“We’re excited about this joint development agreement, which will enable Entergy to provide our customers with low-cost, renewable energy as demand grows across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas,” said Rod West, group president of utility operations for Entergy.

“We believe the power sector is at an inflection point, and growing electricity demand will be met by low-cost, renewable generation and storage,” said Rebecca Kujawa, president and chief executive officer of NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Resources. “We’re pleased to reach this agreement because it further strengthens our long-standing collaboration and adds up to 4.5 GW on top of the more than 1.7 GW of renewable energy projects already underway with Entergy.”

The five-year joint development agreement is expected to facilitate the development and construction of new solar generation and energy storage projects.

About Entergy

Entergy (NYSE: ETR) is a Fortune 500 company that powers life for 3 million customers through our operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We’re investing in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping our region transition to cleaner, more efficient energy solutions. With roots in our communities for more than 100 years, Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, we have delivered more than $100 million in economic benefits each year to local communities through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees. Learn more at��entergy.com��and connect with��@Entergy��on social media. #WePowerLife

About NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Resources

NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Resources LLC (together with its affiliated entities, “NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Resources”) is a clean energy leader and is one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the U.S., with approximately 30,600 megawatts of total net generating capacity, primarily in 41 states and Canada as of year-end 2023. NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Resources is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun, and a world leader in battery storage. The business operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire and Wisconsin as part of the NextEra ���ϳԹ��� nuclear fleet. NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Resources offers a wide range of clean energy solutions to help businesses and customers across the country meet their emissions reduction goals. NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Resources LLC is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit: .

Through an $80,000 grant from Entergy New Orleans, Feed the Second Line’s “Get Lit Stay Lit” program has added to their city-wide resilience network by installing a solar and battery backup system to Fritai in the Trem√© neighborhood.

“The partnership between Feed the Second Line and Entergy New Orleans can help spark a resiliency movement throughout the entire region,” said Deanna Rodriguez, President and CEO of Entergy New Orleans. “No two storms are alike, and Hurricane Ida challenged us in many ways. It’s not only the strength of our electric system, but also how quickly we recover following severe weather. Coming back stronger following a major storm is about resilience in all its forms, and that includes how we support our local communities.”

“We are thankful for Entergy’s support and hope to build a continued effort to expand our initiative city-wide,” said Devin de Wulf, Founder, Feed the Second Line.

“Fritai is proudly a part of a community of leaders, builders, culture bearers and innovators in New Orleans,” said Chef Charly Pierre, Co-Owner of Fritai. “Whether it is through ethical hiring practices, donations or volunteering like Feed The Second Line, we are a dedicated to uplifting our community. Now with the support of Entergy New Orleans and Feed The Second Line, we can continue to move towards an ethical and conscious environment.”

New Orleans-based nonprofit group, launched Get Lit, Stay Lit following Hurricane Ida with the goal to install solar and battery backup systems to more than 300 restaurants throughout New Orleans. These restaurants will serve as community gathering hubs to help residents in the immediate aftermath of a major storm by offering cooling and charging stations and food.

In addition, the Get Lit Stay Lit program has created an opportunity for local high school students to receive real-world training installing solar. 

Entergy New Orleans continues to work closely with local nonprofit partners to determine how the company’s support can best be used to aid with long-term resilience efforts.

About Feed the Second Line
Feed The Second Line is a 501c3 created at the beginning of COVID to help support New Orleans culture. Our mission is to create a stronger safety-net and job opportunities for the culture. Our “Get Lit Stay Lit” effort seeks to leverage local restaurants as a hurricane resiliency strategy. With solar and batteries, we can empower local restaurants to become the first responder for their communities.

About Entergy New Orleans
Entergy New Orleans, LLC is an electric and gas utility that serves Louisiana’s Orleans Parish. The company provides electricity to more than 209,000 customers and natural gas to more than 110,000 customers. Entergy New Orleans, LLC is a subsidiary of ���ϳԹ���.

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – The newest solar generation source in the Entergy Arkansas portfolio of renewable resources is online and pumping power onto the electric grid, officials recently announced. The Searcy Solar ���ϳԹ��� Center is among the first in the state to include battery storage and can store 30 megawatts to provide power rain or shine.

Searcy Solar is one of three plants producing solar power for Entergy Arkansas customers, adding 100 MW to the previous 181 MW already online. It joins Stuttgart Solar, an 81 MW facility, and Chicot Solar at Lake Village, a 100 MW facility, both of which are under long term contracts between Entergy Arkansas and subsidiaries of NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Resources. These solar energy resources are projected to save customers more than $190 million and will help protect the environment for many years to come.

“Solar energy is clean, renewable, abundant and cost-effective,” said Entergy Arkansas President and CEO Laura Landreaux. “It is a smart way to increase our electricity supply, and the battery storage at this facility will keep power flowing even when the sun isn’t shining.”

Solar generation provides a large amount of power over the course of the year with no added fuel costs, helping to provide lower cost energy – especially during peak, summer afternoon hours when there is a large demand for power.

As part of its ongoing dedication to economic development and renewable resources, Entergy Arkansas has another 280 MW under development and recently issued a request for proposals for up to 500 MW of solar and wind capacity to add to its electricity generating portfolio by 2026.

“Adding renewable energy to our diverse mix of power generation sources is part of our strategy for keeping rates low for existing customers and remaining more competitive for businesses looking to expand or locate their next operation in Arkansas,” said Landreaux. “We have a rich tradition of working with our community, government and business partners, and we are excited to be able to continue providing economic renewable energy to new and existing customers.”

Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce Director Buck Layne said, “Not only did this solar project provide local jobs, we believe it will also help us retain and recruit businesses that will help all of White County continue to grow with a focus on low rates and renewable energy. Additionally, we expect local annual tax revenue to be approximately $900,000.”

Entergy’s Portfolio Transformation

���ϳԹ��� owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets across four service territories, with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 7,000 megawatts of nuclear power. In 2021, Entergy announced plans to triple its renewable energy portfolio over a three-year period, as well as achieve 11 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030. The Searcy Solar facility in Arkansas is another important milestone in ���ϳԹ���’s continued transformation of its power generation portfolio, meeting customers’ needs with clean, efficient sources of electricity while maintaining some of the lowest retail rates in the country. The three solar plants in the state will comprise 5% of Entergy Arkansas’ available generating capacity by 2023.

ABOUT ENTERGY ARKANSAS

Entergy Arkansas provides electricity to approximately 722,000 customers in 63 counties. Entergy Arkansas is a subsidiary of ���ϳԹ��� (NYSE: ETR), an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to three million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees.

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CUTLINE

The Searcy Solar ���ϳԹ��� Center is located on 800 acres near Eastline Road in Searcy. It has 350,000 photovoltaic panels and lithium-ion batteries that can store up to 30 megawatt hours of power.

Searcy Solar will have a feature new to the Entergy Arkansas solar energy fleet: an array of lithium-ion batteries on site to store up to 30 megawatt hours of electricity to be used when the sun isn’t shining.

Searcy Solar, located on 800 acres, east of Eastline Road in Searcy, will be the third project generating solar energy for Entergy Arkansas’ customers, bringing the total of solar power to 281 megawatts generated from panels covering more than 2,000 acres – enough to power about 45,000 homes.

The Stuttgart Solar ���ϳԹ��� Center has been producing 81 megawatts of solar energy since 2018, and the Chicot Solar ���ϳԹ��� Center has been providing 100 megawatts of power since it came online in the fall of 2020.

The Searcy Solar facility has brought 200 temporary construction jobs to the area, as well as two or three permanent jobs, along with periodic maintenance workers. It also will provide about $700,000 in annual property taxes, as well as environmental benefits through emissions-free energy.

Unlike the other two solar projects, which are owned and operated by a subsidiary of NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Resources, LLC with energy produced sold to Entergy Arkansas for 20 years, Searcy will be built by NextEra ���ϳԹ��� Resources and owned by Entergy Arkansas.

The Searcy Solar project in White County will be the largest utility-owned solar project in the state and the first to feature battery storage.��

When completed in 2021, it will be the third project generating solar energy for Entergy Arkansas’ customers, bringing the total of solar energy to 281 megawatts covering more than 2,000 acres – enough to power about 45,000 homes. The Stuttgart Solar ���ϳԹ��� Center has been producing 81 megawatts of solar energy since 2018, and Chicot Solar, under construction near Lake Village, will provide 100 megawatts of solar power when it comes online later this year.

“Entergy Arkansas is proud to be leading the charge in expanding solar power in our state, and we are committed to meeting our customers’ energy needs reliably, affordably and safely as we have done for over 100 years,” said Laura Landreaux, president and CEO of Entergy Arkansas. “Large-scale solar facilities provide the most cost-effective solar power for all customers, keeping rates low while delivering the best value for renewables in Arkansas.”

“This large solar facility will be a very effective economic development tool as we work to attract new employers and retain our existing businesses. Many corporations have renewable energy and sustainability objectives,” said Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston. “This facility, combined with Entergy’s other large solar facilities in Arkansas, will help us strengthen and grow the state’s economy.”

The Searcy Solar project will be built on approximately 800 acres east of Eastline Road (US 67, Exit 44) in Searcy and will include a 10-megawatt array of lithium-ion batteries capable of storing up to 30 MW hours of electricity, which is expected to be charged and discharged daily to maximize the value of the solar energy for the benefit of customers.

“This is welcome news for the area,” said Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy. “This large solar project provides a much-needed economic benefit to Searcy and White County. It will provide construction-related jobs and a long-term, low-cost renewable resource.”

The Searcy Solar facility will bring 200 temporary construction jobs and two or three permanent jobs, along with periodic maintenance workers. It also will provide about $700,000 in annual property taxes as well as environmental benefits through emissions-free energy.

“I’m excited to have this large solar facility constructed in Searcy.�� This will enhance our local economy and tax base,” said Rep. Les Eaves, R-Searcy. “I appreciate Entergy leadership in renewable energy and economic development.”

Local officials called the project an economic development win for White County both in terms of construction jobs and the associated activity, as well as a long-term addition to the County’s tax base.

“Entergy’s large solar facility, coupled with the recent announcement from Conway Corporation, make White County a leader in renewable energy in Arkansas,” said White County Judge Michael Lincoln. “I am excited about the opportunities that these large solar facilities that generate low-cost renewable power will bring to the County and the State.”��

Searcy Mayor Kyle Osborne said, “This is an economic shot in the arm for Searcy. This will make Searcy a leader in renewable energy in Arkansas. I am excited that Entergy is bringing this facility to our community. This will be another positive feature we can use to promote Searcy as a great place to live and work.”��

Entergy Arkansas provides electricity to approximately 700,000 customers in 63 counties. Entergy Arkansas is a subsidiary of ���ϳԹ��� (NYSE: ETR), an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $11 billion and approximately 13,600 employees.

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Twitter: @EntergyARK

Facebook.com/EntergyARK

Today, approximately 120 megawatts of customer-owned distributed energy resources, almost all rooftop photovoltaic systems, are spread out over 20,000 connections at various customer locations throughout Entergy Corp.’s system. Approximately 83.5 MW of utility-scale solar generation is currently in operation, and additional solar generation is under development. The company’s distributed energy resources exist in variations, including utility-scale, utility-owned, behind-the-meter and customer-owned solutions. The incorporation and improved visibility into and management of DERs is key to the utility’s approach to providing increased resiliency to customers in higher-risk weather-prone areas, such as New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

Change & Growth

As DERs and new technology appear in increasing numbers on the grid, they are changing customer expectations for reliability and service. They are also challenging grid operations as the company juggles the impacts of new assets, particularly those that are customer-owned or third-party-owned at the grid’s edge. Fortunately, these assets often are intelligent and can be remotely controlled assuming that communications can be addressed as well as access rights. This distributed intelligence capability creates opportunities to co-optimize and integrate the operation of both utility- and customer-owned assets. Co-optimization requires enhanced telecommunications, cybersecurity and distributed analytics to manage rapidly changing bidirectional power flows.

To do this effectively, Entergy is implementing centralized and distributed analytics while enhancing cybersecurity. Together, these steps should help to transform the utility’s customer experience. However, to respond to customer needs and continue providing safe, affordable and reliable power, Entergy also identified the need to transform how it thinks about DERs. Entergy is now involved in industry-leading efforts to support a more interoperable approach to deploying system components. It supports the shift to data-centric technology connecting software applications to the data, and not to each other. Entergy feels this is a more effective way to implement systems to support distributed generation, distributed storage, energy efficiency and demand response at a greater scale than currently seen.

Needs

Today, most software systems used to manage operation of the grid are point-to-point, integrated with each other on an as-needed basis to support a specific function or set of functions. Introducing another software application into daily operations typically involves also implementing and maintaining another set of integrations to other related applications. As such, the complexity of coordinating, maintaining and securing this bundle of operational systems grows exponentially with the number of points that require integration.

This approach makes it difficult to manage a variety of information technology and operational issues associated with operating the grid, including the following:

• Incorporation of new supply-side and demand-side assets
• Security of assets and systems
• Interoperability of differing vendor devices and systems
• Upgrading assets in the field
• Certification of assets and operations
• Optimization of systems and assets
• Routing and quality of service
• Incorporation of new languages and platforms

Data-Centric Approach

Entergy is evaluating an alternate approach that involves the use of a data bus, a common location where data is made available and applications “subscribe” to the data to use it, for the integration of disparate devices and systems. This approach satisfies the desire to implement data-centric sharing and filtering of data. Implemented correctly, it supports an any-to-any interoperability architecture that should offer more reliability and scalability, quality-of-service control, the potential for automatic discovery, no use of servers or brokers, improved security and the ability to interconnect systems developed in very different environments such as C, C++, Java, Python, LabVIEW and others.

New Orleans Solar Power Project

This is the focus of an evaluation project taking place at Entergy’s New Orleans solar power plant. This is a combined solar and battery storage pilot facility. Built on approximately 15 acres (6.07 hectares) of company-owned property, it interconnects to the rest of the Entergy system at 13.2 kV and has been in service since June 2016.

The project deployed grid edge analytics at the solar plant site with the following configuration of assets:

• 08-MWAC of ground-mounted solar with single-axis tracking
• Two 600-kVA inverters
• 500-kWh 1-hr Li-ion battery
• Solar inverter (APIS system) with Modbus communications enabled
• Battery storage (APCS system) with Modbus communications enabled

The work to date represents an initial phase to place analytics at the grid edge to analyze grid behavior as well as the output of the solar and battery assets. The solution uses Open Field Message Bus compliant protocols installed in a station computer, a Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc. SEL-3355. Data monitoring was enabled through OpenFMB software through Docker software set up on the SEL-3355, which is connected to the Entergy operations and information technology network. A jump server/remote desktop connection was made into the SEL-3355. The OpenFMB software and Docker technology collects data from the Modbus protocol-based addresses and registers to obtain operational data for monitoring the DER output, solar inverter and battery controller performance. Grafana, a web browser-based tool, was used to display the electrical quantities.

The installed Open Field Message Bus allows for the publishing of periodic readings along with data-driven events in near-real time.

The Framework

The OpenFMB interoperability framework is a standard ratified in 2016 by the North American ���ϳԹ��� Standards Board. It enables traditional grid edge operational assets and DERs — such as solar photovoltaics, energy storage systems and microgrids — to communicate quickly and securely with each other in the field regardless of each device’s local communications protocols. This interoperability framework will help the energy grid to operate more efficiently — delivering better performance to customers and grid operators alike.

The OpenFMB facilitates federated deterministic exchanges of data between assets. Periodic readings are then published on the message bus every few seconds providing a near-real time reading. Data-driven events also are published based on a change in status in near-real time. The readings obtained include real and reactive power per phase, voltage and current per phase, phase angle relationships, power, time stamps and state of charge. Primary event-related messaging involves trips and openings along with the associated time stamps. The system also is set up to perform grid edge analytics, determining specifics around the state of the assets such as the battery.

Use of Grid Battery Storage to shift the peak solar generation to periods of peak load and help produce a steady power output from utility scale solar generation. Utilities need to ensure that their batteries are capable of handling frequent charging and discharging cycles triggered by OpenFMB based grid-edge analytics for control of DER sites’ power output.

Remote monitoring of solar and battery power through OpenFMB application on an on-site computer.

Future State

Currently, the logic engine and dispatch capability are unique to the Entergy New Orleans solar power plant. The dispatch is not dynamic, based on changing real-world priorities, and the dispatch solution is not scalable. The evaluation project work is intended to create a desired future state that represents a commercial yet customizable optimization and dispatch solution capable of reading weather, load and other inputs as well as reprioritizing based on real-time and forecast set points. The desire is to ensure priorities and functional modes can be set outside of the distribution operation center (DOC) while the DOC still maintains system protection and reliability. The desire also is to ensure the logic and integration are scalable and more easily modified for future DER installations.

The application of distributed intelligence to DERs is expected to provide several benefits. From a distribution system perspective, this approach can accelerate the response to address local system needs such as voltage, capacity, rerouting power and so forth. It also should improve battery use, balancing the cost of degradation versus benefit of power and energy per cycle. This approach also should improve response to real-time and forecast inputs such as weather, price and load. Perhaps most important for Entergy, this approach can help form the basis to design a repeatable solution for future projects.

Stakeholder Participation

From a dispatch and analytics perspective, the approach provides an improved graphical user interface for setting desired operational modes, leading to better value for the DOC. It also provides better access to historical data for analytics and lessons learned. Additionally, it can affect improved interoperability with other present and future distribution assets and systems such as and advanced distribution management system and outage management system.

Entergy has engaged a broad set of support resources from within and outside the utility as work has been undertaken to create a new approach to a better DER-based grid. Several acceptance groups participated in dealing with the Entergy information technology and operations technology infrastructure, represented by the company’s substation services, data networking engineering, data security and telecom groups.

Deployment groups were formed to support Entergy technology and analytics composed of the utility’s customer product engineering and data analytics groups as well as external support from Open ���ϳԹ��� Solutions Inc. Operations and maintenance groups supporting Entergy power generation included distribution maintenance, fossil and renewables, the Entergy Residential Rooftop Solar Pilot program and additional vendors for solar and battery technology.

Several nontechnical lessons were learned during this initial effort. It was critical to work with all stakeholders early on and for all to understand the planned use cases. Preparing for change management was also important. Testing in a lab environment helped to build confidence in the new approach. The need became clear to develop process and methodologies for repeatable projects. Entergy also learned it could leverage existing assets in the system with this new approach.

Next Steps

Initial feasibility efforts are underway and being applied in the field, actively monitoring solar and storage assets with embedded OpenFMB software in commercially available hardware. Planned next steps are to coordinate with internal stakeholders to develop expanded project plans; make use of a nonproprietary OpenFMB message bus and standard protocols such as data distribution service; federate, secure and communicate an expanded set of vital data; and use the system to enable further grid edge analytics.

Entergy also is seeking to expand the integration with IEC 61850, an international standard defining communication protocols for intelligent electronic devices at electrical substations, and other strategic protocols and interfaces. In addition, the utility plans to enhance the platform so it automatically controls, dispatches and manages the existing solar and battery storage at the Entergy New Orleans solar power plant and develop more analytic tools to analyze grid behavior and optimize the output of the solar and battery assets. This approach creates a solution that will be replicable across the Entergy system for the smart control and dispatch of DERs.

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Shreyas Pawale and Ben Byboth of Entergy Services; Seth Cureington of Entergy New Orleans; Larry Lackey and Cory Nguyen of Open ���ϳԹ��� Solutions Inc.; and Erik Felt of Real Time Innovations for their support of this effort.

S. Cat Wong is the manager, customer product engineering for Entergy Corp. She leads the planning, design and implementation activities of Distributed ���ϳԹ��� Resources at Entergy, which includes PV, battery storage and microgrids. She has 18 years of industry experience in the integration of DERs, PMU deployment, transmission and distribution planning, protection analysis and standards development. She has BSEE and MSEE from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Ph.D. from Tulane University and is a Registered��Professional Engineer and Professional Project Manager.

Wade P. Malcolm is CEO of Open ���ϳԹ��� Solutions Inc. and has more than 35 years of experience in business, strategic and operational leadership, management consulting, technology development and delivery, and operations in the electric utility industry. Malcolm has MSEE and BSEE degrees from Drexel University. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a Registered Professional Engineer.

For more information:

Entergy | www.entergy.com

OES |

Article originally published in the May 2019 issue of magazine.