To meet the Southeast’s faster-than-national-average growth, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is bringing 3,800 MW of new generation online by 2028. In addition to this, TVA is aiming to bring online an additional 10,000 MW of solar energy by 2035. This is one of the largest clean energy procurement initiatives in the United States. This effort will make a significant portion of the TVA network to consist of intermittent solar energy; necessitating a robust supporting fleet of balancing resources.

In 2024, TVA will bring online its first TVA-owned grid-scale 40 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) near Vonore, Tennessee. TVA’s first BESS project will provide TVA with critical operational insights for planning its fleet of balancing resources to support the 10,000 MW solar procurements. And at the end of last year, TVA took the first step in adding more Battery Energy Storage by signing five power purchase agreements totaling over 800 MW of solar generation and 20 MW of battery storage capacity, expected to come online by the end of 2028. 

By launching one of the largest solar energy procurements in the nation and exploring its first utility-scale BESS resource, TVA signals a strong appetite for more Battery Storage proposals and invites developers to participate in building their essential network of balancing resources.