The proposals are for Innergex’s 200 MW Palomino Solar Energy Project and EDP Renewables’ 200 MW/800 MWh Flint Grid battery energy storage facility.
The Ohio Power Siting Board has set dates to hold two local public hearings regarding some of the largest renewable energy projects ever proposed in the state: the 200 MW Palomino Solar Energy Project and the 200 MW and up to 800 MWh Flint Grid battery energy storage facility.
The Palomino Solar Energy Project is proposed for construction on roughly 2,650 acres in Highland County, Ohio, just east of Cincinnati. The project is being developed by Canadian-based Innergex, developers of the nearby 200 MW Hillcrest Solar Farm, one of the first utility-scale solar projects to complete the OPSB permitting process successfully and the largest currently under construction in Ohio.
Innergex shares that Highland County was selected as the project location due to an abundance of clear, flat land that allows for straightforward project design and construction. If all goes well on the approval front, the project is expected to begin construction the second half of 2022, last 12 to 14 months, and be completed some time late in 2023. While project hardware specifics have not yet been decided upon, the Hillcrest Solar Farm is being constructed with First Solar’s Series 6 modules, a likely choice for Palomino, too.
The hearing for Palomino Solar is scheduled for: June 29, 2022, at 5 pm in the Wharton Building at the Highland County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro.
Entirely independent of the Palomino project, EDP Renewables is proposing a 200 MW standalone battery energy storage system to be constructed on 15 acres along the south side of Jug Street Road in Licking County, just northeast of Columbus. According to EDP’s application, the Flint Grid battery energy storage facility will consist of approximately 360 battery containers, each holding approximately 24 lithium iron phosphate batteries. The battery containers, which will be approximately 32 feet long by 5.5 feet wide by 8.5 feet high, will be connected to inverters, in groups of five containers per inverter. EDP has not yet finalized the battery’s duration, but the application points to four hours, meaning the battery will likely be 200 MW/800 MWh.
EDP has also shared that is has no plans to bring any form of generation to the project’s area, meaning that the battery will be fully standalone. If approved, the Flint Grid battery energy storage facility will become one of the largest battery storage systems installed in the Eastern US.
The hearing for the Flint Grid battery energy storage facility is scheduled for July 12, 2022, at 6 pm at the Courtyard by Marriott in New Albany, Ohio.
