Historic Gemini Solar-Plus-Storage Project Now Fully Operational

One of the largest solar-plus-storage installations in the U.S. has entered commercial operation. Primergy Solar and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners on July 18 announced that the Gemini Solar + Energy Storage project, which will provide power to Las Vegas, Nevada, and other communities, is now fully online. Gemini has 690 MW of power generation capacity and features 1.8 million solar panels. Officials said the installation will be able to supply about 10% of Nevada’s peak power demand. The project also includes 380 MW of four-hour battery energy storage that will provide 1,400 MWh of energy to be tapped during night-time hours. Thursday’s announcement noted that Gemini’s DC-coupled storage configuration enables the battery energy storage system (BESS) to charge directly from the solar panels, resulting in increased efficiency and maximizing the capture and storage of solar energy directly on-site. Gemini’s generation capacity rivals that of a project that came online in California’s Mojave Desert earlier this year. The Edwards & Sanborn installation in Kern County was developed by Terra-Gen, with Mortenson serving as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) lead. That project includes 1.9 million modules from First Solar, with 864 MW of generation capacity according to Mortenson, and 120,720 batteries from LG Chem, Samsung and BYD that provide 3,287 MWh of energy storage. The project is located on private land as well as land used by Edwards Air Force Base. To date, it is the largest public-private development in U.S. Air Force history.

Breaking the Mold

Primergy was founded in 2020 and works to develop solar and energy storage projects “that work in harmony with the local environment.” The company has projects in Texas, Colorado, Arkansas, and Minnesota, in addition to Gemini in Nevada. “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 U.S.” Primergy, headquartered in Oakland, California, on Thursday noted that the project “created and implemented an unprecedented framework for ecosystem management.” Construction crews took steps to leave vegetation undisturbed, and also installed the solar panels to follow the natural contours of the desert topography. Officials said the design enabled the project to reduce its footprint by more than 20%. The Gemini project created about 1,300 jobs during construction, and already has contributed more than $460 million to the state’s economy. Kiewit served as the EPC lead on the project. Officials approved Gemini’s construction in 2020.

Clean Energy at Mega Scale

“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, a global company with U.S. offices in Houston, Texas, and New York City. “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.” Primergy and Quinbrook closed on a historic $1.9 billion in debt and tax equity financing for construction and development of the project. In October 2022, APG, the largest pension asset manager in the Netherlands, acquired a 49% equity ownership in Gemini on behalf of its pension fund client ABP. The remaining 51% of the project was acquired by the Quinbrook Valley of Fire Fund in April of this year, with Blackstone Strategic Partners and Ares Management Infrastructure Secondaries funds as lead investors. —Darrell Proctor is a senior associate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).