Historic Gemini Solar + Energy Storage Project Reaches Commercial Operations in Nevada
18 Julio 2024 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
Quinbrook and Primergy’s Gemini project has
successfully balanced its large scale with responsible ecosystem
management and stakeholder interests to deliver cost-effective,
clean, reliable power
Primergy Solar (“Primergy”) and Quinbrook Infrastructure
Partners (“Quinbrook”) announced today that the Gemini Solar +
Storage (“Gemini”) project in Clark County, Nevada is now fully
operational. Gemini is the largest co-located solar plus battery
energy storage system (BESS) project in the US, delivering clean,
affordable power to communities in Las Vegas and beyond.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240718110673/en/
“Gemini broke the mold with a historic amount of solar and BESS,
backed by the largest tax equity financing of its kind,” said
Primergy CEO Ty Daul. “Achieving full commercial operations marks a
significant technical and financial milestone for our team. We
successfully navigated challenging supply chain and inflation
issues through proactive planning and collaboration to bring this
project online. We are grateful to our partners and investors for
their commitment and shared vision in delivering clean energy to
the western US.”
Gemini’s 1.8 million solar panels can generate up to 690
megawatts, powering approximately 10 percent of Nevada’s peak power
demand. The solar arrays are co-located with 380 MW of 4-hour
battery storage to provide Nevadans with 1,400 MWh of clean,
reliable power after sundown. The project’s unique DC-coupled
storage configuration enables the BESS to charge directly from the
solar panels, resulting in increased efficiency and maximizing the
capture and storage of solar energy directly on-site.
Primergy created and implemented an unprecedented framework for
ecosystem management. To minimize environmental impacts, Primergy
took measures to leave vegetation in place, installed solar panels
to follow the ground’s natural contours, and reduced the project’s
land footprint by over 20 percent through thoughtful design.
Additionally, the project created approximately 1,300 union and
prevailing wage jobs and contributed approximately $463 million to
Nevada’s economy.
“Gemini creates a blueprint for holistic and innovative clean
energy development at mega scale, and we are proud to have brought
this milestone project to life and to have delivered so many
positive impacts across job creation, environmental stewardship,
and local community engagement,” said David Scaysbrook, Co-Founder
and Managing Partner of Quinbrook. “Quinbrook and Primergy have
worked as one team to diligently navigate the inevitable challenges
to bringing one of the largest ever solar and storage projects
online. It’s a testament to the hard work and creativity of our
teams – along with our many first-rate partners – that Gemini is
now playing a meaningful part in delivering clean, affordable power
to Las Vegas residents.”
During the project’s development, Primergy and Quinbrook closed
on a historic $1.9 billion in debt and tax equity financing for
construction and development. In October 2022, APG, the largest
pension asset manager in the Netherlands, acquired a 49 percent
equity ownership in Gemini on behalf of its pension fund client
ABP. In April 2024, the remaining 51 percent of the project was
acquired by the Quinbrook Valley of Fire Fund, with Blackstone
Strategic Partners and Ares Management Infrastructure Secondaries
funds as lead investors.
For more information on Primergy, please visit
https://www.primergysolar.com/. For more information about Gemini,
please visit www.primergygemini.com.
About Primergy Solar
Primergy Solar (https://www.primergysolar.com) is a developer,
owner, and operator specializing in utility-scale solar PV and
battery storage projects across the United States. The company
manages a significant portfolio of operational and
development-stage projects across major energy markets, including
ERCOT, MISO, PJM, CAISO, WECC, and SERC. With a diverse and
talented team bringing decades of expertise in renewable energy
project development, financing, construction, and operations,
Primergy Solar leads the industry in delivering innovative and
sustainable energy solutions. Primergy Solar is a portfolio company
of Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners and is the primary investment
platform for Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners' solar and solar
plus energy storage activities in North America.
About Quinbrook
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners (http://www.quinbrook.com) is
a specialist investment manager focused exclusively on the
infrastructure needed to drive the energy transition in the UK, US,
and Australia. Quinbrook is led and managed by a senior team of
power industry professionals who have collectively invested c.USD
5.6 billion of equity capital in 43.3 GW of energy infrastructure
assets since the early 1990s, representing a total transaction
value of USD 48.3 billion. Quinbrook has completed a diverse range
of direct investments in both utility and distributed scale onshore
wind and solar power, battery storage, reserve peaking capacity,
biomass, fugitive methane recovery, hydro and flexible energy
management solutions in the UK, US, and Australia. Quinbrook is
currently developing and constructing some of the largest
renewables and storage infrastructure projects in the UK, US, and
Australia.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240718110673/en/
Primergy Media Contact: Tori McDonnell
Tori@teamsilverline.com