Crimson Orchard project combines solar power and battery storage to support growing clean energy demand in the U.S.
Boise, Idaho, 17 March 2026 – Clēnera, the U.S. subsidiary of renewable energy company Enlight Renewable Energy, has secured $304 million in financing to support the development of its Crimson Orchard solar-plus-storage project in Idaho. The investment marks another major step in the company’s strategy to expand clean energy infrastructure and strengthen the role of renewable power in the U.S. energy market.
The Crimson Orchard project is currently under construction in Elmore County, Idaho. Once completed, the facility will combine 120 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power generation with a large battery energy storage system capable of storing 400 megawatt-hours of electricity. This hybrid setup allows the project to generate renewable power during the day and store excess energy for use when electricity demand is higher.
Clēnera expects the project to begin commercial operations in the first half of 2027. To ensure long-term revenue stability, the company has already signed two important agreements with Idaho Power, a regional utility provider. These agreements include a busbar power purchase agreement for the solar energy generated by the project and a tolling agreement for the battery energy storage system. Both contracts will run for 20 years, supporting reliable energy supply and grid stability.
The financing package was supported by several major financial institutions, including KeyBanc Capital Markets, HSBC, ING Capital, and MUFG Bank. These lenders provided construction financing and long-term debt to help move the project forward.
According to KeyBanc Capital Markets, this marks the second financing partnership with Clēnera, highlighting growing confidence in the company’s renewable energy development strategy and its expanding role in the U.S. renewables market.
Clēnera has invested a total of approximately $342 million into the Crimson Orchard project so far. The facility is also part of a larger 13-gigawatt portfolio of clean energy projects that the company has secured under safe harbor provisions in the United States, allowing developers to maintain certain federal incentives while completing construction.
The Crimson Orchard project reflects a growing trend in the renewable energy industry: combining solar photovoltaic generation with battery energy storage systems. Solar-plus-storage projects are increasingly important because they help manage fluctuations in renewable energy production while ensuring electricity remains available when demand peaks.
Clēnera and its parent company Enlight Renewable Energy have been actively expanding their renewable energy portfolio across several regions. In the United States, the company recently secured financing for the County Acres solar-plus-storage facility in California. Internationally, Enlight has also raised funding for hybrid renewable energy projects in Europe, including a wind, solar, and storage project in Spain.
Industry experts note that hybrid energy projects are becoming a key solution as power demand increases, especially with the growth of data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and electrification across industries.
This shift toward hybrid renewable systems will also be a major focus at SolarPLUS USA 2026, an industry event scheduled for March 24–25 in Dallas, Texas. The conference will bring together renewable energy developers, investors, utilities, and grid operators to discuss topics such as solar and battery storage integration, managing multi-state energy pipelines, and meeting rising electricity demand from emerging technologies.
As clean energy adoption continues to accelerate, projects like Crimson Orchard demonstrate how solar power and energy storage technologies are working together to deliver reliable, sustainable electricity while supporting the transition toward a modern energy grid.
