The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has released a Request for Proposals (RFP), soliciting proposals for up to 200 MW of new stand-alone renewable energy resources or renewable energy + battery energy storage systems (BESS).
TVA’s RFP also shares that the entity is interested in procuring BESS for existing utility scale solar projects signed out of the 2017, 2019 or 2020 Renewable RFPs with Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) that do not have BESS currently.
According to the release accompanying the RFP, TVA is specifically soliciting specifically for solar projects. The minimum capacity for any project to be considered by TVA is 2 MW, with the maximum capacity for consideration being 200 MW. Planned projects greater than 5 MW must utilize central-type inverters rated 500 kVA or higher, or other TVA-approved equipment that demonstrates equivalent or better performance. All solar projects, regardless of capacity, must utilize trackers.
Any new project or existing project retrofit must be able to reach commercial operation by between September 30, 2024 and December 18, 2024 or earlier.
The projects procured under this solicitation will be used in TVA’s Green Invest program, which secures solar capacity to meet the renewable energy goals of large-scale customers, like auto manufacturers, data centers, local power companies, cities, and universities. The program has proven to be a success for TVA thus far, attracting customers such as Jack Daniels, Facebook and the city of Knoxville, Tennessee. TVA has increased its contracted solar capacity by 60% since October 2020, through Green Invest.
Proposals for the RFP must be submitted by July 20, 2021. Developers can review TVA’s request for proposal and submit bids here. TVA will announce the selected projects this winter.
