seeing green

Houston-based developer claims $98 million tax equity investment for Texas energy storage facility

Plus Power's storage facility, being built on 13 acres in Comal County, is scheduled to come online this spring. Photo courtesy of Plus Power

The Woodlands-based Plus Power has collected an estimated $98 million tax equity investment for its 200-megawatt Ebony Energy Storage facility near San Antonio.

Plus Power says the investment from Solana Beach, California-based Greenprint Capital Management will help stabilize the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) power system “during dynamic summer demand and cold winter storms while helping to integrate more renewable energy into the grid.”

The storage facility, being built on 13 acres in Comal County, is scheduled to come online this spring.

Peter DeFazio, managing director of Greenprint, calls Plus Power “a first mover” among owner-operators of standalone battery energy storage facilities in the U.S. Plus Power owns a portfolio of large-scale lithium-ion battery systems in more than 25 states and Canada.

“As the state and the country experience increasingly extreme temperatures, we are proud that our projects can provide grid services that will help ERCOT increase reliability and meet abnormally high demand,” says Josh Goldstein, chief financial officer of Plus Power.

By this summer, Plus Power expects to be operating four storage plants in the ERCOT market with 800 megawatts of total capacity.

Plus Power announced in 2023 that it completed a $1.8 billion financing for Ebony and four other projects in Texas and Arizona. The financing included $196 million in construction and term financing for the Comal County project.

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A View From HETI

Hobby Airport's new solar canopy is operating at 100% capacity. Photo courtesy Houston Airports.

Houston's William P. Hobby Airport is generating its own clean energy.

Houston Aiports announced that Hobby's red garage is now home to a "solar canopy" that is producing energy at 100 percent capacity to power daily operations. The photovoltaic (PV) solar system generated more than 1.1 gigawatt-hours of electricity in testing, and is expected to produce up to 1 megawatt-hour now that it's operating at full power.

“This project is proof that sustainability can be practical, visible and directly tied to the passenger experience,” Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for Houston Airports, said in a news release. “Passengers now park under a structure that shields their cars from the Texas sun while generating clean energy that keeps airport operations running efficiently, lowering overall peak demand electrical costs during the day and our carbon footprint. It’s a win for travelers, the city and the planet.”

The project was completed by Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and CenterPoint Energy. It's part of Houston Airport's efforts to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent over its 2019 baseline.

In a separate announcement, the airport system also shared that it recently reached Level 3 in the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation program after reducing emissions by 19 percent in three years. This includes reductions at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Hobby and Ellington Airport/Houston Spaceport.

The reductions have come from initiatives such as adding electric vehicles to airport fleets, upgrading airfield lighting with LED bulbs, adding smarter power systems to terminals, and improving IAH's central utility plant with more efficient equipment. Additionally, the expansion to Hobby's West Concourse and renovations at IAH Terminal B incorporate cleaner equipment and technology.

According to Houston Airports, from 2019 to 2023:

  • IAH reduced emissions by 17 percent
  • Hobby reduced emissions by 32 percent
  • Ellington Airport reduced emissions by 4 percent

"I see firsthand how vital it is to link infrastructure with sustainability,” Houston City Council Member Twila Carter, chair of the council’s Resilience Committee, said in the release. “Reducing carbon emissions at our airports isn’t just about cleaner travel — it’s about smarter planning, safer communities and building a Houston that can thrive for generations to come.”

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