As the first operational projects in its energy storage portfolio, Adapture Renewables, Inc., a utility-scale solar and energy storage project developer, owner, and operator, announced the commercial operation of two battery energy storage system projects in Texas. Adapture has hired Ascend Analytics, a leading provider of market information and analytics solutions for the power sector, to manage the systems. The company will utilize its SmartBidder technology to optimize asset performance.
ERCOT, the state’s main grid operator, predicts a more than 20% increase in Texas’s energy needs by 2030. This is an unparalleled acceleration of demand growth that will make energy storage more and more necessary. Together, the Adapture projects in Collin County and Kimble County, Texas, can store and dispatch around 50 MWh, providing the grid with enough electricity to power up to 67,000 homes for an hour each day during periods of high demand. A third project in Galveston County, Texas, is expected to come online in the fall, expanding this portfolio by 33% to 74 MWh. The Collin and Kimble County projects, which started commercial operations on February 20th and March 3rd, respectively, are currently supplying energy to the grid.
Across twelve states in the US, Adapture owns, manages, and is building 815 megawatt peak (MWp) solar plants. As part of its strategy to accelerate the global energy transition by collaborating with energy customers, developers, landowners, and communities, the company is expanding into battery storage, beginning with these three grid-scale Distributed Generation Resource (“DGR”) projects in Texas.
“We are proud to mark the commercial operation of the first battery storage projects in our growing portfolio, part of our commitment to accelerating the global transition to clean energy,” stated Thomas Houghton, President and chief executive officer of Adapture Renewables. “With these projects, Adapture Renewables is bringing its proven track record of success, strong financial backing, and deep in-house expertise to the energy storage sector. We’re pleased to be collaborating with leading partners like Ascend Analytics and Stella Energy Solutions, who share our vision for delivering and operating reliable clean energy projects.”
“Adapture Renewables has a distinguished track record of advancing renewable projects, and its expansion into battery storage marks an important step forward in its mission of accelerating the global transition to clean energy,” stated Gary Dorris, Chief Executive Officer of Ascend Analytics. “Driven by growing load and renewables’ increasing contribution to the supply mix, ERCOT’s evolving power market dynamics emphasize the value of battery storage in Texas, and we are proud to partner with Adapture Renewables in driving these projects’ performance and stabilizing contributions to the grid.”
Ascend’s SmartBidder will be used in all three projects to support the delivery of energy and ancillary grid services by optimizing bids and scheduling the dispatch of batteries.
All three BESS projects were purchased by Adapture Renewables from Stella Energy Solutions, a top utility-scale clean energy platform that constructs solar and energy storage systems. The two businesses worked together to design and create the facilities, with Stella Energy Solutions taking the lead in building them.
