The median price bid for wind-plus-storage projects in Xcel’s all-source solicitation was $21/MWh, GTM Research’s Shayle Kann noted on Twitter, and the median bid for solar-plus storage was $36/MWh. Previously, the lowest known bid for similar solar resources was $45/MWh in Arizona.- Xcel Energy’s latest resource solicitation returned renewable energy and storage bids so competitive they have the sector abuzz on social media. While Kann noted details about battery duration and sizing were not made available, the price of battery-paired solar in the solicitation is a full $9/MWh cheaper than the cheapest contract announced just last year.
- While the price of utility-scale solar keeps falling, often eclipsing even the low price of natural gas, adding energy storage has usually made PV much more expensive. However, the results of a solicitation by Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo, Xcel’s subsidiary in the state) show PV plus battery storage falling to a range wherein it can also compete with conventional generation.
- Wind prices were even lower, with wind projects coming in at $18.10/MWh, and wind plus storage at $21/MWh.
(The wind only $18.1/MWh is $0.0181/kWh or less than 2 cents per kWh. Incredible. Art)
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