TotalEnergies, a France-based energy giant has commenced commercial operations at two major utility-scale solar farms—Danish Fields and Cottonwood—featuring a combined capacity of 1.2 GW and co-located battery energy storage systems (BESS) in southeast Texas.
TotalEnergies Expands Texas Solar Farms with Battery Storage
The projects include TotalEnergies' largest solar farm in the U.S.—the 720 MW Danish Fields project and the 455 MW Cottonwood project. Both facilities feature a 225 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) supplied by TotalEnergies subsidiary Saft, with the Danish Fields BESS currently operational and the Cottonwood battery scheduled for commissioning in 2025.
These initiatives are part of the company's 4 GW portfolio of renewable assets that are either operational or under construction in Texas.
TotalEnergies Secures PPAs to Power US Gulf Coast Operations
Danish Fields has secured long-term corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 70% of its solar capacity with companies like Saint-Gobain. The remaining 30% will be used to help decarbonize TotalEnergies’ industrial sites along the US Gulf Coast.
Along with Myrtle Solar which became operational last year and the Hill 1 solar farm currently under construction, these three projects will supply power to TotalEnergies’ facilities in Port Arthur and La Porte, Texas and Carville, Louisiana. Cottonwood’s energy output is also contracted under long-term PPAs with LyondellBasell and Saint-Gobain.
“The start-ups of Danish Fields and Cottonwood in the fast-growing Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market showcase TotalEnergies’ ability to deliver competitive renewable electricity to support our clients’ decarbonisation goals, as well as our own,” said Olivier Jouny, senior vice president of renewables at TotalEnergies.
Although ERCOT doesn’t cover the entire Texas energy grid—it serves about 90% of the state’s customers—its significant influence over the Texas power sector means its policies often align with those of the state.
Texas Solar Capacity to Skyrocket in the Next Five Years
The US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) projects that Texas will add over 50 GW of new solar power capacity in the next five years, the highest in the country. Meanwhile, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimates that ERCOT's demand for solar energy could hit 118 GW by the end of the decade. Earlier this month, Arava Power launched commercial operations at a 270 MW solar project in Texas, reflecting the ongoing growth of the state's solar sector.
TotalEnergies currently has a portfolio of 4 GW of solar projects either operational or under construction in Texas. The company aims to expand its US portfolio to 10 GW of operating capacity by the end of next year, which will represent nearly one-third of its target global renewable power capacity of 35 GW by 2025. This expansion also includes a newly announced 1 GW solar portfolio in India.