Dive Brief:

• Entergy New Orleans is planning to develop the city's first utility-scale solar project, a 1-MW array that will be paired with battery storage.
• The project will be constructed on an existing piece of company-owned property and will involve the installation of more than 4,000 solar panels.
• The project could be in service next year. Entergy told the Times-Pacayune it would work with New Orleans City Council to determine how much of the project's cost could be recovered from ratepayers.

Dive Insight:

Entergy New Orleans is planning to construct the city's first utility-scale solar project, pairing it with battery storage to study how renewable energy can be better integrated.

"As part of our resource planning process, we are committed to studying and evaluating renewable energy resources that make sense for the customers and city we serve," Charles Rice, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans, said in a statement. "This project will allow us to study the feasibility of utility-scale solar here in New Orleans and also the extent to which battery storage can help compensate for the intermittency of sunlight."

The utility files an integrated resource plan (IRP) with New Orleans City Council every three years, outlining how it will meet power needs. Entergy will file its next IRP this October. However, in September of last year, the council adopted a resolution to consider utility-scale renewable technologies as part of Entergy New Orleans' integrated resource planning process.

The utility said it went through a competitive proposal process to identify the preferred vendor, and told the Times-Picayune it would identify the vendor in the near future. The company will also work with city council to determine how the project will be paid for.