Orsted has announced the commissioning of the Eleven Mile Solar Center in Pinal County near Phoenix, Arizona.
Orsted says the 300 MW solar farm and 300MW/1200MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) have the capacity to produce enough energy to power 65,000 homes and store 1,200 MWh of power daily.
The project is part of Orsted’s $20 billion dollar investment in American energy generation. Eleven Mile Solar Center is SRP’s largest co-located solar and BESS project, providing power to businesses, homes, and Meta’s data center in Mesa, AZ.
Eleven Mile Solar Center represents $1 billion investment by Orsted in clean energy for Arizona and will generate $80 million to the local community. The project created over 1,000 construction jobs in the local area and will require additional roles for operation and maintenance. Orsted supported American companies, such as First Solar, Fluence NEXTracker, in procuring panels, batteries, and tracking equipment and for the project.
With the addition of Eleven Mile, SRP has nearly 3,000 MW of carbon-free energy – including more than 1,400 MW of solar – serving its customers. SRP also has nearly 1,300 MW of battery and pumped hydro storage supporting its grid.
“Solar energy paired with battery energy storage will be critical to the reliable delivery of power as the demand for electricity grows,” said David Hardy, Executive Vice President and CEO of Region Americas at Orsted.
“The Eleven Mile Solar Center represents a significant investment in southern Arizona and support for our state’s growing energy needs,” said Arizona Corporate Commissioner Lea Marquez Peterson, continuing:
With Eleven Mile Solar Center, Orsted now has 5.6 GW of onshore renewables in operation globally.