California
- The Edwards & Sanborn project has 875MW of solar capacity and 3,320MWh of storage
- It powers customers including San Jose, utilities, Starbucks and others
- Commenters discussed the project's battery storage and impact on blackouts
The United States’ largest solar and battery storage project has recently become operational in Kern County, California, reports Electrek. The Edwards & Sanborn project, developed and owned by Terra-Gen, spans 4,660 acres of Mojave desert land and comprises 875 megawatts of solar capacity along with 3,320 megawatt-hours of storage. It features nearly 2 million First Solar photovoltaic panels and over 120,000 batteries from LG Chem, Samsung, and BYD.
The enormous Edwards & Sanborn facility produces 875 megawatts of solar power and contains over 3,000 megawatt hours of stored energy, with a total capacity to provide 1,300 megawatts of electricity. It supplies renewable energy to the city of San Jose, utility providers, Starbucks, and other customers. Brian Gorda, a Terra-Gen vice president, stated the facility is “a transformational project in the industry and is providing resiliency to the grid.”
One Eletrek user wrote, “Very impressive.” Another commenter said the project represents about “the 40% mark” of progress toward ending California’s rolling blackouts.