Largest US solar-storage complex goes live in Nevada

Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners and its portfolio company Primergy Solar have started the commercial operation of the Gemini hybrid park in Nevada, offering up to 690 MW of solar and 380 MW of battery storage capacity.

The complex in the Mojave desert is the largest co-located solar plus battery energy storage system (BESS) site in the US, the co-developers said on Thursday.

Gemini is 49%-owned by Dutch pension asset manager APG, which bought the stake on behalf of its pension fund client ABP in 2022. The Quinbrook Valley of Fire Fund, with Blackstone Strategic Partners and Ares Management Infrastructure Secondaries funds as lead investors, holds the remaining 51% interest.

The hybrid park was installed across 6,500 acres (2,630 ha) of federal land in Clark County and features 1.8 million photovoltaic (PV) panels which will produce power for communities in Las Vegas and beyond. The plant’s estimated output will be enough to supply almost 10% of Nevada’s peak power demand.

The solar farm is linked to a 1,400-MWh battery with a four-hour discharge capacity. China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology is the technology provider.

“Gemini creates a blueprint for holistic and innovative clean energy development at mega scale [..],” said David Scaysbrook, co-founder and managing partner of Quinbrook.

The Gemini project was financed with USD 1.9 billion (EUR 1.75bn) in debt and tax equity.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.919)

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!