Two major Blymyer solar projects are key to California’s renewable energy future

Blymyer Engineers has completed design and engineering services on the substations for Victory Pass and Arica, two high profile, utility-scale solar projects in Desert Center, California. The Blymyer team was also commissioned for design and engineering work on the PV (500MWh) and BESS (1,000MWh) at both these sites, in partnership with EPC SOLV Energy and the developer Clearway.

The construction of Victory Pass and Arica represent a significant milestone in the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to modernize America’s power infrastructure in the West and permit at least 25 gigawatts of solar, wind and geothermal production on public lands by 2025. Due to their capacity to quickly absorb, hold and then reinject electricity to the grid, these solar facilities will make renewable energy viable for use across our national grid.

“The size and scope of these two initiatives showcase our expert capabilities in substation, PV and BESS engineering,” explains Greg Mazur, Blymyer’s Director of Engineering. “Blymyer Engineers has designed over 25 substations with a total capacity of over 5,150MW, but Victory Pass and Arica are clearly the largest we’ve ever done—with a total of 3 transformers (one for Victory Pass and two for Arica),” he adds. “We perform every step of the design process, from feasibility studies and site assessments through physical design, protection, controls, and programming.”

The design planning for these substation projects required hundreds of drawings, and the challenges of navigating federal and state requirements and the goals of a private company like Clearway. There was no cross over, and a lot of cable duct and trenching underground to address. The combined output of the two facilities will be fed into a Gen-Tie line.

“Blymyer is pleased to be involved in furthering the renewable energy initiative in California. We look forward to taking on more jobs of this nature moving forward,” says Mazur. “The global electrical substation market is a growing area of focus for us, due to the increasing number of renewable energy projects that include them. Our team has experience designing and engineering electric substations for inclusion in a variety of renewable energy projects that include them. Our team has experience designing and engineering electric substations for inclusion in a variety of projects, even those with particularly challenging site requirements.”