Hanwha Q CELLS USA has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Austin Energy (Austin), an electric utility serving more than 1 million residents in the Greater Austin area, for its under-developing 170MW utility-scale solar plant in Texas. Q CELL USA’s PV power plant help the City of Austin move toward its 55% renewable energy production goal by 2025.
The project site is in the vicinity of several other large solar farms in development given the abundant solar resource in the area and the general local community acceptance. With robust wind generation currently in operation and installed along the mesas surrounding Pecos County, the solar resource is complementary to the wind resource that blows mainly at night. The new solar project is part of ERCOT's nearly 10,000 MW that have filed for interconnection.
“We’re very excited by the opportunity to work with Austin Energy and support their goal of adding significant solar energy to their generation portfolio,” said Laurence Greene, Chief Development Officer of Hanwha Q CELLS USA. “The solar facility will be a state-of-the-art generation resource using high-performing and efficient technology that will transform the underutilized site into an environmentally sustainable source of power to the local community.”
Hanwha plans to complete the development, design, and construction of the solar project in an expedited fashion.