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    Vistra brings 50 MW Brightside Solar Facility online in Texas

    April 20, 2022
    Brightside comprises 147,732 photovoltaic solar panels, generating enough electricity to supply power to approximately 25,000 average residences in the ERCOT market during normal grid conditions. Burns & McDonnell was the engineering and construction firm
    Brightside Solar Facility, Live Oak County, TX. Photo Courtesy: Burns & McDonnell
    Brightside Solar Facility, Live Oak County, TX. Photo Courtesy: Burns & McDonnell

    Power generator Vistra has announced that its Brightside Solar Facility in Live Oak County, Texas is now online.

    The 50-MW solar photovoltaic project is the first of the seven new renewable and energy storage projects that Vistra has planned for Texas over the next few years.

    The projects are located within the ERCOT market and are part of a $1 billion investment announced by Vistra in September 2020.

    Brightside comprises 147,732 photovoltaic solar panels, generating enough electricity to supply power to approximately 25,000 average residences in the ERCOT market during normal grid conditions. Burns & McDonnell was the engineering and construction firm on the project. 

    “With Brightside and additional Vistra Zero projects poised to come online across Texas, our vision of transitioning our fleet to cleaner electric generation is becoming a reality," Vistra CEO Curt Morgan said. “As Texas continues its rapid rate of economic and population growth, Vistra is investing in the grid of the future while serving the needs of its customers who are increasingly seeking green alternatives.”

    The site utilizes 440-watt First Solar thin-film modules in conjunction with a single-axis tracking system. In addition to the photovoltaic (PV) scope, Burns & McDonnell also provided engineer-procure-construct (EPC) services on the project substation, which is a 34.5-kV to 69-kV interconnection.

    “This project provided a unique opportunity for us to deploy our integrated EPC execution method by designing and self-performing the construction of both the PV and interconnecting substation,” said Matt Dickey, construction project manager at Burns & McDonnell. “By aligning the critical procurement packages with the construction packages and engineering packages we were able to procure equipment based on when the schedule called for it to be installed. This helped alleviate some of the supply chain issues and better plan the logistics of getting material to the site.”

    The initial project construction began in January 2021.

    In spring 2022, Vistra expects to have the 260 MW/260 MWh DeCordova Energy Storage Facility in Hood County and the 108 MW Emerald Grove Solar Facility in Crane County online.  

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.