PNNL

Washington State’s first utility-scale solar and battery project powered up in north Richland last week near the campus of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). With more than 11,400 new solar panels paired with battery storage, the Horn Rapids Solar, Storage & Training Project is the latest clean energy development for Richland-based Energy Northwest.

The project is the result of a partnership between Energy Northwest, Tucci Energy Services, the City of Richland, Potelco Inc., and PNNL – with support from the Washington State Clean Energy Fund and the Department of Energy's Office of Electricity. The 20-acre project provides 4 megawatts of direct-current electricity—enough energy to power 600 homes. In addition, the 1-megawatt battery energy storage system can provide energy to 150 homes for 4 hours.

“It’s gratifying to contribute PNNL’s nationally leading expertise in energy storage to an innovative project that directly advances the clean energy priorities of the Tri-Cities and Washington State,” said Steven Ashby, PNNL director who spoke at the facility’s dedication event in Richland.  

PNNL researchers provided quantitative analysis of expected project benefits. The project also provides an operational grid-scale energy storage installation near PNNL’s Richland campus to support the laboratory’s extensive research and development in grid energy storage technologies and applications. For more information, read the Energy Northwest news release.