The 20-MWAC McNeal Solar Farm has been finished, according to Silicon Ranch and Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC), a nonprofit, member-owned distribution cooperative. With the help of the ground-breaking project’s 80 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), SSVEC will be able to handle rising load demand and the electricity requirements of more than 3,000 homes in southeastern Arizona.
“The McNeal solar and battery storage project allows SSVEC to increase the amount of affordable, renewable energy for our members, while supporting system reliability and promoting energy independence,” said Jason Bowling, chief executive officer of SSVEC. The provision of safe, dependable, and cheap electricity to our members is our top priority as the biggest electric cooperative in Arizona. Our new relationship with Silicon Ranch enables us to successfully carry out this crucial task for the benefit of our members and the communities we serve.
SSVEC has switched the majority of its energy purchases during the last few years from coal to natural gas, hydropower, and solar electricity. It is a big step toward dependability, energy independence, and stable power pricing that the McNeal solar + storage plant is now complete. As it is ready to meet rising demand throughout its service area, SSVEC has been able to develop its renewable energy portfolio intelligently and ethically by cooperating with Silicon Ranch. Additionally, SSVEC now has additional ability to satisfy the facility’s rising load demand throughout the day and into the evening thanks to the integration of 80 MWh of battery storage.
SSVEC has switched the majority of its energy purchases during the last few years from coal to natural gas, hydropower, and solar electricity. It is a big step toward dependability, energy independence, and stable power pricing that the McNeal solar + storage plant is now complete. As it is ready to meet rising demand throughout its service area, SSVEC has been able to develop its renewable energy portfolio intelligently and ethically by cooperating with Silicon Ranch. Additionally, SSVEC now has additional ability to satisfy the facility’s rising load demand throughout the day and into the evening thanks to the integration of 80 MWh of battery storage.
More than 140 skilled professionals were employed by Silicon Ranch, which also designed, financed, and built the facility. In keeping with the methodical process Silicon Ranch uses with every project it creates, the business will also act as the project’s long-term owner and operator. Silicon Ranch will continue to be invested in and dedicated to the ongoing prosperity and economic sustainability of the local community as both the landowner and the business operator. The McNeal Solar Farm was installed by the corporation at a cost of more than $70 million, and in the years to come, the project will bring Cochise County considerable additional tax revenues to support local infrastructure and schools, among other community-identified priorities.
“At Silicon Ranch, our number one priority is to promote stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities through the work that we do, and this mission aligns perfectly with the ethos of America’s electric cooperatives,” said Reagan Farr, co-founder and CEO of Silicon Ranch. “As we celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in SSVEC’s 85-year legacy of service to southern Arizona, we are thrilled to grow this essential work alongside them. I also want to congratulate Cochise County for welcome Silicon Ranch as its newest corporate citizen on behalf of our whole staff.
The McNeal site contains 20 MWAC of solar and 80 MWh of BESS in addition to a new substation that takes the place of an older building that served SSVEC members nearby and has the interconnection equipment for the solar + storage project. These facilities connect the McNeal Solar Farm to the grid, allowing SSVEC to disperse the solar energy across its system of residences and commercial buildings.
