GE to Provide Solar-Storage Combo for New York Hybrid

GE Renewable Energy has been selected by Convergent Energy + Power to provide an integrated solar inverter and battery package for a 123 megawatt-hour hybrid solar-plus-storage project in Upstate New York.

The agreement spans three sites in Upstate New York and in aggregate, these projects will be the largest hybrid solar-plus-storage system in New York by a single owner.

Construction on the hybrid systems has begun and is expected to reach commercial operation in the summer of 2021.

The system will use a direct DC-coupled configuration, with a single inverter and single point of interconnection shared by the solar array and the storage system, helping improve the overall energy output of the hybrid system while “optimising equipment and installation costs” and increasing overall system reliability.

GE has also provided a twenty-year service agreement.

The paired solar and storage projects support New York State’s clean energy goals by providing renewable energy to the grid at the most strategic times, said GE and reducing the state’s reliance on power plants during peak demand hours.

Convergent chief operating and financial officer Frank Genova said: “Convergent is leading the way on the development of ground-breaking DC coupled storage plus solar systems.

“We look forward to deploying GE’s systems across our community portfolio of hybrid resources.”

GE Renewable Energy renewable hybrids CEO Prakash Chandra added: “Hybrid energy systems are all about the design and optimization of solutions at a plant level with the use of cutting-edge software-enabled controls, and GE is playing a leading role in building these solutions.

“We are thrilled to be working with Convergent on this new project that will set the pace for even more DC-coupled systems in the US and beyond.”