RWE Renewables has begun operations for the Hickory Park Solar Project, a 195.5 MW AC facility and a 40 MW 2-hour storage system. It is located in Mitchell County, Ga. RWE operates the facility and sells the energy and renewable attributes to Georgia Power through its Renewable Energy Development Initiative program.
“Projects like Hickory Park, with its co-located battery storage system, will become increasingly important as renewables form a bigger part of the energy mix,” says Silvia Ortín, CEO of RWE Renewables Americas. “Our largest solar project in the Americas is now benefiting the state of Georgia, including tax revenue to local counties and school districts. We are pleased to develop this project and advance solar in the state of Georgia as part of Georgia Power’s REDI program.”
The company announced in November 2019 that it had entered into a 30-year power purchasing agreement (PPA), with Georgia Power, an investor-owned utility that serves approximately 2.27 million customers.
The project connects over 650,000 solar panels that together cover an area of approximately 1,800 acres. The integration of a state-of-the-art DC-coupled storage system allows the project’s energy yield to be optimized and increase the predictability of injection of locally produced electricity into the Georgia Power grid.