The latest plans roughly double the number of solar power projects planned in Louisiana to more than a dozen. Shaw is planning $484 million of investment in Louisiana spread across six disclosed projects that are seeking economic incentives or already had them approved. Grid Constraints Stymie New Projects With many utilities and states in the Midwest and South (Louisiana most recently) aiming for 100 The Prairie Ronde Solar project is expected to generate 327,000-megawatt hours, the average annual electricity consumption of 30,700 US homes. Wind projects create an average of 0.9 jobs/MW (50 projects/7,125 megawatts), and Louisiana (49 projects/6,714 megawatts). 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. All rights reserved. Louisiana farmers already have complained that they cannot compete with the per-acre lease price solar companies are willing to pay for land. Add to that, more than 100 megawatts of electricity already being generated from privately-owned solar panels sitting on the rooftops of individual residences or on commercial buildings. Select one or more editions for targeted, up to date information delivered straight to your inbox. Louisianas first utility-scale solar farm, which is 50 megawatts, is in West Baton Rouge Parish and is being connected to the power grid under a 20-year power supply contract with Entergy, which has two open requests for proposals. The project is being developed by San Francisco-based Lightsource Renewable Energy Development LLC, which is the renewable energy arm for BP. Who's getting the real benefit of these solar panels," he added. 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. The publicly traded utility that serves 1.3 million customers in the state has pledged to becarbon neutralby 2050. The disruption of Russian gas to Europe has raised prices, encouraging developers and fueling the buildout along the Gulf. Cleco and Lafayette Utilities System are also in the market for renewable energy. Your email address will not be published. Shaw's known projects total 410 megawatts, while other players propose an additional $1.6 billion worth of projects producing more than 1,500 megawatts. Shaw's hedge fund is known among those in California's Silicon Valley and has prominent investors but is managed by an external board of executives. Parish officials are worried the expanded solar farms could displace future homes, commercial businesses or industrial plants on the prime land near the Mississippi River. 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. That was Eagle Solar Group, which hails from Arizona. Photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays capable of generating up to 100 "It would be difficult to make a prediction as of what percent of these projects, and or what other projects that are not listed here, move forward," said Greg Upton, associate professor at the Center for Energy Studies at LSU.. Legal Notice Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy pv magazine 2023, Welcome to pv magazine USA. 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. Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. 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. The Vacherie Solar Energy Center (Vacherie) will be a 150-MW AC facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana; The SJ Louisiana Solar Project (SJ Solar) will be a 150-MW AC Amid public opposition, the parish Planning Commission denied them in May. The solar farm has over 100,000 individual solar panels and is off of Rosedale Rd. Hesaid the number of commercial-scalesolar farms is greatly limited by the capacity of the electrical grid to handle them. A second solar project of previously unforeseen capacity could be coming to Louisiana, as local officials in Calcasieu Parish on Lake Charles, midway between New Orleans and Houston, Texas, have approved a zoning exception for developer Aurora Solar, a subsidiary of Avangrid Renewables. So would a $145 million project proposed in Singer. Shaw Renewable Investments, has two in Washington also,Iris Solar and Sunlight Road Solar, and is one of several firms eying farms across the state. Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Energy Information Administration Louisiana State Profile, http://www.seia.org/research-resources/us-solar-market-insight, http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/#generation, http://www.thesolarfoundation.org/solar-jobs-census/states/, http://www.seia.org/research-resources/national-solar-database, http://www.seia.org/research-resources/major-solar-projects-list, https://www.seia.org/solar-means-business-report. Shaw's projects are in St. James Parish; its other two are in Washington Parish. We also offer comprehensive global coverage of the most important solar markets worldwide. This site uses cookies. The Louisiana Public Service Commission has approved a large-scale solar energy project in Morehouse Parish as part of a new power agreement involving rural electric cooperatives. The projects would support hundreds of construction jobs but create only a handful of permanent jobs once completed. An economic impact assessment from D.E. Bob Marshall: Could solar panels keep the lights on after a hurricane? Rural residents have complained the solar farms are unsightly. Local governments have been left to balance those concerns against the rights of landowners seeking lucrative solar leasing arrangements and the demand from utilities and big users, including major industrial operations, for more renewable power. The $89 million project would produce 80 megawatts of power, support 250 construction jobs and employ one person once completed in 2023. However, The Advocate noted that it is still negotiating a deal. There was a problem saving your notification. 21 and Parish Road 88. The hedge fund, also known as DESRI, is seeking to expand around the 210-acre farm by 3,900 more acres in the area with different investors. You have permission to edit this article. Some votes head to rural residents. Cleco,Lafayette Utilities System and a number of electrical cooperatives, includingDEMCO, which operates in the Baton Rouge area, have signed deals for commercial-scale solar power or announced plans to do so. West Baton Rouge Parish saw the state's first utility-scale solar farm, 50 megawatts, that is being connected to the power grid under a 20-year power supply contract with Entergy. The farm is located just north of La. ; the 200.6 MW Diversion wind project in Baylor County, Texas; and the 598.4 MW Wagon Wheel wind project in Logan, Garfield and Noble counties, Okla. Invenergy is developing the three projects. 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. The company said "as existing resources are retired, replacement capacity is expected to come primarily from new renewable technologies.". 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 by Recurrent Energy and located in Morehouse Parish in Northeast Louisiana. The seven new proposed projects are: Kontiki Holdings LLC. That's the most valuable real estate, accessible to rail and river, and it's just taking away so many opportunities that could be other clean projects, as well, you know, that could actually bring jobs, and that's what our concern is," Dufresne told a few solar, utility and media representatives after a recent Parish Council meeting. Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. Commissioner Foster Campbell, North Louisiana representative on the LPSC, said the Bayou Galion Solar Project will generate 98 megawatts of clean, renewable St. Jacques Solar LLC is proposing a 120-megawatt solar project in Vacherie, looking to spend $134 million supporting 300 construction jobs and one position once done in 2024. An estimated 300 people will be needed during the peak period of construction. The Bayou Galion solar project is expected to start construction and begin operation in 2024. Meanwhile, utilities and businesses are pursuing renewable sources of energy to help counter their use of power generated from fossil fuels. New state legislation requires regulation for large-scale solar projects through the Department of Natural Resources, an agency that oversees natural gas and oil drilling. John Bel Edwards. That's enough to provide electricity for about 220,000 homes in Louisiana, according toestimatesfrom the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group, and would constitute about a quarter of Entergy Louisiana's current total power production. "LED recognizes that many of our rural communities are valuable agricultural centers. Savion Energy's Thibodaux project would be $200 million of investment for 200 megawatts of solar power. "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. By 2022 Entergy expects to have 381 megawatts of solar in its Arkansas portfolio.. The Sierra Club environmental group recently conducted a report that asserts it would be cheaper in the long-run to replace coal-fired power plants with utility-scale solar and wind projects in Louisiana. Features of the Beauregard Solar project: Photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays capable of generating up to 200 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy. ", Rural Louisiana residents will vote on more tax breaks for solar farms popping up across the state., Most of the projects are seeking Industrial Tax Exemption Program incentives, which could be up to 80% property tax abatement up to 10 years. Bayou Galion, which is also a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, estimated that it would create three permanent jobs to run the solar farm and support 150 construction jobs starting in July 2022. "It's a huge ag industry. "As we retire our low-sulfur coal-powered generation, Entergy will evaluate the appropriate mix of replacement resources as part of our continued effort to reliably provide power at the lowest reasonable costs, while mitigating customers exposure to cost and reliability risks," Entergy has said. 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