SOLAR PROJECTS
OCI Solar Power: In Operation
The City of San Antonio, acting through the largest municipal gas and electric provider in the U.S., CPS Energy, chose OCI Solar Power (OCISP) to develop 400 MWac of clean, renewable energy to serve about 90,000 homes. It was the first utility-scale solar project in Texas, made up of seven locations named Alamo 1 – 7. Details about each project are below.
Alamo 1
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
Project Description: Alamo 1 represented the first stage of a 400 MWac solar PV project delivering clean, renewable energy to CPS Energy, the municipal utility for the City of San Antonio. This 39.2 MWac solar farm is made up of 167,680 modules on 2,260 single-axis and 1,932 dual-axis tracker rows. Commercial operation began in December 2013, serving approximately 9,150 homes. The Alamo 1 project is located south of San Antonio on 445 acres of privately owned land. OCISP managed the development, design, procurement, and construction of Alamo 1. We also oversee its operation and maintenance.
Financing: OCISP raised project-level debt for Alamo 1. The transaction was one of the first project financing deals closed for a large, utility-scale solar project.
MWac: 39.2
Project Upgrade: In 2019, OCISP completed a first-of-its-kind renovation that significantly improved the overall performance and reliability of Alamo 1.
As part of the upgrade, OCI Solar Power replaced all the trackers with new state-of-the-art trackers from Array Technologies, Inc. and utilized the existing infrastructure of the solar farm, including the foundation, inverters, and balance-of-system. OCI Solar Power also worked with Swinerton Builders, an accomplished engineering, procurement, and construction company, and KACO new energy, a pioneer in inverter technology, for nearly nine months to complete the improvements.
Additionally, Alamo 1 now includes a block of bifacial modules that will be used for field testing and data gathering.
ENERGY STORAGE:
In August 2016, OCISP successfully commissioned an Energy Storage System (ESS) with a capacity of 1MW/250KWh. It is located within the Alamo 1 project boundary. OCISP has completed everything from project initiation, contract drafting, permitting, design, and construction and fully funded the investment cost.
The main purpose of the investment was to participate in and provide fast response in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market to adequately maintain a frequency stability of 60Hz.
Alamo 2
CONVERSE, TEXAS
Project Description: Alamo 2 is generating power northeast of downtown San Antonio on 45 acres of land owned by the San Antonio River Authority. The 4.4 MWac project represented stage two of the portfolio of solar projects for CPS Energy. Commercial operation began in March of 2014 with power sold to CPS Energy for use in approximately 990 homes in San Antonio. This project contains 17,920 modules sitting on 448 dual-axis tracker rows. OCISP managed the development, design, procurement, and construction of Alamo 2. We also oversee its operation and maintenance.
Financing: OCISP monetized tax equity to a 3rd party investor.
MWac: 4.4
Alamo 3
CONVERSE, TEXAS
Project Description: Alamo 3 achieved commercial operation in January 2015. The 5.5 MWac project is located on about 60 acres leased from the San Antonio River Authority and services about 1,238 homes, using 21,420 modules on 510 dual-axis trackers. This project is 100% in compliance with the Buy American Act. OCISP managed the development, design, procurement, and construction.
Financing: OCISP sold 100% equity of the Alamo 3 project to Consolidated Edison.
MWac: 5.5
Alamo 4
BRACKETTVILLE, TEXAS
Project Description: Alamo 4 is located approximately 125 miles west of San Antonio in Bracketville on 600 acres of privately-owned land. The 39.6 MWac project contains 161,280 modules on 4,032 dual-axis tracker rows, and it began servicing 8,460 homes in August 2014. OCISP managed the development, design, procurement, and construction of Alamo 4.
Financing: OCISP raised project-level debt for Alamo 4. Upon leveraging the project, OCISP sold 80% equity of the Alamo 4 project to Consolidated Edison, retaining 20% ownership.
MWac: 39.6
Alamo 5
UVALDE, TEXAS
Project Description: Alamo 5 is located in Uvalde, about 98 miles southwest of San Antonio, on 1,000 acres of privately-owned land. The 95.0 MWac project services 21,375 homes using 378,000 modules on 9,000 dual-axis trackers. Commercial operation began in December 2015. OCISP managed the development, design, procurement, and construction of Alamo 5.
Financing: OCISP sold 100% equity of the project to Consolidated Edison.
MWac: 95.0
Alamo 6
MCCAMEY, TEXAS
Project Description: Alamo 6 sits on 1,250 acres of private land in Pecos County, about 300 miles northwest of San Antonio. The 110.2 MWac project includes 438,480 modules on 10,440 dual-axis trackers, making this the largest dual-axis tracking solar project in the U.S. This project is also 100% in compliance with the Buy American Act. The power produced is used to service 24,795 homes in San Antonio. Alamo 6 began commercial operation in March 2017. OCISP managed the development, design, procurement, and construction.
Financing: OCISP sold 100% equity of the Alamo 6 project to Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables.
MWac: 110.2
Alamo 7
HASKELL, TEXAS
Project Description: Three hundred miles north of San Antonio, in Haskell, is our 106.4 MWac solar project. It sits on 1,230 acres of privately-owned land and began commercial operation in September 2016. Like all the other Alamo projects, the power is sold to CPS Energy and used in San Antonio, servicing 23,940 homes. There are 423,360 modules on 10,080 dual-axis trackers on site. OCISP managed the development, design, procurement, and construction of Alamo 7.
Financing: OCISP sold 100% equity of the Alamo 7 project to Consolidated Edison.
MWac: 106.4
ADDITIONAL PROJECTS
OCISP and CPS Energy later added additional projects to service even more homes in Texas, bringing the total to more than 112,000.
Pearl
MCCAMEY, TEXAS
Project Description: Pearl is a 50.0 MWac solar project built adjacent to the Alamo 6 site in Pecos County. The project uses about 500 acres of land and includes 203,472 modules and 3,768 single-axis tracker rows, servicing about 35,000 homes. This project is also 100% in compliance with the Buy American Act. OCISP managed the development, design, procurement, and construction of Pearl which began commercial operation in October 2017.
Financing: OCISP sold 100% equity of the Pearl project to Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables.
MWac: 50.0
Ivory
LAMESA, TEXAS
Project Description: Ivory is a 50.0 MWac solar project in Dawson County, located in northwest Texas. The project includes approximately 197,000 solar modules on single-axis trackers and provides energy to about 11,250 homes. Construction began in March 2018 and was completed in November.
Financing: OCISP sold 100% equity of Project Ivory to D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments.
MWac: 50.0