Kingneed EnergyHanging PV Storage
Storage bars installed under PV module rails at a 100 MW plant
All CasesDesert Region · 100 MW ground-mount

100 MW Legacy Plant Storage Retrofit

An aging desert plant added distributed storage under existing rails - no land, no downtime, phased deployment.

Storage bars installed under PV module rails at a 100 MW plant

Project Background

The plant had operated for years with rising curtailment and string mismatch losses. The owner wanted storage without reserving new land or stopping generation.

Solution Approach

  • Storage bars clamped under existing mounting rails, row by row
  • Wireless mesh networking with no extra communication cabling
  • Bars wired in series with the modules above, installation per string
  • Phased rollout while the plant kept exporting power
Close-up of hanging storage rods installed under PV module rails on site, showing cooling fins, wireless antennas and red/black/green string cabling
Storage rods installed under PV rails on site, with string cabling dressed beside each rod
Storage bars clamped under PV rails, close view of the retrofit
Rod clamped to the mounting rail, viewed from below the module
Wide view of retrofitted PV rows in a desert plant under midday sun
Retrofitted rows at a desert plant, storage bars mounted under the array
Wireless communication antenna detail on a solar mounting rail
Wireless mesh antenna fixed to the rail for row-level communication
Perspective along PV mounting structures carrying storage bars under a bright sky
Perspective along PV mounting structures carrying storage bars

Feasibility Study

Phase 1 (20 MW), Phase 2 (50 MW), Phase 3 (30 MW) · Full-year 2024, full-year 2025, and Jan–Jul 2026

Curtailment Analysis (2024 / 2025 / H1-2026)

PhaseCurtailment DaysAnnual CurtailmentPeak Single Day
Phase 1(20 MW)80.3% / 92.3% / 95.9%5.56 / 12.82 / 7.23 GWh93.3 / 174.1 / 89.8 MWh
Phase 2(50 MW)79.5% / 92.1% / 94.4%16.70 / 32.02 / 19.58 GWh190.9 / 277.2 / 242.6 MWh
Phase 3(30 MW)74.3% / 92.3% / 95.9%8.60 / 17.92 / 11.04 GWh135.9 / 158.1 / 139.5 MWh

Key Findings

  • Combined annual curtailed energy doubled from 30.86 GWh (2024) to 62.77 GWh (2025); H1-2026 already reached 37.85 GWh
  • Curtailment frequency rose from 74–80% of days in 2024 to 94–96% in H1-2026 — approaching 'curtailed every day'
  • Typical curtailment window is midday peak generation (11:00–16:00 core); average chargeable window 6–7 hours
  • 4-hour storage outperforms 2-hour: at same power ratio, 4-h annual discharge is 1.6–1.9× 2-h
  • At 60% power ratio with 4-h duration, utilization falls to ~67% (about 1/3 usable capacity idle) — balance absorption against utilization

Recommended Storage Sizing

85% delivery-ratio target

Phase 1: 9 MW·4hPhase 2: 25 MW·4hPhase 3: 13.5 MW·4h

Balanced delivery & utilization

Phase 1: 7.0 MW·4h (35% ratio)Phase 2: 20 MW·4h (40% ratio)Phase 3: 10.5 MW·4h (35% ratio)

Ready to Review Your Own Arrays?

Share your plant location and capacity. We will map a pilot layout onto your existing mounting structures.

Request a ProposalDownload Brochure (PDF)