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Illinois
211.4 megawatts
case study
Grand Ridge Energy Center
How it came together
Phase one of Invenergy’s Grand Ridge Energy Center achieved its commercial operation date in April 2008, the first milestone in what would become a 34,000-acre, 266-megawatt combined power project. In the beginning, Grand Ridge focused on wind energy, the first renewable energy source Invenergy pursued more than 20 years ago.
From 2008 to 2010, Invenergy constructed three wind energy expansions of the site. But Grand Ridge was about to become home to a much broader array of clean energy technologies.
Using our technical expertise with multiple clean energy solutions, Invenergy began co-locating solar energy and battery storage alongside Grand Ridge’s wind turbines. From 2014 to 2016, Invenergy added more solar and battery storage capacity. In all, Grand Ridge’s eight projects consist of 210 megawatts of wind energy, 20 megawatts of solar and 36 megawatts of battery storage.
What sets it apart
Grand Ridge Energy Center was Invenergy’s first site to co-locate three renewable energy technologies: wind, solar and battery storage.
Co-location gives Grand Ridge some distinct advantages, including a shorter development timeline and reduced construction costs because existing infrastructure can be leveraged to expand the site’s capabilities. Having wind, solar and battery storage at the same facility also helps provide a more stable energy supply for the communities Grand Ridge serves in the event of severe weather or other power outages. With the ability to store wind and solar energy on-site, Grand Ridge can release excess power to the grid in times when demand is high or additional energy is needed.
In addition, co-location helps boost the productivity of Grand Ridge’s infrastructure, meaning greater energy output and less wear and tear to the site’s equipment.
Grand Ridge is also home to our Brookfield solar test facility. Featuring monofacial and bifacial solar panels, this facility tests a variety of panel configurations to see how they perform. This data is used to help build solar facilities that optimize energy output and bring customers the most efficient solutions to meet their needs.
Grand Ridge has been recognized by the clean energy industry as an achievement in innovation. Energy Storage North America bestowed its 2015 Centralized Storage Project of the Year award to Grand Ridge’s battery storage facility, and Power Engineering and Renewable Energy World magazines honored the same project with their 2015 Project of the Year award for best renewable project.
What's the impact?
Grand Ridge has continuously provided value to the communities it serves and today generates enough electricity to power approximately 54,000 homes, an emissions reduction equivalent to 67,000 cars off the road. The site has also had a substantial effect on the local economy, creating 330 jobs during construction and employing 14 full-time staff. To date, nearly $5 million has been reinvested into the local community through taxes, landowner payments and family-sustaining wages for the local workforce.
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