The Eland solar-plus-storage electricity project, one of the largest solar and battery power plants in the United States, is now fully operational, supplying energy to Los Angeles and Glendale from Kern County.
Local leaders and clean energy experts gathered under the intense desert sun to celebrate the initiation of full production from 1.36 million solar panels and 172 lithium iron phosphate batteries that comprise the $2-billion project.
The massive installation is comparable in size to 13 Dodger Stadiums, including its parking lots, and is projected to generate 7% of Los Angeles’s total electricity, much of it at a record-low price.
Janisse Quiñones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), highlighted the importance of Eland by calling it the largest solar and battery project the LADWP has undertaken, stating, “This is a huge accomplishment for us because it takes away the fear of doing more of these — and we need about 10 more of these to hit our goals.”
Los Angeles has set an ambitious target of achieving 100% clean energy by the year 2035. With the Eland project now operational, the city is nearing its goal, boasting a clean energy supply of 64% as reported by Quiñones.
LADWP’s energy mix also includes other renewable sources such as hydrogen, natural gas, biomass, geothermal, nuclear, and coal, which the city plans to phase out by the end of this year.
Developed by Arizona-based Arevon Energy, the Eland project will also provide solar power to Glendale Water and Power. The solar panels are indeed eye-catching, but the project’s lithium iron phosphate batteries, which resemble large white shipping containers, play a crucial role.
These batteries enable storage of clean energy generated during sunny periods, allowing for power distribution to homes after sunset or during calm weather.
As of late 2023, the U.S. boasted nearly 469 hybrid clean power plants, combining solar or wind generation with battery storage, according to a recent study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
In California, new solar projects waiting for grid connection increasingly incorporate battery systems.
Experts emphasize that effective climate change mitigation strategies must include energy storage solutions.
Eland’s launch comes at a time when the Trump administration’s policies are slowing the shift towards clean energy, favoring fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Notably, President Donald Trump has introduced legislation that would phase out federal tax credits for wind and solar energy within the next two years.
In contrast, California and other states with mandated climate goals are likely to maintain their clean energy trajectory.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed optimism, stating her relief at being in a region where climate goals are not contentious. She labeled the day as exciting, affirming, “Eland represents a significant milestone toward reaching our climate goals, and it also just reinforces our stature of leading the country in terms of renewables and moving toward clean energy goals.”
Kevin Smith, CEO of Arevon, mentioned that solar power paired with battery storage has become the most cost-effective energy source available, arguing it remains affordable even without tax credits.
He pointed out the swift market delivery of solar projects, with Eland taking only about two years to complete from groundbreaking, in contrast to nuclear or natural gas installations that often require many more years.
Smith raised concerns about electricity demands from data centers and the need to meet that demand quickly, adding, “If we don’t meet that demand, that means the AI future is going to be won by the Chinese, because they’re building more solar in a month than we build in a couple of years.”
Currently, China accounts for two-thirds of all renewable energy installations globally, underscoring its strong encouragement of clean energy development.
In the U.S., projects like Eland must either break ground by next July or be fully operational by the end of 2027 to qualify for federal tax credits.
The future success of the Eland project, however, heavily relies on the LADWP’s commitment to a 25-year contract valued at $1.5 billion for the power produced, which includes options for outright purchase of the facility beginning in its tenth year.
Eland is the first utility-scale integrated solar and battery project for the LADWP, and its two facilities combined are expected to generate 758 megawatts of solar energy while storing up to 1,200 megawatt-hours of electricity. This stored energy will be available for distribution during peak demand times like evening or nighttime hours.
LADWP officials have stated that Eland stands as the lowest-cost project in their energy portfolio, with generation and storage costs averaging around 4 cents per kilowatt-hour.
The agreement is anticipated to either maintain or even reduce costs for ratepayers, thanks in part to the pre-pandemic contract negotiations that allowed them to avoid supply chain complications and market uncertainties related to tariffs, as explained by Quiñones.
Experts agree that projects of this nature are critically needed, especially given that last year was reported as the hottest on record, largely attributed to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. This project alone is expected to prevent emissions equivalent to approximately 120,000 vehicles, as per company estimates.
Jonathan Parfrey, executive director of the nonprofit Climate Resolve, remarked, “When the City of Los Angeles first pursued renewable power some twenty years ago, it did so on moral grounds. It was ‘the right thing to do’ to reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions. Flash forward to today — and solar power is now the right thing to do economically, producing electricity at a cost lower than that of coal, natural gas and nuclear power.”
As per the California Independent System Operator, roughly 75% of the state’s energy was derived from renewable sources on the day of the Eland project’s inauguration.
With the Eland facility, LADWP is well-positioned to achieve its clean energy objective well ahead of the 2035 deadline, although Quiñones acknowledged that the final 3% to 4% of the goal may pose significant challenges.
Yet, the successful launch of Eland, the largest project in LADWP’s history, illustrates its unwavering commitment to a renewable energy transition, signaling that the department is “not backing down from that.”
image source from：latimes
