Recurrent Energy Connects 1.2-GWh Papago BESS into the Arizona Grid

The 300-MW/1.2-GWh Papago battery storage facility in Arizona is now in commercial operation and dispatching into the statewide utility grid.

Developer Recurrent Energy completed the project in Maricopa County, which is connected into the Arizona Public Service (APS) system under a 20-year tolling agreement. Papago is the first of three Recurrent Energy battery storage projects which have tolling agreements in place with APS.

Once all are completed, the three battery facilities could provide up to 1,800 MWh (1.8 GWh) of capacity combined with the nearby 150-MW Papago solar farm. The systems are designed to aid APS in meeting high electricity demand during the summer season.

"Summer is here, and we are ready to serve APS customers with the energy they need when they need it,” Derek Seaman, APS director of resource acquisition, said in a statement. The Papago Storage project is part of our diverse and balanced energy mix, helping us continue to provide Arizona with top-tier reliability and affordable service."

The projects will store and deliver enough electricity to serve the equivalent of 72,000 homes for four hours, along with solar generation capacity sufficient to support approximately 24,000 homes annually, once fully operational.

Recurrent Energy is a subsidiary of Canadian Solar. Another Canadian Solar subsidiary, e-STORAGE, was the turkey engineering, procurement and construction provider on the Papago Storage project. e-STORAGE will continue to maintain the system under a long-term service agreement.

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