US utility NV Energy has issued a request for proposals (RfP) for “major additions” to its renewable energy portfolio.
Solar, geothermal, wind, biomass and biogas technology projects compliant with Nevada’s existing renewable portfolio standards are to be considered, however NV Energy said it would also consider proposals for both standalone energy storage systems and generation projects co-located with energy storage. Projects will have a minimum generation capacity of 20MW to be considered.
Bids are to be accepted until a deadline of 6 January 2021, and all projects will require approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN).
A final shortlist of projects is to be issued on 22 February 2021, with contract execution slated for late April 2021.
NV Energy said it expected projects to come on stream by 31 December 2025.
The RfP follows NV Energy and a host of other utilities in the US accelerating their deployment of solar, storage and other renewable energies as they look to decarbonise.
NV Energy noted that on top of its new RfP, more than 1.1GW of solar and 590MW of battery storage is to be built in Nevada following PUCN approval for projects following a similar RfP in December last year. Those projects are due to come onstream by 1 January 2024.
Additionally, renewable projects approved by PUCN in December 2018 are now starting to break ground, with 1GW of renewable energy set to begin generating by the end of next year.
“We expect these new projects to provide some of the lowest-cost renewable energy available, which will directly benefit our customers,” Doug Cannon, president and CEO at NV Energy, said.
The latest edition of PV Tech Power – PV Tech’s dedicated downstream solar journal – charted the rise of utility-driven solar and energy storage in a feature length article that explored some of the key drivers behind the sector’s growth. An extract of that article can be read here, while the full article can be read within PV Tech Power Vol. 24, which can be purchased via the PV Tech Store.