Longroad Energy (a renewable energy company) has announced that its Sun Pond project, a 111 MWdc solar facility paired with an 85 MWac / 340 MWh battery storage system, has achieved commercial operations in Maricopa County, Arizona.

The project is now delivering renewable electricity to customers served by two California community choice aggregators: Ava Community Energy and San José Clean Energy, both of which have contracted for the project's output through long-term Power Purchase Agreements.

Project Scale and Energy Output

Sun Pond is projected to generate enough electricity annually to power approximately 35,000 average American homes. The facility is also expected to avoid more than 145,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, a reduction equivalent to removing nearly 34,000 gasoline-powered passenger cars from the road annually.

The project is part of Longroad's broader Sun Streams Complex, a four-project development located in Maricopa County totaling nearly 1.6 gigawatts of combined solar and storage capacity.

Longroad states that the entire Sun Streams Complex is delivering more than USD 300 million in benefits to Arizona schools and communities through long-term leases with the Arizona State Land Department and associated tax remittances.

Technology and Construction

Longroad employed the Gridstack battery energy storage system supplied by Fluence, a U.S.-based energy storage platform provider, for the Sun Pond battery energy storage system.

The solar generation side of the project utilizes photovoltaic modules from First Solar, smart trackers manufactured by Nextpower, and solar inverters from Sungrow.

McCarthy Building Companies served as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for the project. At peak construction, more than 300 people were employed across all contractors and teams working on Sun Pond. Ongoing operations and maintenance services will be provided by NovaSource Power Services and Longroad's affiliate Longroad Energy Services.

Offtakers and Their Service Areas

Ava Community Energy is a not-for-profit public power provider serving more than 2 million residents and businesses across California's Alameda and San Joaquin Counties.

The organization operates as one of 25 community choice aggregation programs in California and states it has saved customers more than $183 million to date while contracting for nearly 2.5 gigawatts of renewable energy generation and storage.

San José Clean Energy is the not-for-profit electricity generation provider for homes and businesses within the City of San José, operated by the city's Energy Department and governed by the City Council.

The provider serves more than 350,000 customer accounts. Howard Chang, CEO of Ava Community Energy, described Sun Pond's commercial operation as the first of three planned projects the organization is advancing in partnership with Longroad Energy.

Chang noted that the project supports both grid reliability and Ava's commitment to delivering competitively priced renewable energy to its customers. Lori Mitchell, Director of San José Clean Energy, said the project represents an important step in delivering reliable, clean energy to the community and in meeting growing energy needs while maintaining dependable service for residents and businesses.

Storage System and Grid Reliability

Charles Spiliotis, Chief Investment Officer and co-founder of Longroad Energy, emphasized the role of the battery storage component in the project's value proposition.

The storage system is designed to provide firm, flexible capacity, ensuring that clean power is available at times when the grid most needs it, according to Spiliotis.

The 340 MWh storage capacity attached to Sun Pond represents a significant addition to California's ability to access dispatchable renewable power, an increasingly important consideration as the state's grid manages variable generation from solar and wind resources.

About Longroad Energy

Founded in 2016, Longroad Energy focuses on developing and operating wind, solar, storage, and data center projects throughout North America. The company states it has developed or acquired 7.2 gigawatts of renewable energy projects and has raised USD 20.6 billion in equity, debt, and tax equity to support its portfolio.

Longroad currently owns 5.4 gigawatts of wind, solar, and storage projects and operates and manages a total of 7.1 gigawatts on behalf of itself and third parties. The company is owned by the NZ Superannuation Fund, Infratil Limited, MEAG MUNICH ERGO Asset Management, and Longroad Energy Partners.

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