Power-hungry Texas needs solar and battery storage to help meet demand and balance the grid, so its largest utility-scale storage operator is delivering.

Enel North America has started constructing the Ables Springs Solar + Storage Project in Kaufman County, near Dallas. The project pairs a 186-megawatt (MW) solar farm with 115 MW/169 MWh battery storage.

Ables Springs is Enel’s 17th renewables project in the state, where it has installed 3.8 GW of wind and solar plus over 1 GW of grid-scale storage. 

Texas consumes more energy than any other state, and demand is growing. Already the US leader in solar and wind, it’s turning to battery storage to maintain the ERCOT grid’s reliability in the face of extreme weather and rising power needs. It’s expected to add more new grid battery capacity in 2024 – 6.4 gigawatts (GW) – than any other state, according to the US Energy Information Administration. (Let’s not forget that Texas is also the top crude oil- and natural gas-producing state as well – we did say power hungry.) 

“When ERCOT conditions tightened this winter, Enel’s solar and storage plants provided crucial generation and quick-response batteries that helped keep the lights and heat on,” said Stephen Pike, head of Enel Green Power North America.

Ables Springs is expected to generate 320 GWh of clean energy each year, enough to supply clean power to over 30,000 households. Over its lifetime, the project is expected to generate around $60 million in tax revenue for schools and public services. It’s expected to come online in late 2024.

Just over a week ago, Enel surpassed 10 GW of installed wind and solar capacity across the US and Canada and over 1 GW of installed utility-scale battery storage. 

Read more: Here’s how solar and wind kept the Texas grid online in 2023’s brutal summer heat

If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –ad*