Report on the Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Introduction

This report details the completion of the Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center, a landmark renewable energy project developed by Arevon in Los Angeles, California. The facility represents a significant advancement in the city’s transition to clean energy and makes a substantial contribution to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project’s scale and integration of battery storage technology establish a new benchmark for urban renewable energy infrastructure.

2.0 Project Overview and Specifications

The Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center is one of the largest facilities of its kind, combining photovoltaic power generation with large-scale battery energy storage.

• Project Name: Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center
• Developer: Arevon
• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Solar Generation Capacity: 758 MW
• Battery Storage Capacity: 1,200 MWh
• Status: Fully operational

3.0 Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The project directly supports the achievement of multiple SDGs by addressing critical global challenges related to energy, climate change, and urban sustainability.

3.1 SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

The Eland Center is a prime example of progress toward ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

• Target 7.2: By adding 758 MW of solar capacity, the project substantially increases the share of renewable energy in the energy mix of Los Angeles, a major global city.
• Target 7.B: It represents a significant expansion of infrastructure and technology to supply modern and sustainable energy services, setting a precedent for other metropolitan areas.

3.2 SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The facility enhances the sustainability and resilience of Los Angeles, contributing to making the city more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

• Target 11.6: The project directly reduces the adverse per capita environmental impact of the city by providing a large-scale source of clean power, which helps to improve air quality and lower carbon emissions.
• Target 11.B: It is a key component of the city’s integrated policies and plans towards resource efficiency, mitigation, and adaptation to climate change.

3.3 SDG 13: Climate Action

The project is a direct and impactful measure to combat climate change and its impacts.

• Target 13.1: The 1,200 MWh battery storage system strengthens the resilience of the energy grid to climate-related hazards by ensuring a stable power supply, even when solar generation is intermittent.
• Target 13.2: By displacing fossil fuel-based power generation, the facility helps integrate climate change measures into national and municipal policies, strategies, and planning.

3.4 SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

The Eland Center showcases the development of quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure.

• Target 9.1: This project is a state-of-the-art piece of sustainable infrastructure designed to support economic development and human well-being.
• Target 9.4: It promotes the adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, demonstrating a viable path to upgrading infrastructure for greater sustainability.

4.0 Impact on Los Angeles’ Energy Portfolio

The commissioning of the Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center is a pivotal achievement in Los Angeles’ municipal energy strategy. The key impacts are outlined below:

1. Increased Clean Energy Share: The facility’s output has elevated the proportion of clean energy in the city’s power supply to over 60%.
2. Grid Stability and Reliability: The integrated 1,200 MWh battery storage system is critical for managing energy supply and demand. It stores excess solar energy generated during the day and dispatches it during evening peak hours, reducing reliance on fossil fuel peaker plants.
3. Progress Towards 100% Renewable Goal: This project is a cornerstone of the city’s ambitious goal to achieve a 100% renewable energy supply.

5.0 Conclusion

The completion of Arevon’s Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center marks a significant milestone for the City of Los Angeles and the renewable energy sector. Its successful integration of utility-scale solar and battery storage provides a powerful model for other cities worldwide. The project’s substantial contributions to SDGs 7, 9, 11, and 13 underscore its importance not only as an energy asset but as a critical tool for advancing global sustainability and climate action objectives.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

The article on the Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center in Los Angeles touches upon several interconnected Sustainable Development Goals, primarily focusing on energy, infrastructure, urban sustainability, and climate action.

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  This is the most directly relevant SDG. The article’s central theme is the completion of a massive solar and battery storage project. It highlights the generation of clean energy (758MW of solar) and the means to ensure its reliability (1,200MWh battery storage), directly contributing to the goal of providing clean energy.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  The project represents a significant investment in modern, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure. The Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center is a state-of-the-art facility that upgrades the region’s energy infrastructure with clean technology, aligning with the goal of building resilient infrastructure and promoting sustainable industrialization.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The project is specifically for the city of Los Angeles. By providing a substantial amount of clean energy, it helps the city reduce its carbon footprint and improve air quality, making it a more sustainable and resilient urban area.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  Large-scale solar power generation is a key strategy for mitigating climate change. By enabling Los Angeles to source over 60% of its power from clean energy, the project directly contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which is the core objective of SDG 13.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

Based on the article’s content, the following specific targets can be identified:

• Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

  The article explicitly states that the project “takes Los Angeles to over 60% clean energy.” This is a direct contribution to increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix of a major city.

• Target 7.a: Promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology.

  The completion of the “758MW of solar and 1,200MWh battery storage” facility is a clear outcome of significant investment in clean energy infrastructure and technology, as described in this target.

• Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure… to make them sustainable… with greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies.

  The Eland project is a perfect example of upgrading energy infrastructure with clean technologies (solar PV) and innovative solutions (large-scale battery storage) to make the energy supply more sustainable.

• Target 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities.

  By shifting a significant portion of the city’s energy consumption to solar power, the project helps reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-based power plants, thereby reducing the overall environmental impact of Los Angeles.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

The article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Indicator for Target 7.2 (Renewable energy share):

  The article provides a direct quantitative indicator: the “over 60% clean energy” share in Los Angeles’s energy supply. This figure can be used to track progress for Indicator 7.2.1 (Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption).

• Indicator for Target 7.a (Investment in clean energy):

  The physical scale of the project—”758MW of solar” and “1,200MWh battery storage”—serves as a tangible indicator of the level of investment and deployment of clean energy technology. While not a financial figure, it represents the outcome of investment, relevant to Indicator 7.a.1.

• Indicator for Target 9.4 (Adoption of clean technologies):

  The installed capacity of the solar farm (758MW) and the battery storage system (1,200MWh) are direct measures of the adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies within the city’s infrastructure.

• Indicator for Target 11.6 (Environmental impact of cities):

  While the article does not provide data on air quality or emissions reduction, the increase to “over 60% clean energy” is a strong proxy indicator. It implies a significant reduction in pollutants and greenhouse gases, which are key metrics for measuring the environmental impact of a city.

Summary of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: energy-storage.news