OIL Sponsor Total - TEP Barnett Solar News in Texas

SOLAR: TEP BARNETT AND TOTAL SOLAR TEAM UP TO HARNESS THE RAYS OF THE TEXAN SUN 03/07/2019 - 

A sunbathed ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in early June to commemorate the launch of the TEP Barnett solar project in Fort Worth, Texas. TEP Barnett is a US forerunner of a wider ranging program to equip Total’s industrial sites with SunPower panels and the brand new solar installation was started up on June 3. This project is not only a milestone in Total’s drive and commitment to adopt more efficient renewable energy solutions, but also a testament of the close and efficient cooperation between the E&P and GRP branches that is completely in line with the Group’s One Total philosophy. Dusty Anderson, Director Infrastructure Engineering at TEP Barnett and Romain Leprince, Solarization Project Manager at Total Solar, provide further insight into how this pioneering solar project was successfully pushed over the line. 

In 2017, Total Solar reached out to the E&P branch’s Geographical Divisions to recommend the sites where a preliminary study could be carried out for the installation of SunPower solar panels. The TEP Barnett project was subsequently approved and the FID was finalized in 2018. The affiliate worked closely with Total Solar to establish the size of the project, including needs, costs and overall economics. Fitting solar panels serves a double purpose: it slashes electricity bills and therefore TEP Barnett’s OPEX, while reinforcing the drive to promote the use of green energy within the Group. 

TEP Barnett was put forward as a candidate for a solar photovoltaic plant project by the Americas Division for a number of reasons. Firstly, the location has good technical potential with a high level of irradiance and lots of available space. The fact that the site is located in Texas adds two other advantages to the list: it is in close proximity to SunPower’s site, where the solar panels are manufactured, and it benefits from a highly favorable business environment for this kind of project, where solid subsidies and tax incentives are made available by the local authorities. "Due to large electricity supplier rebates and federal and property tax credits, there are a lot of financial incentives for solar projects in the US with support from local authorities, which are eager to promote renewable energies”, says Romain Leprince. The good fit between the site’s power needs and the size of the solar panel installation (151 kWp) is also a major bonus. Dusty Anderson emphasizes the importance of the site belonging 100% to the Group: “This is a big bonus, as everything was made so much simpler without having to convince partners of our decisions. The fact that the site is big is also a major plus for an urban solar project". 

A pace-setting standard bearer for bigger solar projects 

There is a strong Group interest in the US market, but also in the Asian and African markets, on which Total has a number of projects at different stages of development. “TEP Barnett serves as a pilot for the other projects in the US and has been highly successful, delivering on time and within budget. There is growing interest for solar installations in all of the branches on site, and there is an urge to act now, before the local rebates for solar projects are withdrawn", says Romain Leprince. Dusty Anderson says: "TEP Barnett’s solar panel project was granted a total of $370,000 in rebates, including the Greenback Program from TXU Energy, an Oncor Rebate, a Federal Tax Credit, depreciation and a Property Tax. This financial boost really helped us push the 

project over the line.” Dusty Anderson also highlights the importance of the close cooperation between the affiliate and local authorities: "The City of Fort Worth was really impressed with the project and is inspired to do something similar." 

TEP Barnett and Total Solar: a winning combination 

Managing the initial solar project without prior solar experience was the main challenge for TEP Barnett in the early stages, according to Dusty Anderson. But the quality of the affiliate's teams and Total Solar's expertise made it possible to overcome this challenge. He comments that "the most enjoyable part of the project involved recruiting and working with the smart and talented TEP Barnett, Solarization and SunPower teams. Our solar project team had members from engineering, regulatory, real estate, marketing, accounting, supply chain, field services and government relations. All contributed with solid ideas that led to a better quality project". Romain Leprince adds: "The commercial phases of solar projects are always very interesting. We contact the affiliate, collect data, then carry out a feasibility study to convince management of the merits of launching the project. During this phase we needed to be rational and realistic, while highlighting the strong points of an installation in order to launch a development phase. The preliminary and development phases can be quite long but are essential in laying the foundations for a quick and efficient project execution. In this respect, I must say that the TEP Barnett project execution has been quite impressive". 

Dusty Anderson points out that the affiliate and Total Solar cooperated well in selecting the best contractor for the project. "Axium Solar made multiple site visits for this project and had carried out a lot of projects locally that had proved very successful, for instance at the new Toyota corporate headquarters in Dallas. They also helped us identify and secure some of the rebates." Throughout the project, Total Solar and TEP Barnett complemented each other in many areas of expertise. Romain Leprince explains that "the main role of Total Solar consists of accompanying the affiliate with our expertise and provide it with a techno-economic study based on the on-site observations we make". He concludes on a high note: "In all our projects, Total Solar depends on the involvement and motivation of the affiliate, and in the case of TEP Barnett, the level of motivation is very high indeed. This is an essential ingredient for effective cooperation between the GRP and E&P branches and the success of the TEP Barnett solar project owes a lot to this determined spirit".