Cypress Creek Renewables adds clean, dispatchable solar and storage to the ERCOT grid with newest operational project

May 06, 2024, Durham, NC — Cypress Creek Renewables, a leading solar and storage developer and independent power producer, announced today that it has completed construction and reached commercial operation of its newest and largest hybrid facility, Zier, in Brackettville, Texas. The facility adds capacity to the grid as the need for energy in the state grows to an all-time high.

The power plant boasts 208MW of photovoltaic capacity, enough power to supply more than 41,600 Texas homes annually, with 80MWh of battery storage, which has already been utilized by the ERCOT grid to ease supply strain in a time of increased demand.

“Clean reliable power is critical to supporting the remarkable continuing growth happening in Texas,” Sarah Slusser, CEO of Cypress Creek Renewables said. “We are incredibly proud to be bringing online more solar and dispatchable energy from batteries like ours at Zier, which have already proven vital to keeping the lights on and the air conditioning running when Texans need it most.”

Cypress Creek celebrated the commercial operation of the site with a ribbon cutting event for their supply, construction, financial and community partners in Kinney County on May 2, 2024. The project will provide $11.5 million in tax revenue to the county with an additional $11.7 million earmarked for the Bracket Independent School District over the estimated life of the project.

“Texas needs every available megawatt, and low-cost renewable energy has proven critical as it continues to reach new production heights in ERCOT,” said Judd Messer, Texas Vice President of Advanced Power Alliance. “Solar energy is ensuring sufficient capacity during day-time peak, setting records nearly every month, and quick-responding energy storage delivers a substantial reliability benefit when demand soars or when dispatchable energy unexpectedly falls offline. A diverse mix of resources is the only way to ensure our grid achieves both reliability and affordability, and it’s encouraging to see new projects such as Cypress Creek’s facility coming online to help secure these bene􀏐its for Texas.”

Cypress Creek is backed by EQT Partners, a purpose-driven global investment organization.

“The Zier Hybrid Solar Site sets a new standard for large scale renewable energy projects and is a critical step towards supporting Texas’ expanding power demands driven by a growing population, ever increasing data center demand with the rise of AI, and electrification,” said Alex Darden, EQT Partner and head of Infrastructure, Americas. “EQT is committed to helping drive the energy transition forward by backing companies like CCR, and the immense scale and impact of this project is a testament to Cypress Creek’s commitment to transforming North America’s energy infrastructure.”

Financing for the project was supplied by several partners including the North American Development Bank (NADBank), a binational financial institution established to provide support for projects that preserve, protect or enhance the environment to advance the well-being of the people of the United States and Mexico. Managing Director of the infrastructure financier, John Beckham, spoke at the May 2 event.

“NADBank is pleased to finance projects that contribute to the State of Texas leading the country in clean energy generation. Combined solar and battery storage projects, like this one, are vital for ERCOT’s grid reliability and energy availability to power our great state,” said John Beckham, Managing Director of the NADBank. “Today, we celebrate this project coming online thanks to a strong partnership with Cypress Creek Renewables, a like-minded entity focused on developing sustainable energy infrastructure.”

Cypress Creek has been developing projects in Texas since inception in 2014 and, through Cypress Creek Solutions, the company’s operating services business, operates almost 1GW across the state including 18 Cypress Creek-owned projects. Throughout Texas, Cypress Creek has a 6GW pipeline of 24 projects in construction or development, including a 100 MWh standalone battery storage project in Rosenberg, near Houston, expected to reach commercial operation next month.