This Richland solar farm with cutting-edge energy storage will bring 100s of workers to train

Construction has begun on a 20-acre solar project that will be paired with batteries to power 600 Richland homes as soon as this summer.

Energy Northwest expects the project to draw national attention as utilities watch to see how a megawatt-scale project integrates with battery storage for renewable energy sources.

The project is expected to be the first commercial-scale development in Washington state to integrate both solar and battery storage into the state’s mix of hydro, nuclear and wind generation.

Plans include adding a center to train solar technicians from across the nation at the project on Horn Rapids Road just north of Richland near the federal HAMMER training center.

It will be called the Horn Rapids Solar, Storage and Training Project.

Hundreds of workers from throughout the country are expected to train on solar and battery technology at the project annually.

Training dollars brought into the Tri-Cities are estimated at about $3 million a year, Energy Northwest said when its board approved the project in fall 2018.

The curriculum for solar and battery storage technicians will cover construction, operations, maintenance, and safety and hazard prevention.

The battery energy storage system will have the capacity to store one megawatt from the four-megawatt solar array, which can supply energy to 150 homes for four hours.

PNNL to collect battery data

Batteries can help make power from intermittent sources of energy, such as wind and solar, available when it is needed.

The project is timely because the Clean Energy Act requires the state to use an electricity supply free of greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

“We are uniquely positioned, as a not-for-profit joint operating agency, to help meet our state’s clean energy goals with projects like these,” said Greg Cullen, general manager of services and development for Energy Northwest.

Partners on the project include Potelco Inc., of Sumner, Wash., which will build the solar array. Tucci Energy Services, also of Sumner, will own the solar portion of the project and Energy Northwest will own and operate the battery storage system.

Energy Northwest’s portion of the project will cost $6.5 million, with Potelco spending additional money.

Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland will monitor and analyze data from the project. They will evaluate the financial benefits of the battery and use data to help develop improved battery designs and advanced tools for forecasting load and price.

A $3 million grant from the Washington state Department of Commerce will be used to develop the project.

“This project demonstrates that there doesn’t have to be a trade off between the economy and the environment,” said Washington state Commerce Director Lisa Brown.

The project will contribute to the transformation to a clean energy economy, while providing skilled, family-wage jobs, she said.

Richland’s purchase of the solar-generated power will bring it closer to meeting the state’s renewable and carbon-free energy targets, said Clint Whitney, energy services director for the city.

Residents will benefit both from a new source of clean energy and the project’s economic impacts, he said.

Energy Northwest operates other energy projects, including the Columbia Generating Station, the Pacific Northwest’s only commercial nuclear power facility. It also has hydro and wind projects and a small solar project.

This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 4:59 PM.