Primergy Solar and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners have announced that the Gemini solar plus battery energy storage system (BESS) project in the US, began commercial operations.
Located in Clark County, Nevada, the Gemini project features 1.8 million solar panels. It will produce up to 690MW of clean energy and meet nearly 10% of Nevada’s peak power demand.
The solar arrays are co-located with 380MW of four-hour battery storage to deliver 1.4GWh of clean, reliable power to Nevadans after sundown.
According to the companies, the Gemini solar plus BESS project’s DC-coupled storage configuration allows the BESS to charge directly from the solar panels.
This helps in achieving increased efficiency and maximising the capture and storage of solar energy directly on-site.
The American solar plus BESS project has generated about 1,300 union and sustaining wage jobs. It has also contributed nearly $463m to Nevada’s economy.
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners co-founder and managing partner David Scaysbrook said: “Gemini creates a blueprint for holistic and innovative clean energy development at mega scale, and we are proud to have brought this milestone project to life and to have delivered so many positive impacts across job creation, environmental stewardship, and local community engagement.”
Primergy Solar and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners secured $1.9bn in debt and tax equity financing for the Gemini project during its development phase.
In October 2022, pension asset manager APG acquired a 49% equity ownership in the Gemini solar plus BESS project.
Earlier this year, the remaining 51% of the American solar plus BESS project was acquired by the Quinbrook Valley of Fire Fund, with Blackstone Strategic Partners and Ares Management Infrastructure Secondaries serving as lead investors.
Primergy Solar CEO Ty Daul said: “Achieving full commercial operations marks a significant technical and financial milestone for our team. We successfully navigated challenging supply chain and inflation issues through proactive planning and collaboration to bring this project online.
“We are grateful to our partners and investors for their commitment and shared vision in delivering clean energy to the western US.”
