2023 www.thenewsstar.com. Army Of Spiral-Welding Wind Turbine Tower Trucks Sets Forth FromTexas? So would a $145 million project proposed in Singer. Shaw is nearing completion of Iris Solar and the first St. James Solar project for an eventual tie-in to the power grid. The Rocking R Solar Project will be a 72.5-MWAC facility in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, which is anticipated to come online in late 2024. The solar farm has over 100,000 individual solar panels and is off of Rosedale Rd. Southeast Louisiana is emerging as the hub for six of seven solar farms that would produce nearly 600 megawatts of electricity combined. Will state leaders follow through. Why these Louisiana fossil fuel land scouts are jumping into the solar power business, Who owns all these solar 'farms' across Louisiana? "That's the most valuable real estate we have. Don't see your company listed? Like any other industrial project, it's possible that not all the projects will be constructed. If you're looking for information about local solar companies, check out EnergySage'slist of solar companies in Louisiana, where you can check out information about each company and see real customerreviews. The farm is located just north of La. Rocking R represents DESRIs first contract with SWEPCO, DESRIs first solar project in northern Louisiana, and the first utility-scale solar project built in the parish. Pointe Coupee Parish President Major Thibaut has been through the approval of a large solar facility in Ventress, the worries from his parish's large agricultural base and the creation of an ordinance addressing some of those issues. Your email address will not be published. However, The Advocate noted that it is still negotiating a deal. Likewise, major corporations that are big users of electricity are looking to be more environmentally friendly by sourcing more of the power they use from the sun, wind or water. A newly constructed 50-megawatt solar farm on 560 acres in West Baton Rouge Parish that has a supply contract with Entergy Louisiana has been . Nearly 1 In 3 Homes In Australia Covered In Solar Panels, In Ultrathin Layers, NREL Researchers Find A Path To Better Materials, Solar Installation Growth Expected to Reach 700 GW by 2025, Green Hydrogen Project Is New Worlds Biggest, Utility-Scale Wind, Solar PV, & Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Increased From 467 MW In 2013 To 6,230 MW In 2022 In South Africa, Energy Security Amid Heightened Global Tensions. Five of D.E. The governor's office announced that it has asked the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees offshore oil leasing in the Gulf of Mexico, to create a federal, state and local task force to develop wind farms off the state's coastline. "'Cause if it's so good, why not wait a year and let us tell our residents just how good it is.". Ecoplexus executives did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Yes, but it's not cheap. 3127 and west of La. They also want to find more consistent and relatively cheap prices for power as a hedge against the fluctuations of fossil fuel-based electricity, these watchers say. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. THIBODAUX SOLAR: The Bayou region's first utility solar array, Thibodaux Solar Project, also known as Sunbeam 2, is proposed in Lafourche Parish. D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) announced the signing of a long-term renewable energy off-take agreement with Southwestern Electric Power Company Entergy Corp.has emerged as an important source of solar power demand. Shaw's projects are Iris Solar, 50 megawatts for $75 million, and Sunlight Road Solar, 50 megawatts for $56 million, both near Franklinton. If so, couldnt this be raised to allow harvesting them? By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment. Solar developers seem unfazed by the prospect of any hurdles and continue to be bullish on the future potential while rural parish economic development officials look forward to flipping agricultural land into industrial taxes.. "We want to work with the parish to address their concerns and find a middle ground," he said. Johnna owns less than one share of $TSLA currently and supports Tesla's mission. Thibaut said he believes his parish has struck a balance between protecting agriculture and allowing some economic diversification in strategic locations with an industry that has a low impact on water, roads and local services, like fire and police. "LED recognizes that many of our rural communities are valuable agricultural centers. This investment is another key step in SWEPCOs efforts to secure renewable, affordable energy and achieve a more balanced fuel mix, says Nicholas K. Akins, AEPs chairman, president and CEO. 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The seven new proposed projects are: Kontiki Holdings LLC. Capital Region Solar is a planned 50-MW facility being built in West Baton In the Gulf South, however, the large, open tracts of agricultural land allow for a cheaper upfront cost to set up capital intensive solar installations near a market and on an existing electrical grid with a growing demand for renewable power, Dismukes noted. 20 and La. You can also view the average costs for installing solar in Louisiana, based on real price data from installed systems and solar quotes. Solar developments on farm land are likely to be far less than 1% of Louisianas 7 million acres of land available for agriculture today. Though St. James Solar sailed through the approval process in 2019, the new, larger additions have run into headwinds. The Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) has approved a power purchase agreement for the 132 MW DC /98 MW AC Bayou Galion solar project developed Entergy is following a similar plan to hit "net-zero" emissions by 2050 and stop the use of coal that represents 4% of its owned and leased electricity generation portfolio. Kontiki Holdings LLC. . Shaw Investments, which has emerged as the developer of seven of Louisiana's 16 proposed large-scale solar farms. Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. This site uses cookies. There was a problem saving your notification. Shaw has backed financially across North America is the nation's first offshore wind project, Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island, which drew offshore and fabrication expertise from companies in Louisiana. The legislation passed. The projects would support hundreds of construction jobs but create only a handful of permanent jobs once completed. An estimated 300 people will be needed during the peak period of construction. The electricity produced for the Beauregard Solar project is being marketed to a variety of customers from industrial sites to utilities inside and outside Louisiana. The agency hosted contentious hearings this week to solicit comments from landowners, farmers and solar developers about potential regulation. The Vacherie Solar Energy Center will be a 150 MW AC facility in St. James Parish in Louisiana. She also gardens, collects interesting minerals and can be found on TikTok. That solar movement in Louisiana, for now, is being driven by Entergy Louisiana as the purchaser of electricity through long-term contracts with companies that are building and operating solar farms. If you like what we do and want to support us, please chip in a bit monthly via, 70%, 80%, 99.9%, 100% Renewables Study Central, Clean tech and sustainability market research, Climate Change Solutions: Why 1.5C Is So Important, Electric Vehicle Sales Charts, Graphs, & Stats, Engage Global Competition: Technology for a Sustainable Future. State records show that previously undisclosed projects seeking economic incentives include three in the St. James Parish community of Vacherie and one each in Thibodaux, Bogalusa, Singer and Franklinton. I am confident that it will provide reliable and inexpensive power to these Louisiana co-ops for years to come.. Here's a glance at the other proposed projects in the state and their developers: HELIOS INFRASTRUCTURE:Its 50 megawatt project cost $67 million to construct in West Baton Rouge Parish and is operational. 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An economic impact assessment from D.E. Some also called into question the local officials authority to grant the specific type of zoning exemption that was granted. SWEPCO is seeking approval from regulators in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas to acquire the 200 MW Mooringsport solar project in Caddo Parish, La. Some of the groups involved in the fight over industrial operations, like the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, say the parish should apply the same level scrutiny over petrochemical plants as it's applying to solar farms. Some votes head to rural residents. Who's getting the real benefit of these solar panels," he added. Washington D.C.-area technology startup Helios Infrastructure is a joint venture between Sol Systems and Ohio giant Nationwide Insurance. The $89 million project would produce 80 megawatts of power, support 250 construction jobs and employ one person once completed in 2023. Each project would support a range of 160 to 300 construction jobs, developers said. Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - In a press release Tuesday, Entergy Louisiana announced it will be purchasing 475 megawatts of additional solar power from four solar facilities across the state. Power from those farms would go to Entergy Louisiana, which supplies power to St. James, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and many other parts of the state. "Even if the electricity were sold to an off-taker outside the state the economic benefits would stay in the parish," said Bryan Garner, director of communications for NextEra Energy Resources. Mooringsport and Wagon Wheel are expected to come online in December 2025. Information on the projects was contained in documents seeking state economic incentives through the Industrial Tax Exemption Program for manufacturers, which could mean an 80% property tax abatement for up to 10 years on the projects if approved by the school boards, sheriffs and councils in those parishes. Parish officials estimate that Pointe Coupee probably has room for one more solar farm at least for the next decade. In June, a new proposal process began and Entergy expects to start negotiations soon with companies interested in building three additional solar farms in West Baton Rouge, East Feliciana and Morehouse parishes, if power purchase contracts are awarded. Two solar farms controlled by New York-based D.E. The project includes 199 MW Sundance, 287 MW Maverick and 998 MW Traverse wind projects. Copyright 2023 CleanTechnica. The publicly traded utility that serves 1.3 million customers in the state has pledged to becarbon neutralby 2050. The subsidiary serves the Mississippi River corridor, including St. James, metro Baton Rouge and much of Louisiana outside New Orleans. Commissioner Foster Campbell, North Louisiana representative on the LPSC, said the Bayou Galion Solar Project will generate 98 megawatts of clean, renewable electricity on 1,080 acres near Mer Rouge. Amid public opposition, the parish Planning Commission denied them in May. All Rights Reserved. Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, Calcasieu, Lafourche, Morehouse and many other parishes have been targeted for solar installations supplying utilities, eBay, McDonald's and other electricity buyers. Of the 16 solar power farms proposed in Louisiana, nearly half are controlled by an East Coast hedge fund with an appetite for solar and wind projects contained in a growing $15 billion renewable power portfolio. Together, the projects represent the largest solar facility currently under construction in Louisiana and will produce a combined 70 MW of power. Diversion is expected to reach commercial operation in December 2024. Entergy noted that new requests for proposals are expected in the coming years as part of a recurring series of RFPs for renewable resources to support ongoing Entergy Louisiana energy needs to capitalize on the improving economics of solar and potentially offer other technologies relative to conventional resources.. Use SolarReviews to get company reviews and estimates for solar in your area. It would support 250 jobs and one job once built by June 2024. "Solar projects represent an excellent community development opportunity for our rural parishes. Parish officials hope to create new land use rules for the solar facilities. Mostly through subsidiary Entergy Louisiana, Entergy has reached power agreements for the more than 4,200 acres of solar projects built or proposed in St. James. "The calls for further evaluation by the Council is especially rich given how freely its members have allowed the petrochemical industry to expand in majority Black areas.". "The resources that will replace this low-sulfur coal-powered generation will be a diverse mix of power generation, which will include zero-carbon renewable energy resources.". At least in his parish, early fears that solar panels would supplant farms across the parish don't appear to be realistic, Thibaut said. Shaws Louisiana projects are among a much larger nationwide portfolio controlled by the hedge fund producing more than 2,900 megawatts of power generated from the sun and more than 500 megawatts from wind, records show. 2023 The second recently opened for 500 megawatts of power. Other developers would have two projects each in West Baton Rouge and Morehouse parishes and one each in Washington, Pointe Coupee, Lafourche, East Feliciana and Beauregard parishes. The nearly 600 megawatts of electricity the Entergy-linked solar farms will generate for the power grid would match the production of one smaller-scale natural gas-fired power plant and be a small portion the power produced in the state. Shaw is planning $484 million of investment in Louisiana spread across six disclosed projects that are seeking economic incentives or already had them approved. There was a problem saving your notification. Entergy Louisiana is purchasing the power generated by Capital Region Solar, a 50-megawatt solar plant constructed in West Baton Rouge Parish, under a 20-year DESRI has executed a 20-year Renewable Energy Purchase Agreement (REPA) with SWEPCO to support the utilitys growing renewable energy portfolio and help power local customers electricity needs. Other questions:[email protected]. Other questions:[email protected]. Solar panel technology is not new but the cost to build solar farms has dropped significantly in recent years. Solar facilities also help diversify Louisianas electric generation sector. Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO), a subsidiary of American Electric Power (AEP), is adding three renewable energy projects totaling 999 MW, representing a $2.2 billion investment. The 1,970-acre project, which could produce 200 megawatts of electricity, is expected to be along Bucket Road in Singer. The developer of the solar farms in St. James, D.E. The company has been led by Erik Stuebe since 2008 and has brokered deals with utilities such as Duke Energy, Pacific Gas and Electric and Georgia Power, among others. NEW ORLEANS (AP) Solar power companies are looking to build at least seven big projects in rural Louisiana, including three in one unincorporated community. However, the process is not far enough along for companies to start submitting proposals for projects. The exception was issued for the Chalkley Solar Project, named for a historic local family who founded the company that is leasing the land to Aurora. 20 and La. A smaller 50-megawatt project in Washington Parish, located on Sunlight Road in Franklinton would cost $56 million, support 200 construction jobs and one job once done in 2023. D.E. Canadian Solar's subsidiary told the state board that approves economic incentives that it already has an agreement with Entergy, which has said that the project is not contingent on a contract with the utility. Rural Louisiana could see 7 new large-scale solar projects worth nearly $1 billion; see map. Looking for a local installer? The new and previously disclosed projects would cover tens of thousands of acres of largely farm and timber land, leased from landowners. Possible that not all the projects will be needed during the peak period of construction jobs and job... 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