Recurrent Energy secures 20-year Arizona storage tolling agreement

Canadian Solar’s wholly-owned subsidiary Recurrent Energy has secured a 20-year tolling agreement with Arizona Public Service Company (APS) for Papago Storage, a 1,200 MWh energy storage project under development in Maricopa County, Arizona. 

Construction of Papago Storage is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2024 with commercial operation scheduled for the second quarter of 2025. Once operational, Papago Storage will be the “largest standalone energy storage project in Arizona”, Recurrent Energy said in a statement.

Recurrent Energy began developing Papago Storage in 2016. Following construction, Recurrent Energy will own and operate the asset. Once operational, the project will dispatch enough power for approximately 244,000 homes for four hours every day. Canadian Solar’s majority-owned subsidiary, e-STORAGE, will deliver its ‘SolBank’ battery energy storage system and provide full integration and commissioning services for Papago Storage.

Recurrent Energy has delivered 9 GW of solar and 3 GWh of battery storage power plants, which are now in operation across six continents. In 2022, Recurrent Energy brought  2GWh of energy storage online in the US.

Dr. Shawn Qu, chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar, said: “This landmark project will give Arizonans more renewable energy every day. Recurrent Energy is delighted that Arizona Public Service selected Papago Storage via its rigorous competitive procurement process to support its 1.3 million customers’ growing need for affordable and reliable energy storage, and we look forward to growing our partnerships with APS and other utilities that are adding record amounts of energy storage in their service areas.”