Enel S.p.A. (Rome, Italy), through its
subsidiary Enel Green Power North America, Inc. (EGPNA), has started
construction of the Aurora utility-scale distributed solar photovoltaic
(PV) project in Minnesota. Once completed, Aurora will be the Enel
Group’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) project in North America.
“The Aurora project marks a significant step forward
in the growth of our solar portfolio,” said Rafael Gonzalez, Head of
Enel Green Power North America.
16 PV plants with a total installed capacity of 150 MW to be online by the end of 2016
Aurora, which is owned by EGPNA subsidiary Aurora
Distributed Solar, LLC, will consist of 16 PV plants with a total
installed capacity of 150 MW and will be able to generate over
210 million kWh of solar power annually – equivalent to the energy
consumption needs of over 17,000 U.S. households. All 16 PV sites are
expected to be online by the end of 2016.
Overall investment totaling approx. USD 290 million
According to Enel, the construction of the Aurora
solar project will require an overall investment of approximately
290 million USD. The investment will be partly funded through a capital
contribution agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company in the
amount of 140 million U.S. dollars. The Aurora solar project has a
long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with utility Xcel Energy in
Minnesota.
The project features a distributed solar design that
consists of the installation of multiple small-scale PV sites and
delivers a range of benefits, including a reduction in line loss,
elimination of transmission costs and geographic diversification of
generation assets.
Each of the 16 solar facilities will utilise linear
axis tracking devices to maximise efficiency and production, and will be
interconnected into the off-taker’s distribution system, providing
energy and capacity to the local distribution network. Together the
sites will create approximately 400 construction jobs at the peak of the
building process.
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