Canadian renewables firm Westbridge Renewable Energy Company will expand the PV capacity of its Sunnynook solar-plus-storage facility in Alberta, Canada, to 330MWp with an increase in the project area.
Originally a 236MWp facility co-located with a 200MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), Westbridge said that this expansion brings its project pipeline to a total of 1,379MWp of solar PV and 553MW BESS.
The Sunnynook Project has advanced to stage three of the Alberta Electric System Operator interconnection process, and Westbridge aims to submit the application for construction and operation of the plant to the Alberta Utility Commission (AUC) during Q1 2023.
Francesco Paolo Cardi, vice president of development at Westbridge said: “The Sunnynook expansion adds significant potential value to this asset as we prepare our application for AUC approval. Westbridge is committed to originating and acquiring high-quality renewable projects that will meet the demand for utility-scale renewable energy in Alberta.”
In addition to Sunnynook, the company has four other assets in Canada totalling 1,158MWp of Solar PV and BESS of 500MW/1GWh. In November, Westbridge added the 300MW/400MWh Eastervale solar and storage project to its portfolio. The company is also developing a 53MW/106MWh standalone BESS in the UK and a 221MWp PV project in Texas.
The Canadian government unveiled plans to introduce tax incentives for renewable energy technologies including solar, energy storage and hydrogen late last year. The proposed tax credit will be equivalent to 30% of total capital investment for the majority of renewable electricity generation and storage systems.
